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For a second, I escaped the world by burying my face in her hair, then I heard someone sob. Twisting to look, I saw Amaryllis was being held back by her men—Saint and Keys. She was slapping at them, kicking, trying to get to Eagle Eyes, and I growled, “You calm her the fuck down or we’ll sedate her. My brother is in there. If you distract the fucking doctors, you’ll all pay. I don’t care about any fucking deals you’ve made—”
Keys glowered at me, but then he stunned me by grabbing Amaryllis by the shoulders and shaking her hard. Once. “You heard him. Do you want to be sedated?”
Her mouth worked as she stared at him, but she blinked, shook her head, and stood there looking like she could crumble away before our eyes. Before she could, he gripped her, tucked her into him tight, and I left them to it now that there was peace.
Automatically, I tracked Aela’s movements, and saw she was standing by Declan’s bed—how both women had figured out which guy was in which bed meant that I was more tired than I reckoned, because I hadn’t been able to tell.
She pressed her hands to the sheet like it was glass and Declan might be able to touch her through it.
She was trembling, one big quiver, and I saw she was crying.
Crying for a man who hated her.
There was more to their story, more than Declan had ever let on, and more than he’d probably ever share. Whatever they’d had together, I didn’t know about it, which meant it was well hidden. I knew more shit about my brothers than they could guess, but I’d never seen anything between Dec and Aela, and as a result, I’d never kept an eye on her.
Apparently, that was shortsighted of me.
Too many fucking mistakes… I needed the shit smacked out of me.
With Inessa in my arms, I muttered, “You shouldn’t be here.” I said that, of course, as I carried on squeezing her.
“Had to come. Wasn’t sure if it was you in that bed.” She shuddered, her face pushing into my shirt.
“I told you, I stay out of it.”
“Didn’t know for certain.”
“Fucking Conor,” I grumbled.
“He’s on the phone with Ma,” Brennan said, his tone hushed.
Because I couldn’t imagine what Ma was doing with herself, not able to come because, if she did, Da would be with her, and then he’d be terrorizing the doctors which wasn’t good for morale, I whispered, “Jesus. Okay. I forgive him.”
I gave Inessa another squeeze, then muttered, “Come on, let’s go get Aela. She doesn’t need to see this.”
Inessa shivered, but let me go. I didn’t bother tugging her along with me, instead, I strode the few steps to Aela’s side.
She’d found a small space in the cluster around his bed, one that meant she could see him.
He was awake.
I wasn’t sure how that was possible, but even though he was drugged up, he was staring at Aela with a cocktail of emotions in his eyes.
I could see hate. Could see love. There was want and need, but there was also fear and rage.
“What the fuck did you do to him?” I whispered, never having seen my brother emote so fucking much, and even now, I had to figure he was only showing it because he was on whatever drugs the docs were feeding him.
At my question, she flinched, but when she spoke, she gutted me, so I knew how Declan had to feel all those years ago when, apparently, they’d had more of a relationship than I’d known.
“I let him think I had an abortion.”
And like that, a lot made sense, but what didn’t?
That an O’Donnelly was somewhere out in the world, and he wasn’t in the family’s fold.
