Page 38 of Underworld

Zane starts humming softly beside me. I listen closely and realize it’s a song I haven’t heard him hum in years. You are my sunshine. He would hum that song for her when she was upset. I suppose I couldn’t fault him for not humming it in so long. For years, I couldn’t play a song on the piano.

I hear him whisper, “Please don’t take my Sunshine away.”

I have to admit; the song embodies their relationship. Not only is his nickname for her Sunshine, but she was his Sunshine. The part where the girl leaves and loves another isn’t true. But she did leave, and it shattered all of his dreams. I had never seen my brother fall into darkness so completely until that day. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look to my right, finding Alec.

“The Gods won’t take her from us,” he says with all the confidence I wish I had right now.

“How do you figure?” Zane asks to my left.

Alec grins. It looks like the grin he gives to the guilty people we kill. Devilish and full of evil intent. “Because they fear the demons we would become without her.”

I laugh. It sounds a bit rough, but he’s right, though. We would tear this world apart without her. I nod as I continue starting toward the spot they took her away. “Then we wait. We wait to hear if the gates of the Underworld open. If they do . . . we take every soul from this world as we follow behind her.”

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jane

I groan when my brain decides it’s time to wake up. My body? Yeah, it doesn’t agree. Fuck, my side hurts. I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck. Lifting a hand to rub at my eyes, I moan at the amount of effort it takes. Damn, I feel weak. I hear a rustling beside me. Squinting, I open my eyes to gauge the brightness. I sigh when I see that the room is softly lit.

Turning toward the noise, I find Zane sitting on a chair. He looks extremely uncomfortable, in my opinion. His head rests at an awkward angle, and his arms are crossed over his chest. I watch him blink a few times before his eyes meet mine. I must have woken him up.

He immediately jumps up from the chair when he notices I’m awake. “Hey! You’re finally awake.”

I look around the room to find that he’s the only one here, and I’m on my bed. Odd place to be. Zane notes my confused expression and hurries to explain.

“You were resting in our makeshift med bay for a few hours to make sure you were stable, but we thought you would be more comfortable up here in your own bed.” He points to the red bag hanging on the IV pole and adds, “You’re on your last bag of blood. They had to give you a transfusion. You lost a lot, but the doc said your blood values are improving.”

I give him a weak nod before asking, “Where are the others?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “We’ve been up for hours. I kicked them out so they could get some sleep. I told them I would wake them if anything changed.”

I smirk. “They actually left?”

He shrugs. “I mentioned that I kicked them out, right? They were hovering and stressing out. I told them their constant stomping around the room would wake you.”

I huff out a laugh and instantly regret it. Fucking hell, that hurt. Zane tenses when he notices my wince of pain, but I wave a hand in the air and tell him, “I’m fine.”

He snorts out a laugh. “You are not fine, Sunshine. I better go get the others.”

“Wait,” I hiss as I adjust a bit on the bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. “Let them sleep a little longer. Come sit with me.” He debates my words for a moment before sitting back down on the chair. Sighing, I say, “I’m not made of porcelain. Come sit on the bed.”

He looks like he will refuse but acquiesces with my wishes. He shifts onto the mattress softly to avoid jostling the bed too much. He’s close enough that I can shift and put my head in his lap.

I grin. “A much better pillow.”

He doesn’t laugh, but I can hear it in his voice as he says, “As long as you're comfortable.” He begins running his fingers through my hair and sighs as I relax into his touch. We sit in silence for a moment before he starts humming.

I love when he hums. My mind drifts, and I start thinking about the new scar that will be added to my collection. That reminds me of the scar on Zane’s face. I never really think much about it; it’s not the first thing I notice. “Hey Zane, can I ask you something?”

“Depends,” he jokes.

I slap his thigh softly. “Ha ha, funny. Anyways, I was wondering if you would tell me how you got your scar?”

His fingers pause in my hair. “You want to know how I got my scar? Right now?”

I shrug. “I have nothing better to do. I am curious about it but haven’t found the right time to ask.”

He hums. “I guess so. Well, it happened when we were eighteen.”

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