Her expression darkened. “Because no matter how happy I might be now, I remember how terrified I was when Luca first brought me here.”
“Does she seem terrified to you?”
Her eyes softened as she glanced toward the bathroom door. “Maybe not of you, but sheisterrified.” She paused. “Be careful with her, Enzo,” she warned. “Or you’re going to lose her. One way or the other.”
I was about to tell her that what happened with Sera and I wasn’t her business, but she was right. “Go ahead and give her the tea. And then give us some privacy, please.”
Her eyes traveled over my face. Whatever she was looking for, she must’ve found it. “I’ll just be a minute.” Partway to the bathroom she stopped and turned partially toward me. “Have you heard anything from Luca?”
“Not yet,” I answered. “But I’m sure he’s fine.”
“Yeah.” She gave me an unsteady smile. She didn’t seem convinced.
“He’s fine, Veda. He always is. And Tristan is with him.”
She glanced down at the floor and took a breath, then nodded and took Sera her tea. When she came back, she said, “She told me to tell you to stay the hell out.” One eyebrow lifted. “I don’t suppose you’ll listen to her request?”
One corner of my mouth lifted in a smile. “I’m glad she’s feeling more like herself.” I walked over to the door and held it open for her. “Goodnight, Veda. I’ll let you know if I hear from Luca. But no news is good news in these kinds of situations. I’m sure he’ll be home in a few hours.”
“I hope you’re right. Goodnight, Enzo. Don’t be an ass.”
Once she was gone, I closed and locked the door behind her, then stripped off my shirt and dropped it near my jacket in the closet. I kicked off my shoes and took off my pants, boxer briefs, and socks. Naked, I walked into the bathroom.
Sera’s wet clothes were in a pile near the sink, and I spotted my watch on the counter. So that’s how she was going to support herself. Smart girl.
She was just lowering herself into the tub, her mouth twisted in pain as she carefully got into the water. I immediately saw why. The front of her thighs were scraped and bloody like her face. “Jesus Christ.”
She didn’t even bother to look over at me as she finally got herself settled and leaned back, closing her eyes. “I see you ignored my message.”
“You shouldn’t be surprised.”
She sighed, her voice full of resignation as she said, “I’m not.”
With my hand on the back of her head, I sat her forward and got into the water behind her.
“What are you doing?” Though there was a thread of annoyance in her tone, mostly she just sounded so very tired.
“I’m cold.” The sides of her throat flushed red, and I knew she was thinking of the last bath we’d taken together. The night I’d taken her virginity. “Relax,” I told her as I leaned back and pulled her against my chest. “I’m just trying to get warm.”
Water sloshed over the sides as I wrapped my arms around her. Over her shoulder, I could see the bath water tinged red from the blood on her thighs. “I’m so sorry I hurt you,” I said quietly in her ear. “I didn’t realize the tree bark was so rough.”
“I tried to tell you to stop.” Her voice was small, and it hurt me to hear it.
“You didn’t tell me you were hurt,” I countered, trying—and failing—to ignore the pang of guilt that went through me. “Don’t ever not tell me.” I tightened my arms around her. “I know I can be…insistent sometimes. Even rough. But you need to tell me if it’s too much. You can always tell me, Sera.”
She was quiet for a minute. And then she said, “I honestly didn’t think you’d care. No one else ever has.”
I knew exactly who she was referring to. “I’m not your father,” I told her. “I may not be a gentle man, baby girl, but I’m not him. I would never intentionally hurt you like this.”
“I believe you,” she said after a moment.
She was quiet as we soaked in the water, and I was all talked out myself. I was fucking exhausted. I hadn’t been sleeping well since Sera was taken. Even after I’d gotten her back, I tended to only doze here and there, waking up often to reassure myself that she was still there. The sleepless nights were catching up to me, which was the reason Luca had me stay back this time.
Well, one of the reasons. The other was falling asleep in my arms, her lips parted and her breathing deep and even.
I found a washcloth draped over the side of the tub and dipped it into the bathwater, then I adjusted her so she was leaning against my right shoulder and I could see her face where the bark had scraped up her skin. Her eyes popped open, and she sucked in a hissing breath as I started to wash the dirt and blood away.
“This needs to be cleaned,” I murmured.
