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Florin stilled my hand with one of his and turned to face me, those pretty purple eyes meeting mine. “I’m sorry about your mother, Braz.”
I offered a sad smile. “Thank you. It was a long time ago.”
“It still hurts, though…” He rubbed my hand with his fingers. “I haven’t seen my mother in a very long time, either. I was taken from her when I was very young, and I still miss her.” He didn’t have to say that the chances of her still being alive were slim—I could hear it in his voice.
Turning my hand beneath his, I squeezed his fingers. “I’m sorry about your mother, too.”
He smiled gently and squeezed my hand back before turning around again.
“Is four braids running back okay? Your hair is thick, so if I do smaller braids, I think they’ll hold more easily, and I can tie the braids together at your nape.”
“If you want to put that much effort into it, sure, but you can do whatever’s easiest for you.”
I grunted. I didn’t want to do what was easy for me. I wanted to do what was best for him. But I wasn’t brave enough to say that out loud.
As I began brushing his hair, he said, “Even before we escaped, I was thinking about…” He cleared his throat. “I know backthere, I stayed out of everything. I didn’t see the point because I felt…”
“Helpless?” I offered softly as I started working his hair back.
“Yes.” He sighed. “I didn’t think I’d ever get away from that place. I thought those walls would be the last things I saw before Natas stole my life from me like he stole so many other things. There were many days that I wished he would just end it all.”
My heart pierced at the thought, at what he went through, at the fact that he’d wished for death rather than suffer another minute with that monster. Thank the goddess that hadn’t happened. I couldn’t imagine being here without this beautiful man with us.
Florin took a breath. “Now that we’re free—and goddess, I still can’t believe it—I don’t want to donothinganymore.”
Humming in agreement, I tied off the first braid and started another one. My finger brushed his ear, and not for the first time, I noticed a scar at the top of it. He had one on the other side as well, and it saddened me to know there must be other scars on his body that he kept hidden. “I didn’t do anything to help, either, Florin.”
“Nica acts like you did.”
“I supported him and covered his back when he went to meet new contacts, but I was never actively involved the way he was.”
He was quiet for a few moments. “That sounds like more than nothing to me.”
I tied off another braid, then whispered, “Florin.” I didn’t move or say anything else until he faced me again. “No one, not even Nica, can blame you for protecting yourself in that situation. You did what you had to do to survive. That’s all any of us did in that place.”
His purple eyes filled with tears that he tried to blink back. Only one escaped, and without a thought, I lifted my hand and swiped it away with my thumb. Florin offered a watery smile and whispered, “Thank you.”
“The only thanks I need is for you to stop being so hard on yourself.”
A puff of air and a tiny laugh came out of him. “Goddess, why are you so kind to me?”
My brow furrowed. “I’m only speaking the truth.” I motioned for him to turn back around, and once he did, I added, “You deserve a little kindness after everything.” I wasn’t usually very brave with my words, but Florin seemed like he needed to hear them, so I gathered my courage before continuing. “Plus, you’re one of the only people that wasn’t afraid of me when we met. You’ve always been kind to me. All I’m doing is trying to return the favor, which is no hardship because you’re a wonderful person that I enjoy talking to.”
“Braz…” He wiped at his eyes. “You’re too sweet for your own good.” He snorted out a little laugh. “And I enjoy talking to you, too. Very much.”
I smiled at that and finished braiding his hair with a new peacefulness between us.
Thinking about what this gorgeous man suffered through at the hands of Natas made me sick to my stomach and pierced my chest. The terrible thing was that I only knew a small part of it. How he was still so sweet and kind to me after everything he’d been through, I would never understand. No one deserved that treatment. No one deserved to have the freedom of their body taken from them. I couldn’t imagine how it made Florin feel to be used in that way, and I promised the goddess that I would protect him so he’d never have to feel that pain and grief again. Even if he didn’t like it, want it, or need it, I was going to protect Florin. With my life if I needed to.
Florin turned around again, offered me a smile, and grabbed my large hand in both of his. As his fingers brushed over my skin, he met my eyes and whispered, “Thank you, Braz.”
“You’re welcome. I meant it when I said I’d help you. Please tell me when you need something. I don’t want you hurting anymore.”
He squeezed my hand and took a breath. “Okay.”
I grinned at him, and after a few seconds, I remembered the tray of food I’d brought for him. Pulling away and standing, I grabbed the tray and handed it to him, then walked over to my bed.
“Thank you.”
