away from Rebe, staring at them with huge, wide eyes. Rebe squatted down so they were at her level and said, “Hi, I’m Rebe. You must be Rasha. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Rasha leaned back against her dad, obviously scared of them.
Walking over to Rebe, I put my hand on their shoulder—ignoring Hiro’s growl—and said to Rasha, “It’s okay, sweetpea. Rebe wants to help us.”
Rasha’s eyes flicked up to mine. She seemed like she maybe wanted to come to me, but was still too cautious of Rebe.
Stepping around my friend, I held my hand out to Rasha, and she didn’t hesitate to take it. I bent down and scooped her up into my arms, kissing her cheek, before turning to Rebe. They stood up, but didn’t move any closer, trying to smile at Rasha as she gripped my hair in one of her fists subconsciously.
Hiro came over and put his arm around Rasha and me, kissing his daughter’s hair and offering me a smile before he said, “Rasha, there’s a spring we want to take you to. It has healing properties that will help you.”
Her eyes went wide as she turned to her dad. “It’ll fix me?”
Hiro nodded. “It will, but…” He sighed and ran his hand through his hair, so I picked up for him.
“The healing spring will make you part fae, in a sense.” I didn’t want to say that they’d strip her of her humanity because that sounded scary as fuck. “You know how fae and witches and other creatures live longer than humans?” She nodded. “If you do this, you’ll live as long as them.”
Her eyes widened. “Forever?”
I shook my head back and forth. “Perhaps. But, yes, for a very long time.” She could still be killed, but her body wouldn’t die of natural causes, at least not to our knowledge. I’d never met a being over two thousand years old, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist. “You would grow up like normal, and once you’re around my age, you’ll stay that way for the rest of your very long life.”
“What about Daddy?” she asked.
A pang shot through me because I’d been avoiding thinking about that. Hiro was human. No way could I go on without him, but deep down, I knew Hiro would never want to be turned into a vamp or werewolf. Swallowing all that down, I said, “He’ll be with you as long as he can.”
She stared at me for a few seconds, then whispered, “What about you?”
And that right there almost did me in. Even if Hiro wasn’t with me a hundred years from now, Rasha was a reason for me to keep on going. I’d keep on living for her because I already loved this little girl more than I had any right to. If she needed me, I’d be there. Period. So I whispered, “I’ll be with you as long as you need me, sweetpea. Forever, if you want.”
“Forever,” she whispered with a nod, making my throat clog with emotion.
“Peanut,” Hiro said, drawing her attention. “You’ll be able to breathe.” He reached up and ran his finger over the tube on her face. “You won’t need this anymore. You’ll be able to run and play… you’ll be free, baby girl.”
She and Hiro stared into each other’s eyes for several seconds before she reached over to hug him. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight, walking away a few steps to whisper to one another.
Rebe stepped up beside me and said, “He’s lovely, Bas.”
I shot them a small smile as I wiped my cheek, refusing to acknowledge the tear that slipped free. “That isn’t a word I’d use to describe him, but thanks.”
They laughed, and I was hit with a strange feeling in my gut. Once upon a time, making Rebe laugh was the only thing on my mind. I’d always loved hearing their laugh, how free it sounded, how joyful. And now, well, it was still beautiful, but I no longer had that deep need of making them happy.
Rebe shot me a glance and smirked. “There was a time that I wished I was him.” They nodded at Hiro.
“What do you mean?”
“I used to wish I was your viramore.” Their voice was quiet and a little hurt, and somehow it brought tears to my eyes because I was already raw and I knew how much I’d really hurt them.
“I’m sorry, Rebe. I’m so fucking sorry for everything.”
They offered a sad smile. “I know you are.