“I’m still going to kill you,” I murmured. As the adrenaline and cortisol left my body, everything became heavy. I sank deeper into his arms.
“I know.”
The nausea subsided. With Max at my front, and Cas at my back, a wave of calm washed over me. My eyes lidded.
Inside my head, we were kids again.
We were Max, Leona, and Cas facing down countless make-believe enemies.
We were friends, whispering in the dark, planning our latest prank attack on my father’s men.
We were partners in every single way. Inseparable.
What would things have been like if my father hadn’t done the things he’d done? If Max hadn’t made his choices, and I’d made mine?
The panic attack was gone, but the warmth felt so good in the cold and dark.
“Amore,”Cas whispered. “Can you move?”
Everything was quiet.
“I think so,” I whispered. “I’m okay now.”
I felt hollow, but I wasn’t drowning anymore. They’d both pulled me back from that dark abyss.
Max’s arms slowly let go, and Cas helped me stand. I wasn’t about to collapse anymore, but I felt like a giant pile of shit.
Cas gave me a questioning look, like he was looking for anexplanation, but I didn’t have it in me to talk about. I got it under control, back inside the box, and that was all that mattered.
Thankfully, Cas didn’t press, but I doubted the rest of my guys would be as accepting of my silence as he was. I’d deal with them later. He kept his arm around my shoulder, keeping me steady as we walked the path back down the tunnel. Max stayed a few feet apart, distancing himself.
When we made it back to the room with the cages, Willow’s team was already at work. Wynn noticed me and rushed over before crushing me to his chest. Ryuji and Ciel came next. Both were covered in blood splatters, but I didn’t hesitate to meet their outstretched arms.
“You okay?” Ciel whispered in my ear.
I nodded. “How is it out here?”
“Under control,” Ryu answered. “The Vokshi are dead. We think a few might have escaped through the tunnels, but we have a whole handful of buyers who can’t wait to talk to us.”
Ervin Vokshi’s body still lay about thirty feet away. My fingers brushed over my neck, and I winced at the bruising. Ryu’s jaw clenched.
Sigh. So much for interrogating him. That just never worked out for us, did it?
“Is Willow handling them?” I asked Wynn. Willow’s team was triaging. Already, it looked like there were fewer people. They must be transporting them out in groups.
“They’ll be fine,” he assured me. “Willow can help them.”
Obi walked over while exchanging a look with Cas, and my eyes narrowed at whatever unspoken message passed between them.
Obi pressed a kiss on my forehead. “You are okay?”
“Yeah.”
His lips thinned. “We will talk about this at home.”
“I’d rather not,” I replied. That sounded like dropping lemonjuice on fresh wounds. Better to just move on. “Everything is fine.”
“It is not,” he answered.
