I rub my face against his shirt, wetting it with my tears, only backing away when Georgiy growls slightly. Then I move to him, letting his strong arms engulf me.
I peer over at Agatha and see her swiping at her eyes. Teddy is too, the two of them clearly emotional at the display of affection from Anthony.
“You come back now,” Agatha says, her voice wobbly. “You come back home after this. And take your vitamins with you.”
She turns her gaze to Georgiy. “Make sure he takes them every morning and make sure he eats, period.”
“I will.”
She hands him my pill box and then pulls me in for another hug. I can smell her—flour, salt, and vanilla, like a scone.
“You take care of yourself. You fight like hell, and I left you a little something in your pocket.”
I fiddle with it and pull out a vial.
“Is this what I think it is?”
Her eyes sparkle. “Yes. Use it if you need it.”
I clasp it in my hand and kiss her cheek.
“I will use it for the biggest monsters.”
“Good boy.”
I turn back to Georgiy, who is watching all of this, his eyes full of approval. Then he turns to Anthony, seriousness in his gaze.
“Will you have transportation ready?”
“Yes, give me an hour to arrange it.”
15
BANE
The private plane ride from California to Alabama takes about four hours, which is excruciating. And this is coming from someone who was tortured on a regular basis growing up.
Once, I had my fingernails removed.
That hurt a lot, too.
But this is somehow worse. Because it’s tied to a shady past that I can’t quite recall. Georgiy seems to sense this, and he links his hand with mine, making a flutter of excitement move through me.
He never touches me like this, but he is. He’s comforting me in his own way.
I appreciate it. It makes me even more obsessed with him. That ring now seems insufficient. Like a childish whim. I need something more. Like the arm of his archenemy. Something significant. I already gave him a head, but he wasn’t happy about the mess it made.
“What are you thinking about so hard?” he finally asks, noting the notch in my forehead.
“The ring I gave you.”
He cocks his head. “I’d have assumed it was about the woman we’re about to meet.”
“Oh, she’s there too, lingering like a bad smell, but I’m wondering if that ring is enough, you know? Do you think it symbolizes what we are?”
He twists it on his finger and purses his lips. “I think it’s perfect.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I could give you something better. Maybe one of my own fingers? I could carve a ring out of my own bones!”
