“Because you’re big. If you stay with me, they won’t hurt me anymore.”
Fuck me.
It’s like taking a punch to the chest. He shouldn’t be afraid of anything. At his age, his biggest concern should be deciding what to play with the next day.
His dark eyes lock onto mine, and I know he’s waiting—needing confirmation that I’ll protect him.
My size can be intimidating even to adults, and given what he’s been through, it’d make sense if he feared me too. But instead, he seems to feel safe.
There’s a reason I don’t get close to the kids we save. It’s easier this way—not forming emotional ties. That way, we can let them live their lives once they’re rescued. Still, I always keep an eye on the ones we’ve placed—to make sure their new families treat them right.
So why can’t I walk away from this boy?
Maybe it’s the sadness that radiates off him.
Bruno is too young to carry so much grief. And whether I want to admit it or not—his pain has been haunting me.
I sit on the edge of the bed. “No one’s going to hurt you anymore.”
“You won’t let them?”
“Me or the doctors here. There are lots of people to protect you now.”
He turns his face back toward the window, looking upset. I don’t know what to do.
I’m not the type who makes promises I don’t intend to keep—and I do plan to watch over him for as long as I need to, making sure he has a decent life. But nothing beyond that.
Maybe it’s just that I was the one who saved him. That could explain the bond he seems to feel. But Blood was with me that night, and Bruno hasn’t said a word to him—not once.
“What’s wrong? Don’t you like it here?”
He shrugs.
“Hey, look at me.”
Silence. He doesn’t move.
“You don’t want to talk?”
Finally, he faces me. “Where am I going to live?”
“Here, for now,” I say carefully.
“I don’t want to.”
“You don’t?”
He shakes his head. “Can you take me to your house?”
I open my mouth and then close it, completely unsure of what to say. How the hell do I answer that?
Bruno watches me. It’s insane, given his age—but it feels like he can see right through me.
When seconds pass and I still don’t answer, he lies down and pulls the comforter over himself.
“Are you sleepy?” I ask, my chest tightening to the point it feels like I’m suffocating.
Silence.
