Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

Ifind myself in her old room. It’s sparse. Other than a few books and clothes, there are no pictures or anything else to indicate it was her room. I hate it, yet it’s the closest I can get to her right now, so I stride in and drop onto the bed, sucking in her scent. I finally break, and the tears fall.

I failed her. I failed them all.

I cannot even breathe around the guilt and pain I feel. I don’t let the others see, knowing they will worry, but here, I cry silently and beg for her forgiveness. I couldn’t stop him from taking her sister and I should have been able to. What’s the point of all this power and strength if I can’t use it to stop the one person in this world I love from suffering any more than she already has?

I need her. I need her so badly.

I need her in my arms. I need to hold her tight and reassure myself she’s safe.

Instead, I feel sick, knowing she’s out there right now and probably in pain.

My heart aches so much I struggle to breathe. It’s my job to protect them, to keep her safe, but I failed, and now she’s all alone.

I stare out of the window and wonder where she is under the night sky. Can she see the stars? Is she thinking about us too? I inhale her faded scent, needing it to calm me. My heart won’t stop breaking or hammering until she’s back in my arms, but this will have to do for now.

For a moment, I close my eyes, imagining she is here with me—her soft hands sliding across my body, the smile she gives me that ruins me. She is strong, but she needs us.

Needs me.

I often wondered what it would be like to lead a normal life, but I know with certainty now I would take all the pain, torture, and imprisonment just to have her again and be given a chance at happiness by her side. She’s worth it.

My eyes open, and I look at the stars again. “Stay strong, my love. We are coming for you,” I promise her. We will not stop until we do. This isn’t the end of our story. Our girl will get the happy ending she deserves, and she’ll get the peace she needs. I’ll make sure of it.

We all will.

She might be willing to give her life for us and her sister, but so are we. Every one of us would die for her without hesitation, and without her here, we have nothing else left to live for.

“Nico, she needs you to be strong,” Louis murmurs behind me. It’s a testament to how lost I am that I didn’t even hear him come in. I stiffen and don’t turn to face him, not wanting him to see my tears, my weakness.

The bed dips and arms wrap around me, offering comfort, and I struggle to pull myself together. “Break now, then tomorrow you will be strong again. We are going to get her back, we have to, but I need you to do that.”

“I failed her,” I croak.

“No, we failed her, and it won’t happen again,” he replies. “We will get her back, and then we will kill every single one of them for taking her. We will beg for her forgiveness and spend the rest of our lives following her around, but for that we need you.”

“What if I’m not strong enough?” My eyes lock on the stars. “What if he was right about us . . . about me? What if I failed his tests because I’m not good enough.”

“That’s fucking bullshit and you know it, brother.” I turn, and he grips my chin, pressing his forehead to mine. “He failed us because we didn’t fit into his little perfect box—nothing more, nothing less. Our girl thinks we are fucking perfect, and we will not dishonour her by proving otherwise. He thinks we are failures, so let’s show him we’re not.” Wiping the tears from my face, he smiles sadly. “Then after, we can deal with all this. Until then, let’s shove it all in a fucking box, okay? It is the only way I—we can keep moving.”

I realise then that this is for him, not just me. He’s faltering and he needs me.

Wrapping my arms around him, I hold my brother as we break in our love’s bed, our silent promise drifting to the stars. We are coming for her.

Nothing will stop us.