Defining Darkness - K E Osborn Page 0,80

worried about you, woman.”

Holy shit.

“We can close the blinds. Will that make you more comfortable?”

He brings his hand up to caress my face. “No. I see you better like this.”

I try to take in a deep breath, but it hurts, and the movement causes me to wince.

Nycto stands and is by my side in an instant. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

I shift on the bed slightly. “I’m fine, just hurts when I breathe in deeply.”

“The bullet grazed your lung. Nerve was able to halt the air from escaping which stopped your lung from collapsing. If he wasn’t there, things could have turned out far, far worse.”

“And Andrés?”

“He’s waiting at the clubhouse for when you’re back and fighting fit. I need to you see how we punish assholes who do us wrong at The Royal Bastards. I need you to see me, for me.”

I tighten my hand in his. “I see you, Nycto. Nothing you do will scare me away.”

“Yeah, maybe. Once you have seen me in action with Andrés, I will understand if you want to walk away.”

“I want to be there for it.”

He cracks his neck to the side. “Ivy needs to be there, too.”

I inhale slowly. “It’s settled then. As soon as I’m healed, we will deal with Andrés… together.”

“You don’t know how sexy that sounds coming from your mouth.”

I giggle as he leans down, planting a tender kiss on my lips. That spark, the adrenaline rush flows through me like it always does. Nycto might not have been my first choice, but he’s the one and only choice I would ever make now.

“I want to clarify… I was never going to let Andrés take Ivy.”

“I have to admit, I thought you were going to let him take her. I’m sorry I doubted you.”

“You’re a package deal. I knew that from day one. I won’t let anything happen to Ivy.”

Warmth floods through me. I’ve known for a long time Nycto cares for me, but now I finally feel like he cares about my sister too, and that makes him all the more special in my eyes.

He sits in the seat beside my bed, leaning back. His hand still holding mine. “We need to talk about something serious.”

“Okay?”

“Do you want Cuban sandwiches for your first meal back at the clubhouse or something more extravagant?” I let out a small laugh, then wince from the pain.

He grimaces. “Oh, fuck! Sorry.”

“No, this is good. You’re cracking jokes must mean we’re going to be okay.”

His eyes darken, something flicks through his mind, but he doesn’t elaborate. “Yeah, you’re gonna be just fine, Chiquita.”

I don’t miss that he said ‘you’re’ as in me is going to be fine.

Does this mean he’s not in the clear?

Is someone still out to get him?

I guess he will tell me if there’s something to tell.

For now, I’m going to enjoy his company because, to be honest, even though normally he loves to live in the shadows, hiding away from everyone, he’s the best kind of company to keep.

Nycto

Six Weeks Later

Eva’s been home for a few weeks, and she’s healing perfectly. She fits in so fucking well. Getting shot in the chest takes its toll, so her healing time has been longer than I hoped it would. When Void finally convinced me to come home and take a shower, I was shocked at what Hatch and the boys had accomplished. The framework for the front of the bunker was almost complete. By the sixth week, the bunker was completely finished and back to its normal functioning self again, with a few technological improvements—reinforced steel, twice the thickness of concrete, and we put in a skylight above the bar. This place will never come down like that again so easily.

I thought with times changing around here, maybe I could change a little too. The clubhouse feels bigger, happier, and most definitely, brighter. It’s hard to explain. It’s like there was a dark cloud hanging over us, and Eva and Ivy’s arrival has changed us all.

Eva is strong enough to walk around without straining, so I’m taking her and Ivy downstairs for us to deal with Andrés. He’s been holed up in Ivy’s room for six weeks. Ivy’s been staying in a room upstairs, but she’s desperate to get back to her old room. For some reason, she feels more at home down there.

She likes the dark.

I see a lot of myself in her.

I dip my head to Void. I want him with me in case Andrés tries to make