Page 68 of Stitches

The vague sensation of being moved came over me, and then there he was.

Stitches.

“Angel. Come on. It’s me. It’s Stitches.Malachi.I’m here. It’s just like before. Breathe with me. It’s us. No one else. No one can hurt you. You’re safe. You’re safe here with me. With Ashes. We have you.I have you.”

He pulled my back against his chest and held me between his legs, his hand on my chest over my heart.

“Feel me breathe, angel. Do it with me. It’s just us. Close your eyes. Focus on my voice.”

I squeezed my eyelids together tightly, desperate to cling to him. To his voice. To the warm hold he had on me.

My protector.

He was here.

“Just keep breathing. Just keep breathing, angel,” his soft, familiar words filled my ears. He’d said the same thing to me in the facility as Asylum was forced to…I couldn’t even think the words.

I matched his breathing while focusing on his words.

“Don’t let them fucking win, angel. Don’t let them inside your head. Let me fight these battles for you.Let me.Breathe. There you go. You’re doing it. You’re doing so good. Perfect. Keep doing it. Just like that. In. Out. Match me. Eyes closed. Focus.”

My breathing slowed with my heart rate. I relaxed against him, my fingers loosening their hold on his pants where my fingers had been twisted.

“Here,” Ashes murmured, going to his knees beside us. I hadn’t even noticed he’d left the room. “Open, heaven.”

I parted my lips for him, and he dropped the pill onto my tongue before pressing a cool glass of water to my lips. I swallowed down the pill and cracked my eyelids to peer at him.

“Hey,” he said, smiling at me.

I fluttered my lashes, feeling exhausted and embarrassed at my outburst. We’d just had an amazing time and then I’d lost it.

“Just rest,” Stitches said gently into my ear. He made to get up and move me, but I twisted in his lap and rested my head against his chest.

“No,” I whispered, holding onto him tightly. “No.”

The tension left his body, and he settled back onto the couch cushions before he shifted me carefully onto his lap. I snuggled against him, my eyes closed as I breathed him in.

The meds slowly washed over me, making me feel heavy.

“What happened?” Stitches asked as I struggled to stay awake.

“We were messing around. We were talking. She freaked out when I asked her about the med ward.”

Stitches wrapped his arms around me and hugged me against him, making any lingering tension leave my body.

“Don’t ask her about that stuff. Ask me,” Stitches said. “I’m not going to tell you until I’m ready though. Until I know she is.”

“OK,” Ashes said simply. “I’m sorry. I was trying to help. I shouldn’t have pushed.” He paused. “We can stay home tonight if she needs to rest. His voice became muffled and far away as I struggled to stay awake.

I thought I called out a protest, but I must not have because they continued to discuss everything like I wasn’t there.

So I decided I wasn’t and gave into the meds, allowing them to carry me off.

STITCHES

We’d agreed to burn with Ashes the next night, so we stayed in. I’d held Sirena in my lap until Church had arrived, then he’d wordlessly lifted her into his arms after getting the rundown on what happened and took her to his bedroom. He’d returned to us a few moments later, telling us she was still asleep.

Now we sat watching TV and eating the pizza we’d ordered in. I didn’t have much of an appetite. All I kept thinking about was her voice telling me no.

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