Page 76 of Where He Ended

“How did she even find us?” I asked.

“The hospital.” My mother pushed her fingertips to her temples. “You remember Dean's birth being a frightening mess? When we were forced to take an emergency flight to the nearest hospital, they drugged me up. I gave the nurse my real name, not my false one. They recorded it and that triggered an alert to Annie and Silas. One little mistake made it all crumble apart.”

The door cracked open. There was a small boy there, not much older than six. His eyes sought out my mother. “Mom?” he asked, shooting a nervous look my way. The kind of suspicion reserved for strange adults. “I'm hungry, when can we get out of here and go eat? The vending food is gross.”

My heart thudded against my ribs. “Dean?” I whispered.

He looked me up and down. The suspicion didn't go away. Mom released me so she could move over and kneel in front of the boy. “Dean,” she said gently, curling an arm around his shoulders. “This is your big sister, Laiken.”

I could see her in his features, and a bit of my father. My whole chest felt too small for all of the blood inside of me.Dean, mybaby brother, stands in front of me - except he's not a baby anymore. He looked just like the photos hanging all over the Complex.

Seeing those pictures of my brother was too much to bear. But this - being in the same room with him - was hard in another way. There's a drive in me to grab him in my arms and never let go. There's also awkwardness between us. He doesn't know me. How could he?

Mom waved me closer. I went with hesitance, treating Dean like he's a small animal that might bolt. “Hello there,” I began. “It's nice to meet you.”

He scrunched up his whole face. “You're really my sister?”

“Yeah. I really am.” Following Mom's lead, I folded my legs under me so I was eye to eye with him. “You're much bigger than when I last saw you.”

That made him grin. He’s got a single tooth missing, a different one than in the photographs. I wondered if he put it under his pillow. Did he believe in sweet ideas like the tooth fairy? “I'm tall for my age,” he said proudly. “One time, a teacher asked if I waseight.”

I'm fighting tears as I smile. “I'm not even shocked. You're definitely tall for your age.”

Dean's joy shifted behind a curious mask. Reaching out, he rubbed my dark hair between his little fingers. “We've got the same hair color.”

Pressure built behind my eyes—I forced myself to keep it together. “We do. You, me, and your other big sister, Kara.”

That time, when he grinned, I noticed his deep dimples. “Twobig sisters?”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Hope that's okay with you.”

“Are you kidding?” he laughed, and the sound overwhelmed me. “I always wanted a sister. Never imagined I'd get more than one.” Dean tugged at Mom's shirt sleeve. “Can we celebrate with pizza for dinner?”

“That sounds perfect,” she replied, nodding towards the door. “Let your father know.”

With a loud cheer, my little brother rushed from the room. I wiped the corners of my eyes, laughing self-consciously. “He's huge. And really sweet, huh?” Tears kept coming—I scrubbed them with the heels of my palms. “God, sorry. I'm just overwhelmed and exhausted. We have so much to talk about, Mom. Way too much.”

“You're right.” She bent forward and graced my forehead with a soft kiss. “I can't wait to get to know the woman you've grown into.”

Now, as I lie in that field watching the deer, I look forward to all the time I have with the people I grew up loving, and the people I've grown to love. It'll never be enough time. I'm sure of that. Being immortal would barely scrape the surface of how many hours I want to dedicate to living around them all.

The deer's ears flick. In a whirl of fluffy white tail, it leaps into the bushes, vanishing towards the setting sun. I shift onto my elbows, searching for what scared it off. Dominic approaches through the tall grass to my left. He's wearing a tight, sleeveless blue shirt that looks orange in the glowing summer sun.

He's far enough away that it takes him a few steps to reach me. I revel in the sight of him as he makes the journey. I'll never get sick of looking at him, especially when he moves. “Here you are,” he says, staring down at me.

“Here I am.” My smile kicks up higher. I roll fully onto my back, patting the grass beside me. “Sit, stay awhile.”

Dominic arches his eyebrows. Scanning the field where the deer was, he lowers himself until he's sitting at my side. “Were you watching the sunset?”

“Not exactly. But now that you're here, I think that's a nice idea.”

His fingers drift down, playing with my hair in a way that thrills me. “It's already gotten longer,” he says. “Will you keep growing it out?”

Reaching up, I feel the ends of the dark strands. “I don't know. I kind of enjoy how light my head feels without that braid dragging me down. It depends on what Kara does.” Dominic flinches when I say her name. My fingers graze his wrist, pulling him down until he's lying on the grass, facing me. The sun turns the flecks in his black eyes into crimson. “You two have to talk. You know that.”

His nod is ponderous. “When she's ready, we will.”

I inch my eyebrows up. “I hope that's soon. I'm sick of you two tiptoeing around each other while the cabin gets fixed up.” The work has been slow. A lot of Dominic's money is tied up in his father's mess. Until that's all settled so Dominic can sell off the estate, we're getting by on sweat-equity and a few favors. I'm broke beyond Wyatt's handout, too; everything my dad stole, he handed over to the FBI.

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