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Her voice matched the rest of her face—it was terrible. It was strange how her hair was perfectly braided, despite it being a mess last night. “Your hair looks nice.”
The ends of her braids reached just below her chest, and she took one of them and played around. “I have no idea who did it, but I’m thankful.”
Immediately, I glanced at my brother over my shoulder. All of a sudden, his phone was too interesting. He knew I was looking at him, but he ignored it, face as passive as always. I brushed it off with a small chuckle and brought my attention back to Rhea.
“How are you feeling?”
The question was returned like a boomerang. “How are you feeling? You’ve been through a lot.”
By the time she finished speaking, tears streamed down her face. Nothing but pain and remorse lingered on her soft features. She blamed herself for putting me in that situation. Although, if they hadn’t gotten to her, it would’ve been only a matter of time before they managed to get to me. Sadly, I wasn’t bulletproof.
“I’m fine.” I kept my voice flat. Her eyes were red, and her bottom lip quivered. With my thumb, I brushed the fallen tears off her cheek. It was the only way I knew how to comfort her. Her crying for me made me uncomfortable, but I had to suck it up. After all, she threw herself in the arms of danger as a way to protect me. Albeit stupid, it was still more than I expected anyone to do.
“You’re not fine.” Even her voice trembled.
“Don’t worry. You should be worrying about yourself. What did the doctors say about your foot?”
Rhea sighed. “It was a minor surgery, thankfully. But it will take a while to heal, and, in the meantime, I’m on bed rest. No pressure on that leg at all.”
“That’s good to hear.” I paused briefly, taking a breath in. “Dominik will have you transferred to a hospital in New York.”
It wasn’t a question, and it wasn’t a statement. It was a demand that she tried to dispute, yet she found herself lacking for words. Her mouth opened and closed like a fish, disbelief taking over her expression.
“You’re not my mother,” she responded. “I’m staying with you.”
I blinked. “And doing what, exactly? Limping your way onto the battlefield?”
She shut her mouth.
“Rhea, I’m very thankful for what you did.” Although it was stupid. “But as of right now, when the tensions are very high, you’re more of a help if you’re well-protected and resting. I don’t have time to worry about you.”
She remained silent, and I continued. “Besides, the most violent thing you’ve ever done was smack Helios with a book. It’s not a place for you. It will be filled with blood, dead bodies, and a lot of guns. What you went through last night isn’t even half of what you’d go through. You wanted to protect me, now let me protect you.”
“How can I just rest knowing that all the people I care about are in danger?”
I found it odd how much she cared about my dysfunctional family. She’d been in love with Dominik for years, loved me as a friend, and, although she was terrified of Aleksei, she held immense respect for him. She cared about all of us, and I never quite understood why.
Perhaps, it was because we were in a similar situation. Although her father, Christos Karalis, wasn’t nearly as abusive as Bogdan, he still treated her like shit. Her mother had always been a quiet, obedient woman, and I doubt she cared enough to speak on Rhea’s behalf and try to minimize the abuse. It ticked me off.
Dark thoughts tried to sneak their way into my mind, but Rhea’s soft touch on my hand pulled me right out of it. With a small shake of my head, I gave her the most sincere smile I could muster, which wasn’t much, but I did my best.
“I’m not alone.” The words tasted strange on my tongue. I had Adrik by my side, and, for the first time in my life, I was truly able to depend on someone. It was a bittersweet feeling. It meant a new start in my life, the unknown that I was so horrified of, and yet it made my heart skip a beat.
“As soon as all of this is over, I’m taking you on a trip.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You broke a promise like that once.”
I didn’t remember it at all. “Can I offer a piece of bribery, then?”
Rhea nodded her head.
I leaned over and whispered in her ear.
A loud gasp escaped her lips, and her hands flew to her mouth immediately. Her eyes were as wide as possible, shock lingering within. “What? How the hell is that even possible?”
I grinned. “You should know by now; everything can be bought with money. Even death.”
“Does anyone else know?”
