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Maximus came back with a brass key on an old-fashioned motel keychain. He opened the door and looked into the back seat. “I have the room.”
Gently, I took Ehria from the seat and carried her inside. Phoenix stayed outside, and I saw him with his phone to his ear. I took in the dated but extremely clean and homey room. Once Maximus closed the door, he dropped into the chair, and his elbows rested on his knees as he buried his face in his hands.
“I’m sorry about your mother,” I whispered.
He dropped his hands and stared at me with red-rimmed eyes. “We knew there would be casualties. We all accepted it. I just didn’t think….” He trailed off as his gaze fell to his hands.
After a few moments of silence, he stood. “I need to get back. My pack needs me, and I need to check on my brother.” He sounded rusty as he said the word.
He glanced at my daughter before he ran a trembling hand over her dark hair. “You’re going to need help with her. There are things you won’t understand and won’t know how to handle as she grows into herself. We had hoped my mother would be the one to be there for you.”
The pain in his expression was heartbreaking. I understood, though. Losing your mother is one of the most painful experiences. I was around his age when I lost mine.
Losing Nico would be as bad, but I wasn’t allowing myself to think that Angel may not have been able to save Nico. I couldn’t. I was holding on to my sanity by a thread, and I was using every coping skill I knew to hold my shit together.
“I’ll let you know as soon as I get back.”
There was no need to say what he was referring to—I knew. He paused in the open doorway. “I hope you will let me be a part of her life, but I’ll understand if you don’t want me to.”
Without waiting for my reply, he left.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I cradled my sleeping but sniffling daughter to my body. Eyes closed, I breathed deeply as I rocked slightly.
The door opened, and my eyes popped open, heart thundering.
“News?”
Phoenix grinned before he blew out a heavy breath. “He’s okay. He and Angel are out right now. Ghost is with them.”
Relief hit me like a tsunami, and I nearly fell over. Unable to properly process, I laughed as I sobbed. Phoenix sat by us and wrapped his arm around me.
“He’s okay,” he repeated as if he needed to remind or reassure himself. I rested my head on his shoulder as I continued to blubber and laugh.
It was hours later when the same silver SUV pulled up out front. Heart in my throat, I stood. Phoenix was napping next to Ehria on one of the beds, with pillows on her other side, but his head had popped up the second he heard me remove the chain lock.
After making sure Ehria was secure, he crawled off the bed.
Tears filled my eyes as I saw Nico crawl out of the back seat, and I ran. Throwing myself into his arms, I cried as I held on for dear life.
“Don’t ever do that to me again! Can youpleasestop getting shot?” I mumbled into the plain black T-shirt he wore. He chuckled, and it shook his chest under my face.
“Where’s Ehria?” he asked into my hair before he pressed a kiss to me, and I looked up into his beautiful dark eyes.
“Sleeping, and don’t you dare wake her up!” I mock glared at him. She’d been intermittently fussy since our escape.
“I won’t. Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked, searching my eyes for the truth.
My lids dropped, and I took a deep breath that I let out slowly before I locked my gaze with his. “Yeah. I’m okay. Maybe not great, but okay.”
With a single nod, he kissed my forehead.
“It’s good to see you’re okay,” Phoenix said behind me. That’s when I realized my brother hadn’t gotten out of the vehicle.
“Where’s Angel?” I asked, fear trickling through my veins. “And Ghost?”
“He’s back at the compound resting,” Maximus said as he rounded the hood. “Your other friend is with him. Wouldn’t leave him. He saved our mother. It utterly drained him, and he’s been damn near comatose since. But I promise, he’s safe.”
“If it hadn’t been for you and Ehria being here, I might not have either,” said Nico with a chuckle before he cleared his throat. “You know my brother, obviously.”
