Page 24

Finn

"Finn?" I jerked as someone touched my shoulder, shrinking away from the touch as I pulled Levi closer. I wasn't going to let anyone harm him. I almost used my powers on them, but I recognized the voice a moment before I did.

"Hey, kiddo. It's Dad. I'm here to help, remember? Let me see him."

Dad? Dad could help Levi. He would make him all better.

I sat up slowly, and found both Dad and Papa watching me, mirroring looks of worry on their faces.

"He hit him in the h-head. With that." I nudged my chin toward the innocuous-looking steel bat, and Dad nodded as he reached for Levi. I didn't want to let him go, but I trusted Dad. I knew he would take care of him.

"What happened?" Papa asked as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I turned to him, pressing my face into his chest as a shudder wracked through me. I could smell blood, Levi's blood, and I wanted it off him. I wanted him to stop bleeding. I wanted him to be okay .

"We were walking, and he came out of the bushes. S-said something about this town being infested, then attacked. Is Levi going to be okay?"

"He'll be fine, sweetie. He's a tough one, isn't he? You know he is."

Papa was right. Levi had dealt with a lot worse than a blow to the head when we were held captive. He could recover from this.

Dad sighed and sat back on his heels, and I frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"No, kiddo. He's going to be just fine. It's just that I can't heal him."

I nodded. I knew Dad's magic was a little finicky. "But he'll be okay?"

Dad nodded quickly. "He will heal. I promise. You mentioned he has a garden, right?"

"Yeah, in his backyard."

"You should take him there. He helps those plants, so they will want to help him too. His familiar might be able to help too."

"What about..." I waved at the man I'd turned to stone, and Dad pursed his lips. His eyes flicked to the bat, and for a moment, I got the feeling he was debating what would happen if he broke the statue. Then he shook his head and gave me a smile .

"I'll call Nash. He'll know what to do with him."

"Nash?"

"He's a detective, remember? You met him last year at a clan party. He knows about supes, so he'll be able to take care of this."

I nodded, then pulled Levi against my chest before standing up. My basilisk side wanted me to shatter that statue into a million pieces, but I couldn't do it.

"Come on. I'll drive you to Levi's place," Papa said, and I nodded.

"Could you bring his car over later? The keys are in his pocket," I said, and he nodded as he pulled Levi's keys out and pocketed them.

The drive to Levi's place was silent as I shrugged my shirt off to cover his wound with it, and I refused Papa's offer to stay until Levi woke up, wanting to just be alone with him.

Papa told me to call him if I needed anything, then kissed my forehead before letting me out of the car. He waited until we were inside before driving away, and I went straight to the backyard, Greta racing after me when she noticed Levi in my arms.

In the backyard, I kneeled on the grass, setting Levi on the ground and holding him close.

"Can you help him, Greta? Can the plants?

" I asked, and she gazed at me for a moment before climbing up onto Levi's chest. She rubbed her head against his cheek, and while I couldn't see anything, I could feel magic all around us, reaching out for Levi from the ground, from Greta, even from the air itself.

Dad had been right. His plants wanted to help Levi.

I wasn't sure how long I sat there. My mind had gone blissfully blank as the magic worked on Levi, and I didn't want to think.

I didn't want to think about how Levi wouldn't have gotten hurt if I'd acted in time.

I was a basilisk. My senses were much sharper than Levi's, much less a human's.

I could've stopped him before the human had a chance to swing that bat toward Levi, but I hadn't.

I'd been too afraid—afraid of a simple human, afraid of my own powers—to act, and it had cost Levi.

Levi's powers weren't even made for fighting, and he'd still stepped between us and put himself in danger to keep me safe. Would I have acted like I did if it'd been Penny or Dean in danger? I didn't even have to think to know I wouldn't have.

Why were things different with Levi? Did this mean I didn't love him? That couldn't possibly be true, could it?

I hadn't said the words yet, but I'd been so sure I loved him. But if I really loved him, wouldn't I have protected him?

"Finn?"

Levi's voice jerked me out of the thoughts I'd been drowning in, and my eyes watered as they met his.

"Levi? Oh fuck, you're okay." I pulled him against my chest again, and he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me back. I felt like I would shatter into a million pieces any moment .

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I mumbled into his hair, and he pulled back, cupping my cheek and forcing me to meet his eyes.

"What are you apologizing for?"

"I should've reacted quicker. I shouldn't have let him hit you."

"It was just a bump in the head, Gin. I'm okay now. You reacted just fine. At least now he can be put in jail for assault," he said, then frowned. "Don't know how you'd explain the stone thing to the cops, though."

"Dad's handling it. There's a cop who knows about supes."

"Of course there is. I should've guessed," Levi said with a chuckle. "Come on—let's go inside. Time for a cuddle and some sleep."

I nodded, then helped him to his feet. I checked his head, but other than some dried blood, there was nothing. His garden, his magic, had healed him.

"Thanks, you guys. I'll give you an extra boost once I've recovered," Levi said, rubbing the leaf of a plant close by.

