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Mia’s hand pulls out of mine. “You should go ask,” she says, “see where his room is—”
“Please,” I breathe, reaching for her.
Just that. But she gets it. She slips her hand back into mine, bumps my leg with her hip. “Bad memories?”
“Yeah.”
I have nightmares from this hospital. Well, I have all sorts of nightmares, but the time I spent here was hellish. I know that if I hadn’t been a rich kid, I’d have suffered a lot worse, but the coldness, the detachment of the staff, the distance of my parents who never gave a shit about me anyway, the way everyone talked as if I was already dead…
I feel like an idiot, hanging onto her hand like it’s a lifeline, but eventually my chest stops feeling crushed and my legs feel strong enough to carry me to the reception desk. Mia never lets go of my hand, and when three more shadows fall on the desk, I realize the guys are right behind us.
It eases more of the pressure in my chest. “Here to see my brother,” I tell the young man behind the desk. “Tobias Armand Marais D’Aube.”
“Your name, sir?”
“Ronan Ashton Marais D’Aube.”
“Mr. Marais D’Aube.” He looks startled and sits up straighter in his seat. “Apologies for not recognizing you right away, I wasn’t told to expect you, I…”
“It’s fine. I got permission from the Academy to come visit Tobias,” I lie. Not that it matters. The chances of my parents asking about my visit are slim to none, though if they told the staff not to let me in… it’s going to get ugly.
But the man smiles uncertainly, clicks on the keyboard of his computer. “Of course. I was sure you’d come, sir. He’s in room six-six-six.”
“You put him in my old room?” I mutter.
“Your room was six-six-six?” Emrys is laughing. “They put you in hell?”
“Not my idea, obviously.” I nod at the receptionist and lead my troupe toward the elevators.
“Sir!” the receptionist calls after me. “I’m not sure he’s allowed so many visitors!”
“Calm your tits,” Jason says. “Who cares what you think?”
We enter one of the massive elevators and the doors close, drowning out anything else the man might have had to say. We’re silent as the box zooms up, tinny classical music playing from the speakers.
A witch, a vampire, a werewolf, a fae, and a demon walk into an elevator… Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke—especially considering half the people have it out for me.
The doors open again before I have the time to start laughing to myself like a lunatic and we exit into a corridor that I’ve seen time and again in my dark dreams.
The nurses nod at me as we walk down the line of lights. “Mr. Marais D’Aube,” they whisper.
“They know you here?” Emrys turns to stare at them. In the harsh white overhead lights, the scar on his face looks stark and painful.
“I spent a few months here after my accident as a kid. Rehabilitation takes time.”
“And they remember you since then?” His gaze sits on my nape like a fluttering bird.
I clear my throat. “Also, my family sort of owns the place.”
“I see.”
Room six-six-six is closed. I open without knocking and enter, hauling Mia along with me, the others following.
And I stop, frozen in my tracks.
He’s there, in the bed.Toby. The little shit, the little… My baby brother. Something is choking me, not letting me breathe. He looks so small on that bed. An oxygen mask obscures most of his face, the rest of it covered in dark bruises. I don’t realize I’ve let go of Mia’s hand until I find myself by my brother’s side, alone.
“Toby.” I sit heavily on the edge of the narrow bed, take his smaller hand in mine. “Toby, can you hear me?”
