But I was past the point of being able to do that alone.
I needed my pack to be with me through every step.
A throat clearing behind us made me jump. Heart racing, I spun around to face the pathway, only for my face to heat to obscene temperatures.
“Nico! Hart!” I exclaimed, my voice unnaturally high-pitched. “You’re here.”
Nico rested a hand on his hip. His fingers were within touching distance of some kind of weapon. They didn’t have any visible guns on them, probably out of respect for this being a trauma care facility, but the weapons master of the Alfieris wouldn’t go without a line of defence.
Or offence.
He was looking at West like he wanted to use his hidden weapon as a murder implement.
“Jurah and Penn wanted to come.” Hart stepped forward, a smile on his face. “Your mother said we would overwhelm you, so you only have to deal with two of us.”
I was surprised she’d managed to talk them out of swarming me like a cloud of overbearing bees. But thankful, especially because of the position we’d been caught in.
We hadn’t been doing anything wrong. Not really.
It just felt like we had, especially from Nico’s exaggerated reaction.
I cleared my throat, and my next words came out in my normal voice. “He didn’t hurt Mercer and Conrad, did he?” I jerked my head toward Nico.
Hart laughed. “No, they’re fine. He took your warning to heart. How are you feeling?”
I shuffled from foot to foot, a renewed throbbing starting up from my bondmark. Whenever someone asked about it, Benjamin made his presence known.
West wrapped his arm around my waist and tucked me against his side. I blushed and leaned into the comfort.
“I’ve been better,” I admitted. “I’ll live, though.”
“We’re going to find your bastard scent match,” Nico promised darkly.
“And then let you decide what to do with him,” Hart tacked on. “Your mother told me to tell you to stay here as long as you want. And her phone is always on if you want to talk.”
Nico gave West a long up and down glare. “But we’d prefer it if you came home.”
“We’d prefer it if you stayed here until you were comfortable,” Hart gently corrected. “You’ve been through a lot.”
I couldn’t help but smile at the very typical back and forth. Nico wouldn’t dare speak up against Mom if she were here, but when she wasn’t present, it created a grey area that he was happyto dance in. My other fathers did what they could to keep him mostly in line.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “I think… I think I’ll stay at least one more day.”
“My sister lives here,” West said. “She’s made sure Talia knows her way around.”
Hart and Nico looked like they had questions, but they didn’t ask them. They’d surely be digging around into Violet’s backstory when they got home later, but at least they didn’t pry in person. Small victories.
“She’s really great,” I agreed. “And with Mira and Lavinia here too, I have a nice little haven.”
“That’s perfect.” Hart outstretched his arms for a hug. “We should go. Is a hug OK with you?”
From my fathers, anytime. I grinned, throwing myself at him. Hart gave the best hugs of them all, full of love and life and warmth. He held me tighter than usual, only letting go when I dropped my arms and stepped back.
Nico had wandered suspiciously close to West. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I caught a glint of metal in the dimming sunlight.
He was definitely uttering threats.
To his credit, West was impassive, not outwardly reacting.
