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It was suddenly the most important thing in the world that the looming figure not be allowed to place a single finger on the scrawny child who had whirled and flung his arms out in front of me, as though he would use his own small body as a barrier between me and the threat that terrified him.
Acting on pure instinct, I let out a growl and leapt past him, my fingers hooked like claws to rip and tear. A high-pitched shriek of fury to my left signaled the boy doing the same thing—punching and kicking and snapping his teeth at the darkness. As though it had been an illusion all along, the nightmare figure dispelled into wisps of oily vapor beneath our combined attack.
Our screams of rage echoed in my ears. I realized, abruptly, that I was flailing and clawing at nothing. Exhaustion overcame me as my too small, too young muscles finally gave out. I collapsed in a heap, the boy following me down a minute later. His small chest rose and fell like a bellows.
Those big brown eyes searched my face, a new kind of fear in them. “Are... are you okay?” he panted. “Did he hurt you?”
His small fists were clenched, the knuckles bloody. A flash of memory assailed me—a massive alpha, standing over my old gang members with bruised and bleeding hands; Mia and me tucked protectively behind the bulk of his body.
“No,” I said in something like awe, as understanding dawned. “You saved me, Emiel.”
But the boy was still watching me in consternation. “You savedme.You’re an omega, and you still fought him.”
“Webothfought him,” I replied, with wonder creeping into my voice. “He came to hurt us, and we fought him off together.”
“L-Luca?” Emiel asked, his voice unsure and so, so painfully young.
“Yeah. It’s me. We...” My chest hitched. I was crying, and I hadn’t even noticed until now. “Emiel. We don’t have to fight alone anymore.”
Emiel blinked. “We... don’t?” He looked around at the darkness, which now seemed to be lightening like a dense forest just before dawn. “Oh. Wedon’t.”
Without quite knowing how I got there, I ended up with my arms wrapped around a skinny boy who would have thrown himself into the devil’s embrace to spare me from harm. Emiel went stiff for only a moment before collapsing against me and clinging with fierce intensity.
Then, he burst into tears.
I was still crying as well... but for the first time in forever, those tears felt like setting down a burden. Straightening my shoulders without the aching press of a heavy, invisible weight pushing them down.
“Don’t leave me?” Emiel’s words were small and hopeful, pressed against my neck.
I hiccupped a wet laugh. “Don’t think you have to worry about that, squirt. I’m pretty sure we’re stuck with each other forever.”
SIXTY-THREE
Emiel
I CAME BACK TO AWARENESSwith Luca’s body wrapped around me like a barnacle, salty wetness drying on my cheeks. Small fingertips were stroking along my shaved scalp, soothing.
I wasn’t alone inside my head.
I wasn’t aloneoutsidemy head, either. There was Luca, of course. I also recognized Mia’s floral scent—she was the one petting me. But there were other people here, too. People whose scents I didn’t recognize. A growl rumbled up from my chest, completely involuntary. My muscles twitched hard as I made an aborted attempt to roll upright, stymied by Luca’s clinging grip and the softness of the mattress beneath me.
“Hey,” Mia said. “Hey, it’s all right, Emiel. You back with us?”
“I think it’s just the medical team,” Luca mumbled against my throat. His presence inside my thoughts felt exhausted, as though he’d been running for hours.