Page 31 of This Blood that Bonds Us

She dried her hands after scrubbing them with soap and water. “Okay. So, you julienne carrots for things like salads or spring rolls. What you want to do first is clean them—you did a lovely job, then we’ll peel and cut them into little strips.”

I nodded while watching her work. Every cut was confident and sure.

“Luke must have learned everything from you.”

Her jaw feathered. “Yes, he was my little chef. Luke loved to soak up all the knowledge I could give him. He even did the dishes after.”

“You must miss them.”

“Oh, so much. All I want is for them to be home and safe in my arms again,” she said with a tight-lipped smile.

I followed her lead, cutting the carrots as she’d instructed.

“You don’t have to be perfect here. Lord knows I’m far from it. I’m not a perfect nurse, and I’m not a perfect mother.”

“The boys talked about you a lot. They missed you . . .”

“When I first arrived, I was afraid I talked all my neighbors into hating me. I talked about them so much. I never imagined they were partying in some frat house in California. Honestly, it’s better than I imagined. That’s where you grew up?”

“Yeah, I was fortunate to stay in the area and continue college there. I loved it.”

“What do you want to do?” she asked.

“Oh, I haven’t thought about it for a while . . . I just wanted to graduate.” It all seemed so far away. I’d hardly allowed myself to think about it since the fire. The fact all my credits were null and void since I was technically dead to the world, I’d have to start over if I went to college again, but I’d just be happy to be alive this time next year. “I couldn’t decide on a major that felt right.”

“Well, think hard, what do you want to do? If you could do anything.”

“I like to hike . . . I miss hiking.”

“There you go! You could be a park ranger. Won’t have to worry about your age with that. We have parks here, but you could move around.”

“That’s what Aaron said.”

“He’s smart sometimes.” She winked at me. “I already told him I thought he’d be great running a dog daycare or even as a dog sitter. He always loved animals. But maybe now he’ll want to find something else to do with his time. He’s grown up a lot.”

I smiled at that thought. It was something I hadn’t let myself contemplate. What happens when we’re finally free? I’d gone through the odds. Getting Luke and Zach back wouldn’t be easy. And even if we did, that battle Kilian talked about was imminent. This would end in blood either way, and as much as I wanted tobelieve my side would win and come out unscathed . . . our odds weren’t great. If they were, Kilian would have attacked long ago.

Maybe that’s why the absence of them filled us all with so much grief. We may not know what went on in The Family, but we knew they were powerful and would not let the twins go easily.

What if we won? Then what would we do with all that free time? I smiled thinking of it, deciding that was the thought I wanted to focus on the most, and hope fluttered in my chest.

“Here, let’s pull your hair back so it doesn’t get in the food.” Vera handed me a clip from her hair.

“You don’t have to. I can go fix it in the bathroom.” I tried pushing the pieces framing my face behind my ear.

“Nonsense. What’s mine is yours.” Vera smiled.

Thirteen

Aaron

“I don’t want to do this.” Presley had his arms crossed as he sat opposite me on his bed. His room was as big as Kimberly’s and my living room.

He wasn’t looking at me, just staring at the wall with a bored expression.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, but that’s what we’re doing. And . . . I’d like to have your support.”

He rolled his eyes, and his jaw flexed.