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She opens the front door, and we go inside. I sit at the kitchen island while she starts working on a massive breakfast. We don’t say anything at first. I hate talking about shit like myfeelings, so I keep my mouth shut and wait for her to start the conversation.

“You know you did everything you could, right?” Nina asks.

“She could die because of me.”

“The sheriff is at fault for what happened to her. You can’t take responsibility for his psychotic behavior.” She drops several slices of bacon into the sizzling skillet. The scent hits the air and sends my stomach into turmoil. I’m hungry as fuck, after all.

“Smells good,” I mutter.

“Don’t try to change the topic,” Nina warns. “I barely got any sleep last night, and I’m not in the mood.”

“Fine. Yes, the sheriff is mostly to blame, but I shouldn’t have left her and Max alone.”

“They weren’t alone. Talon, Reaper, and I were here. Not that it did much good.” She shakes her head.

“I let vengeance cloud my judgment. I went after him when there wasn’t a need to do it.”

“Maybe so, but that’s just who you are. You want justice, and you will do anything to get it.”

“Even put people I love in danger?” I ask bitterly.

“So you do love her,” Nina says.

“Of course, I fucking love her.” I can’t sit still, so I push off the stool and join her to help whip the pancake ingredients together. They’re going to be fluffy as fuck because I’m beating the shit out of the batter.

“But you came home instead of staying with her? Why?” Nina asks.

“Because I don’t deserve her. She’s too … perfect. She’s the perfect woman, and I’m just an angry fucker with a need for revenge. She deserves more. She deserves better.”

“You must be tired. I’ve never heard so muchpoor-meself-pitying bullshit coming out of your mouth before. You’re an idiot if you don’t see she’s perfect for you and you’re perfect for her. She looks at you the way Winchester used to look at me. She loves you with everything in her heart. If you can’t see that, then you’re beyond help.” Nina cracks the eggs far more violently than necessary before beating them relentlessly in the mixing bowl.

“I won’t stop going after Blackstone. She could end up in danger again because of me.” I measure six pancakes onto the griddle, then grab a spatula and wait.

“She understands the risks.”

“Does she?” I ask.

“After what happened to her, she must get it.”

“What if she doesn’t wake up?” I turn my attention away from the pancakes. I need Nina to reassure me Julia’s not going to die. I can’t handle the thought of losing her, even if I can’t have her.

“She will. She’s a tough girl. When you first brought her here, she had that wide-eyed innocence that made me question how she’d fit in. But she’s strong. A fighter. She’ll wake up. And when she does, you’d better be there. Also, you’re burning the pancakes.” She waves her spatula at me.

“Fuck!” I quickly flip them. They’re slightly charred, but Reaper likes overcooked stuff, so he’ll eat them.

“Eat first. Then you can go back to the hospital,” she says.

“What about Max?”

“We need to move him as soon as possible.”

“Julia will be mad if we don’t let her say goodbye to him first,” I warn.

“When she’s feeling better, and she’s ready to see him, we can arrange a meeting.”

“That’s against protocol,” I point out.

“Sure, but this is one time I think we can make an exception. His abuser is dead. The risk is low. Even if the feds are watching us, we’ll be able to outsmart them. We’ll have them running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to find us. In the meantime, Julia will get to say goodbye.” Nina’s confidence is contagious.