When we finally pull up to Lilia’s place and the full house comes into view, I’m in awe. It’s not as big or grand as Kai’s, but it’s absolutely breathtaking. One of a kind.
It’s a stone manor with steeply pitched roofs and ivy-clad walls, and a light dusting of snow clings to the slate shingles.
The driveway itself is probably worth more than my entire house. It’s lined with carefully sculpted hedges, with slick, uneven cobblestones gleaming faintly under a thin sheet of ice.
I can only imagine what it’s like in the summer, with all its greenery.
Just outside the entrance, is Lilia. She’s standing at the top of the stone steps, arms wrapped tightly around herself, shifting anxiously on her feet. She’s been waiting. And the moment we stop, she moves.
I don’t even have time to properly open the door before she’s right there.
I swing the car door open, and—bam.
Lilia.
Standing directly in front of me.
Her eyes sweep over me, scanning from my messy hair to my still slightly scraped-up leg, and then she exhales sharply. “No brace?”
I shake my head, forcing a small smile. “No brace.”
She lets out a long breath of relief. I can practically feel the tension ease out of her shoulders. She probably imagined me arriving in a full cast, completely incapable of standing, which—to be fair—wasn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility.
She’s also probably relieved that I’m not entirely screwed if the intruder decides to pay me another visit.
I go to step out, but before I can, she’s already reaching for me. “Here, let me—”
“Lilia, it’s fine,” I reassure her quickly, laughing a little. “I took some meds, I can—”
“Don’t even try it,” she warns.
Lilia thinks she can carry me over. She most likely can’t. But she’s convinced she can, and I don’t have the energy to fight her.
“Lean on me,” she orders.
I sigh. “Lilia, I don’t—”
“Lean. On. Me.”
Okay then, clearly, she’s not playing around, so I don’t bother arguing with her.
I lean.
And immediately regret it.
The second I shift my weight onto her, she stumbles violently to the side, nearly dragging me down with her.
I grab the car door to steady myself, blinking at her. “Still want me to lean on you?” Lilia’s nod comes a bit too fast, but her expression betrays her. She looks like she’s experiencing more physical pain than I am, and I’m pretty sure she’s moments away from dislocating a shoulder.
I start to pull away, already preparing to reassure her that I’ve got it, but then—suddenly, seamlessly—there’s a shift.
A different weight against me. A stronger, steadier hold.
My arm is no longer slung over Lilia’s shoulder.
It’s over Kai’s.
I look up, startled. “You—”
