Nico hands me a handkerchief from his jacket pocket as I pull back my dagger. I happily take it to clean the blade, while Raiden and Hunter’s dads lower the body.
“Take it out back and burn it.” Dad instructs.
“Do you want to stay here tonight, love? I’m sure you’re exhausted.” Mom asks me and on cue I yawn.
“I am, but I think I’d like to go home, no offence or anything but our bed there is actually suited to fit three and I don’t feel like being suffocated by these two all night.”
Nico and Mason share a look and I roll my eyes.
“Come, amore. Lets get you home.”
I say my goodbyes to my family and before I know it I’m dozing off to sleep in the car against Mason.
Mason.
With Isla asleep as Nico drives us home he finally speaks up to me.
“Do you think she’s okay?”
“Of course she’s okay, look at her.”
“I mean mentally, Mase… You don’t go through torture and just be fine afterwards.”
The simple mention of what happened makes me shiver slightly.
“She was born into this life. Yeah, we all tried to shelter her from it but it’s not as if she was blind. I caught sight of her snooping plenty of times when we were growing up. It’s not as if she’s a normal girl who was ripped off the street. She’ll be fine.” I say softly, leaning back in the chair so she rests on my chest a little easier.
“I just…I don’t want to be the reason she breaks.” He says looking in the rearview at me.
“You won’t be. You’ll be the reason she heals, even if that is in a fucked–up way. She’ll still always be perfect for us.”
“I’m booking the trip tonight. We’ll leave as planned after Kaiden, Hunter and Mia’s wedding.”
“Good. I think she will like that.”
The rest of the car ride home is quiet. When we arrive, I carry Isla upstairs still sleeping and lay her on the bed. She only got a few drops of blood on her clothes, so I change those carefully before tucking her in and heading to the shower myself. I’m not surprised to find Nico already in the shower but what I am surprised to see is that he’s crying. He sit’s on the stone seat in the large shower, completely exposed and baring his soul. I strip my own clothes and step in, letting the water run over me briefly before I walk over to him and stand between his legs. He
ì immediately wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head on my stomach. I know this last week for hard on him, but I didn’t realise how hard it was and I think having her home now and being able to finally rest, it’s all hitting him at once.
“We could have lost her.” He sobs quietly.
“But we didn’t.” I run my fingers through his hair. “She’s stronger than you know,”
“But she shouldn’t have to be. I should have kept her safe, kept her at home, away from it all. I made that decision to put her in harms way. I
did that.”
“Look at me.” I say, pulling his hair so he looks up at me. “You can not control that girl. Ever. If you told her that day that she couldn’t come she would have gone anyway and done something dramatic like bring a fucking tank.” He laughs. “She’s not the kind of girl you tie down, she the one you let run with the wind, and if she falls, you help her up and let her go again. Isla isn’t Isla if you hold her back. Do you
understand?”
He nods slowly, wiping his face and shaking off the emotional wave.
“Will you wash my back?”
“Of course. Get up.” I smile.
I take the soap as he turns around and put some in my hands. It’s Isla’s favorite scent and we’re getting low since we’ve both been using it while she’s been gone. I rub the soap into the muscles in his back, kneading his shoulders and neck. He starts to relax, rolling his head back as he moans softly.
“Good?” I question.
“So good.”
I work his muscles a little more before I wash his hair and he laughs when I tell him to rinse.
“I haven’t had my hair washed since I was a kid.”
“You deserve to be taken care of.” I kiss his forehead before I wash myself and get out to find some comfortable sleep pants for the both of us, taking them back into the bathroom where Nico is drying himself. He smiles at me thankfully, taking them from me and putting them on.
We slide into either side of the bed surrounding Isla. Nico pulls her close to him, snuggling her back as he settles in with a deep sigh.
“I love you.” He whispers.
“I love you“, he says again, and I turn my head to look at him, my eyes connecting with his.
“Me?” I whisper.
“Yes, you. I love you, Mason.”
“Oh…I love you too.” I lean over Isla who lets out a small sigh as I sandwich her between us and tenderly kiss Nico.
“And me?” Isla says sleepily with a little smirk on her lips and her eyes still closed.
“And you.” I kiss her.
“We love you, amore.”
