Soft.
So very much him.
“Dante, I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered. “So very much.”
Dante actually seemed to shudder as some unnamed emotion went through him. “Me too,” he said with a nod. “I was so fucking scared, Aleks.”
Aleks nodded and wiped at his face. I wished I could see his eyes, but he was facing away from me.
“Do you remember when you came to Fath…Marcus’shouse?” he asked. “I betrayed you at first.”
“No,” Dante said firmly. “No, you never betrayed me, irmãozinho,” he said, his own voice thick with emotion.
Aleks managed a nod. “Vaughn knows why I told Marcus about you.” Aleks’s tongue seemed to trip over using Marcus’s name, but I was so damn proud of him for not referring to the man by the title he’d forced Aleks to use. It was yet another step forward for Aleks.
“You had no choice,” Dante said.
“I did, Dante. But it was the only choice I knew how to make. Iknew if I fought when they took me, I’d die. I didn’t want to die and I knew you were going to come for me so I did what they told me to do. This man… Brian… he said if I was good enough, if I behaved, you would come get me and take me home and Mama and Papa would want me again. So I was really good.”
Aleks let out a harsh sob. “But you didn’t come and I started to think that maybe it was true, but I knew in here it wasn’t.” Aleks pointed at his chest.
I heard Dante suck in a ragged breath, but I didn’t look at him. I didn’t need to. I knew what he was feeling. Luca and I and our brothers felt it every single damn day when we thought about Gio.
“I found ways to escape but only in here.” Aleks pointed to his head. Dante reached out to clasp his cheek, but he didn’t speak. Aleks reached up to cover his brother’s hand with his own. “When you came and I saw that note, I thought it was a trick… it was someone trying to make me be bad so Fath—Marcus could punish me. And even when I saw you in that office, I was still afraid. It took so long for my head to catch up to my heart,” Aleks whispered. “But in my heart I knew it was you and that you had come to take me home.”
“Always,” Dante breathed. “I will always come for you, Aleks.”
Aleks nodded and pulled in several breaths. “My mind still plays tricks on me, Dante. I thought if I couldn’t be normal, you might not want me anymore. So I pretended. I got a job and I made decisions and I told you I was okay all the time… I’m not okay, Dante.”
Dante pulled Aleks to him and wrapped his arms around his brother. “You’re perfect just as you are, Aleks. You don’t need to change for anyone but yourself. I will always love you, no matter what.”
Aleks nodded against his chest.
“Meu melhor,” Aleks said softly.
Dante let out what sounded like a wet laugh and then responded in Portuguese. They only did their little back and forth a couple times before Aleks pulled back and wiped at his eyes. “I chose to help them.” He looked at Ronan. “It was always my choice.”
Ronan nodded gently at him. Aleks looked over his shoulder atme, then Luca. “They’re like us, Dante. They argue and they fight and they love each other. Luca is the one who takes care of everyone but himself.” Aleks looked at Con and King. “Con is the peacekeeper and he cooks when he’s upset… he makes me grits and they’re almost as good as Magnus’s. And King yells when anyone scares me. Otherwise he’s really quiet. And I haven’t met Lex yet, but he’s the baby of the family and they all watch out for him. And Vaughn, he…”
Aleks paused and then looked at me.
“Vaughn ismy James… he showed me that I’m not broken, and that I’m strong enough to make choices and it’s okay to make the wrong ones and… and he loves me like Magnus loves you and you love Magnus.” I felt my heart slamming against my chest as Aleks’s beautiful eyes held mine. As far as I was concerned, all the other people had disappeared, and it was just me and him. “And I love him too.”
Aleks was in my arms a moment later, though I wasn’t sure if he’d come to me or the other way around. I kissed him softly, since I couldn’t discount the fact that his brother and the rest of his big-ass family were all watching us. “I do,” I said softly as I pulled him against me and wrapped my arms around him. “So much, Aleks.”
“Me too, James,” he sighed. I held him for a moment and then he was carefully pulling free of my hold.
But only to turn around and face his brother.
He linked our fingers together, then said to his brother, “Don’t make me choose between you and him, Dante. Please… that’s one choice I don’t want to ever make… but I will.”
Chapter 26
Aleks
I heldmy breath for what seemed like the longest time.
“No, irmãozinho,” Dante said.
