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Celine pouts as if I’ve scolded her. I lean down so we’re eye level. She isn’t as tiny as Giselle, but she’s still damn petite compared to my six-foot-four height.
“It’s okay to be sad or angry,” I explain as she breathes differently with me so close. “No one expects you to be calm. It’s okay to tell people to back off.”
“I’m grateful for what you’ve done.”
“That’s what the Born Villains do,” I reply, standing straight as I try to keep my hands to myself. “We help people because we were helped.”
Celine’s eyes glow with affection. She can’t stop staring at me, but I sense she’s mostly exhausted. She only dozed on the drive from Texas.
“I’ll take you to Giselle’s house for dinner,” I explain.
Inhaling sharply, Celine looks so excited. “I’ll hide so she won’t see me.”
“No, no, Giselle wants to see you. Luca told her everything.”
Celine’s smile fades. “But I might make her remember.”
“She still wants to see you.”
Celine looks around as if we’re being watched. I would guess there wasn’t much privacy back in Primrose. Suddenly, Celine bursts into tears.
Without thinking, I lift her up and cradle her in my arms. I feel like she’s under attack. I can take whatever danger is thrown at us.
Celine goes rigid in my arms until I settle into a chair. She looks around before noticing how my hands are safely placed on her shoulder and calf as she rests in my lap.
Celine sniffles and stares at me. “I thought she was dead.”
“Look, you can’t think too hard about stuff right now. It all feels weird and wrong. Honestly, the next few days are going to be stressful. You’ll meet too many people. The Sanctuary will be confusing. You’ll feel on display.”
Celine freezes as a medical assistant walks past us. When her gaze returns to me, she looks terrified.
“You didn’t sleep last night. You’re tired and scared. You’re afraid of what’ll happen with Giselle. But tomorrow, you’ll be past those worries. You’ll have slept. You and Giselle will be together. The Sanctuary will make a little more sense. So, when you’re scared, try to imagine how much easier tomorrow will be. Then, consider how you might feel in a week.”
“Will I see you after I meet Giselle?”
“I live at the Sanctuary. You’ll see me all the time.”
Celine stares into my eyes, wanting something. Finally, she asks, “What if the new Giselle doesn’t like me? Or she remembers something bad and everyone blames me? I don’t think I should meet her.”
“It’s too late. She knows about you now, and she’s got her heart set on meeting you. Giselle might be tiny, but she knows how to get her way.”
Grinning now, Celine nods. “You should have seen her the night she escaped. I told her to run. She didn’t want to leave me, but we didn’t have much time before someone would notice we were missing. Once I ordered her to run, she was like a jackrabbit. I couldn’t believe how fast she ran.”
Admiring Celine’s beautiful smile, I consider what her life was like only twenty-four hours ago. The estate was fussy but nice. The staff don’t seem like monsters. Her father felt more like a chump than a psycho. But that was all a shiny veneer over the perversion rotting underneath.
“You are a biker,” Celine says to break the silence hanging between us.
“Yeah.”
Celine notices the tattoos covering my arms before lifting her gaze to mine. She whispers something shy.
“You’ve got to say that in my good ear,” I explain and tap my left ear. “My foster dad pounded me in the right one when I was little and I can’t hear shit out of it now.”
“I’m sorry,” Celine mumbles, seeming sad and sweet as she studies me. “People are cruel.”
“Not everyone. Maybe not most people. We just got unlucky for a long time. But it’ll be different at the Sanctuary.”
Celine’s warm smile is the proof I need to stay at her side until she’s safely with her sister. Afterward, I’ll back off and let her settle in at the Sanctuary.
