"No blood, Luci," I say softly. Luc's green eyes fill with tears as he begins to sob.
I gather him in my arms. His shoulders shake and he flinches harshly when my hand touches the rough, raised stars in the centre of his back.
"Sorry, Luci," I murmur. I slowly move my hand up and down his back until he doesn't flinch from it.
I don't move and he starts to calm down. His breathing settles, his grip on my shirt loosens like he's falling asleep.
"Butterfly!” He says panicked when I try to stand. "Don't go. Please, don't go," he begs me.
Tears fill my eyes.
"Luci." My voice trembles as I try to hold myself together. My fingers brush his cheek and his eyes snap up. "I'm not going anywhere, baby. Do you want to come sleep with me?"
He nods and lets me stand. I slip my hand into his, seeing the fright back in his eyes. He grips it tightly.
I direct him around his bed. The blankets are a mess. He must have been moving in his sleep a fair bit—his hair’s sticking up everywhere too.
"Come on," I murmur and he follows me down the hall to my room. I push my door open and Mase opens his eyes looking like he never went back to sleep. He tilts his head, focusing on Luc.
"You okay, dude?" Mase says concerned. Luc doesn't answer.
Mase mouths something that I don't interpret. I give him a confused look. He rolls his eyes and waves it off.
Luc pulls the sheets down and slides under them. I lay down between him and Mase. Luc pulls me back against him. His arm curls around me, his fingers stretching until they rest on my collarbone.
"Pretty Butterfly," he murmurs before drifting off.
Mase moves closer, entwining our fingers. Our mouths are centimetres from each other. My gaze flicks away once I'm caught out.
"This isn’t uncommon," Mase says quietly, his blue eyes seek out mine. “I’m usually the only person who hears him.”
"He's not quite awake," I guess and he nods.
"He won't remember it in the morning—little bits maybe," Mase tells me.
"What happens?" I ask him.
"He has nightmares but sometimes they’re memories. The last few he's had like this, where he's still asleep, it's his dad torturing the people closest to him." Mase hesitates before adding, "Usually I'm the only one who hears him moving around. The first time I went in, he thought I was a ghost."
I don't want their blood on you.
He was so panicked, sorelievedwhen he saw me.
"He thought you guys were dead," I say heartbroken.
Mase nods. "His father made him do terrible things, Angel. He wouldn't tell us everything. It's…it's not always his dad torturing his loved ones in his nightmares. Sometimes it's his father forcing him to hurt us."
Tears fill my eyes and Mase moves closer. I take shaky breaths into Mase's chest, breathing in his evergreen scent. My poor Luci.
"He's getting better, Angel," Mase tells me. "Being here, it's helping him. Being here with you…it's helping all of us."
I close my eyes and feel Mase and Luc against me. My fingers entangled with Mase's, his hand on my hip. Luc's arm around me, his face nuzzled in the crook of my neck.
They're helping me too.
Chapter 12 ~
Alec ~