Once we were inside, I locked the doors, then led him to his bedroom. We changed into sleep clothes after quickly washing up, then slipped under the sheets.

I turned on my side to face Levi as he switched off the lights, and he pulled me close, then pressed a kiss on my lips. "I'm okay, Gin, and you're not allowed to worry about me anymore. Understood?"

"Okay," I murmured, wishing it was as easy as that .

It didn't take Levi long to fall asleep, but every time I closed my eyes, that crack rang through my head, along with the image of Levi crumpling to the ground.

It was going to be a long night.

Levi

After the night we'd had, I wasn't really surprised when I was woken up by a fidgeting Finn at three a.m. He was mumbling in his sleep, and I flicked the lights on, unsure how to help.

He'd told me not to wake him from a nightmare, since he tended to get disoriented when he woke and it took him longer to calm down, and the alternative was watching him suffer. I couldn't just go back to sleep when I knew he was hurting, so instead I sat vigil and waited for it to be over.

"Levi," he murmured, and I sucked in a breath. Was he dreaming about tonight? Or before?

"I'm so sorry, so sorry," he mumbled, and my breath caught in my chest as tears slipped from his eyes, making his lashes cling together. "All my fault."

Fuck, this was torture. There had to be some way to help him, right?

Greta peered at me from her pillow between ours, then walked over to Finn and curled up against his chest, rubbing her face against his chin.

Was she comforting him ?

Finn sighed, and the grip he'd had on his pillowcase loosened as he cupped Greta's back instead, and pulled her into his chest.

She sent a wave of comfort through our bond, and it took me a moment to realize she'd done the same with Finn. Did that mean she had a bond with him as well? Maybe it'd been created when she bit him?

Whatever she'd done, it had calmed Finn down, and I turned off the lights, then wrapped my arm around his middle, pulling him closer. Greta was trapped between us, but she didn't seem to mind as she curled up and went back to sleep.

It took me a while to fall asleep again, but when I next woke up, it was morning, and the other side of the bed was empty.

I sat up with a groan, scanning the room for any signs of Finn or Greta. His clothes from last night were still hanging over the back of the chair, and I relaxed. He hadn't left.

Before I could climb out of bed and go looking for him, he appeared in the doorway with a tray laden with food. The scent of fried bacon and fresh coffee filled the air, and I hummed.

"Good morning!" I greeted him with a smile, and though he returned it, his eyes were still clouded with worry. "I'm okay, Gin. I promise."

Finn nodded, then placed the tray on the bed in front of me before sitting on the other side.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"I'm okay. I wasn't the one who got hurt. "

"Yeah, that's not true and we both know it," I said, taking his hand in mine. "You might not have gotten hit by a bat, but he still hurt you."

Finn made a face, then nodded, albeit reluctantly. I couldn't imagine how afraid he must've been, and I was proud of him for keeping his head about him. I wasn't sure I would've done the same if our situations were reversed.

"I should've acted sooner."

"It wasn't your fault. Why do you think it was?"

Finn glanced away, then focused on splitting the food into two dishes and thrusting one at me. I took it from him, placed it on the bed, then took his hand in mine again, waiting until he met my eyes to speak again. "What's going on, Gin? Talk to me."

He sighed, then glanced away again, as if he couldn't bear to look at me as he spoke.

"I keep thinking about what happened, and I feel guilty because I'm sure I would've reacted faster if it was Penny or Dean in your place.

What does that say about me? I thought..

.I haven't said it yet, but I was sure I loved you.

But wouldn't I have protected you better if I did? Am I just lying to myself?"

"Oh, Gin," I murmured, then moved the food to the other side of the bed so I could pull him closer. "You have absolutely nothing to feel guilty about."

"Did you not hear what I just said?"

"I did. Every word of it. And for the record, I love you too, more than I've ever loved anyone before.

But that's me. I don't expect you to feel the same, and I never would.

Like you said before, Penny and Dean have always been your kids more than your siblings, even when you were a kid yourself.

I'd never expect you to feel for me the way you feel for them.

It wouldn't be fair to any of us. What I do know is, between the two of us, I've always played the role of protector, back when we were kids, and now. "

"That's..." Finn trailed off, and I smiled.

"You said it before, didn't you? You feel safe with me. The only reason you reacted when you did last night was because you'd been expecting me to take care of you. So if anyone's to blame here, it's me."

"I'm not blaming you for getting hit in the head!" Finn protested, and I smiled.

"Then how about we just blame the guy who actually hit me and stop feeling guilty, hmm?"

Finn narrowed his eyes at me, then sighed. "Don't be so logical when I'm trying to throw myself a pity party."

I laughed, then pulled him into a soft kiss. I hoped I'd been able to assuage his guilt, because the last thing I wanted was for Finn to think last night was in any way his fault.

"How about we eat this delicious-looking breakfast you made before it gets cold?"

"Okay," Finn murmured as he pulled back. "Then we spend the day in bed. I called in sick for both of us. I hope you don't mind. "

I'd be an idiot to mind getting to spend the day in bed with my mate.

"Sounds like the best plan I've heard in a while."