Page 77 of The Fallen

“You’ve already asked that.”

“No, I meant your wound. You should still be in the hospital.”

“Oh. Can’t stand them. I’m fine. Got painkillers.”

“Okay,” she says, fiddling with her hands. “Shall we sit then?” She waves her hand at one of her sofas, and the fucking cat arrives in the space just as she does. It jumps up onto the very thing she’s waved at as if claiming its territory.

“No. I’m alright standing.”

She looks at the floor, sighs about something. “Okay. Well, I should say thank you then. That's first, don't you think?”

“What for?”

Her head comes up, a surprised look on her features. “For saving my life?”

“Don’t need to thank me for that. Did it because I give a shit, Neve.” Big eyes stare back at me, both of them seeming lost in those words for a few seconds. Makes me shove my hands in my pockets and look somewhere else, still trying to find more to say than that. “Didn’t want you dying on me.”

“Well, yes, but it still deserves my thanks, Noah. You got shot trying to protect me, and that's pretty astonishing to me. Let alone trying everything you could to keep that gun pointed away from my family, too.”

I walk over to the window, staying well away from the black devil thing that’s eyeing me up. “Doesn’t need going over, Neve.” I didn’t come here for thanks or some sense of gratitude she thinks she owes me. She doesn't owe me a thing. "Just thought I’d check in on you after the bomb.”

“Oh, I’m fine. Tallington is a mess, but it’ll be rebuilt. Landon’s on it.”

“He came to see me yesterday.”

“He came to see you? I thought you’d just spoken on the phone.”

“No. Picked me up. Took me home.”

“Is Stefan alright? I swear if Landon does a thing to try and move him, I’ll strangle him.”

I chuckle lightly, imagining her trying. “He’s fine. Staying where he is.”

“What did he want then?”

“A conversation.”

“About what?”

“You.”

“Oh, for God’s sake. He still thinks I’m a child.” She sighs and comes a little closer. It’s not close enough, in all honesty, but I get that she’s probably rethinking this whole mess of time we’ve been in. “He has no right to interfere in things that have nothing to do with him.” I keep staring out of the window, trying to bring the right fucking words to my mouth. “I’m so sorry if he was rude or belligerent, Noah. Sometimes he needs the stick taking out of his arse and-”

“He wasn't. Surprisingly.”

“Oh.”

“Was it you at the hospital? Mrs Locke?”

“Well, yes, but they wouldn't let me in unless I said that. Obviously, I wanted to make sure you were going to be okay. I travelled in the ambulance with you. Don't you remember?”

“No.” I glance back at her. “Could've used Miss. Been my sister.”

She looks at the floor and knots her hands together. “It was just the first thing that came into my head, Noah. I didn't think-”

“Do you want to start again?” I interrupt.

“What?”