“Better.” I nod. “Now, someone tell me what’s going on. And don’t say ‘nothing’ or I swear I will scream.”
Another loaded silence as they exchange glances. It’s Rett who finally speaks, his voice level despite the strain evident in every line of his face.
“The bond broke,” he says simply. “The static returned.”
“I figured that much out,” I say, my hand going unconsciously to my throat. No evidence remains of the claiming that changed all our lives. “But it’s worse than before, isn’t it? That’s why you all look like death warmed over.”
“It’s...” Rett pauses, searching for words. “Intense.”
“Understatement of the century,” Tristan mutters from the window seat.
“Is it permanent?” I ask, looking from one to the other. “Or will it fade back to... whatever normal was for you?”
“We don’t know,” Dane says quietly. “This isn’t exactly a common situation.”
I absorb this, the weight of it settling in my chest.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, the words inadequate but sincere.
Diego’s head snaps up, his eyes wide with surprise. “You’re sorry? Cariño, no. This isn’t your fault.”
“Well—” I start.
“If we hadn’t let you think you were just a convenient solution to our problem,” Rett interrupts, the words underpinned by a low, frustrated growl he can’t quite suppress. “If we had been honest about what you really meant to us, you wouldn’t have left.”
“And what do I mean to you?” I ask quietly, the question that’s been burning in my mind for weeks finally spoken aloud.
The silence that follows is heavy, charged with everything unsaid between us.
“Everything,” Dane says from his position against the wall. The single word is soft, but it lands with the impact of a thunderclap.
Tristan laughs, a short, pained sound. “Leave it to Dane to say in one word what the rest of us can’t manage in a thousand.”
I look at him, confused. “What do you mean?”
He gestures vaguely, wincing at the movement. “All of this... the static, the marks, the bond. It was never about finding a cure. I mean, it was at first, sure. But somewhere along the way, it became about... you. Just you.”
“What Tristan is trying to say,” Diego cuts in, his voice gentle, “is that we fell in love with you. All of us. And we were too stupid, too afraid, to tell you.”
Love.
The word hangs in the air. I stare at Diego, trying to process what he’s just said. My gaze moves to the others, searching their faces for confirmation, for denial, for any clue to help me make sense of this revelation.
Tristan is watching me with an uncharacteristically serious expression. Dane’s pale eyes are fixed on me with an intensity that makes me shiver. And Rett... Rett looks away, his jaw clenched, as if the admission has cost him something vital.
“You... love me?” I repeat, the words feeling strange in my mouth.
“Yes,” Diego says simply.
“All of you.”
Four nods, varying in enthusiasm but unanimous in conviction.
I lean back against the pillows, suddenly overwhelmed. This is... this is not what I expected. Not what I prepared for. I was ready for them to confirm my worst fears. That I was nothing more than a biological band-aid for their condition. I was prepared to feel used, disposable, replaceable.
I was not prepared for love.
“I don’t...” I start, then stop, unsure what I’m even trying to say. “This is a lot.”
