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Cold hands cupping my face gently.
Roars and screams.
“Breathe for me, sunshine.”
Pain screaming through my hand as the boot came down again.
“I’ve got you, sunshine. You’re safe. Breathe, Matty.”
I listened, sucking in a rattling breath.
“Good boy. Again, sunshine.”
My vision cleared. For some reason, I was lying on the floor with Sebastian leaning over me, his hands on my face. “That’s it, sunshine. No one’s going to yell or touch you unless you want them to.”
As though his words made him realise he was touching me, he started to pull back. My hands shot up to cover his, holding him there. “No.”
There was some murmuring going on by the door, but I ignored it, focusing on Sebastian’s perfect face hovering over mine. A tear rolled down my face. “Please don’t stop touching me.”
Maybe I should have been embarrassed by my desperation, my need to have him near, but I was too far gone to care. I was caught in a riptide, and Sebastian was the lifejacket keeping me afloat.
Something unreadable flickered over his face. “Okay, Matty. Are you feeling well enough to sit up?”
I nodded, letting Sebastian pull me up until my back was against the bed. I leaned against it heavily, exhaustion sweeping over me despite the nap in the car. “Why am I so tired?”
“It’s the shock,” Danny said. My head snapped around to see him, Ferry, and Leo all in front of the doorway, several feet of space between them and us. “That’s probably why you didn’t faint at the sight of blood like you usually do. It’s your brain’s way of processing it all.”
Leo was deathly pale, his whole body shaking. Ferry had an arm around his shoulders, like he was trying to hold him together.
“Matty, can I come closer?”
I nodded, my cheeks burning at my earlier reaction. “I’m sorry about that.”
“Don’t apologise,” my brother said softly. He knelt on the floor, carefully leaving a few feet between us. “What happened?”
Sebastian cleared his throat. “We should leave you both to talk.”
“Wait,” I cried out. “No, don’t leave me.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Leo and Ferry tense.
“It’s okay, sunshine,” Sebastian murmured, running a hand over my hair. “I’m just going to fill Ferry in on everything and see if there’s someone who can help with your hand.”
“Your hand?” Leo’s voice pitched up in alarm. “Are you hurt?”
“I’ll be right back,” Sebastian promised. Before he left though, he pointed at Leo. “Upset him and you’ll have me to deal with.”
Ferry growled while Leo looked stunned. “Matty is my brother.”
They glared at each other for a moment before Sebastian seemed to remember himself. “Yes, he is. Excuse me.”
I watched him leave the room, Ferry and Danny going with him.
Leo, my protector. My brother. My friend. I couldn’t believe I’d flinched away from him. No. I wasn’t letting today take this away from me. I wanted to hug my brother, and darnit, I was going to. I drew in a shaky breath before throwing myself into his arms.
“Oof,” Leo said, absorbing my weight. Then he hugged me back, holding me safe the way he always did. “Oh, Matty.”
I sobbed gently against his shoulder, letting his scent wash over me. It was nothing on the feeling of safety I got from embracing Sebastian, but it was familiar. Comforting.
