“And then they’ll never screw with us again.” Ben reaches over and wipes a gob of stray icing from Nova’s mouth.
“It sounds really dangerous.” Quinn shakes her head. “I don’t like it.”
“This is what I do, sugar. This is what I’m good at. You’re going to stay here with Nova while Ben and I go out and get the lay of the land. That way, we can—”
“No.” She grips my hand. “Don’t go out there.”
“I have to, sugar.” I push back from the table and pull her into my lap. “I have to make it safe for you and the baby. I need you to trust me on this. I promise I’ll return to you. I promise.” I press my forehead to hers. “Do you believe me?”
She puts her palms on my chest and takes a deep breath before giving me a little nod.
“Good.” I kiss her. “Sit tight. We’ll be back.” I kiss her once more, then sit her down beside Nova.
“I’m ready.” Ben rises and strides toward the armory.
“I promise,” I tell Quinn again as she looks up at me with big eyes.
Nova scoots over to her. “Let’s see if we can eat this entire cake, okay?”
Quinn laughs, though it’s a little strained.
Nova pulls her closer. “Ugh, don’t worry about them. They’re doing what they do.” She waves me away. “Fuck off out of here and have fun storming the castle.”
I shake my head at her, though I admit my heart is beating a little easier now that Nova is back at Quinn’s side.
“I love you,” I tell Quinn, then kiss her crown one more time.
“Love you too.” She watches as I turn and head to the armory.
I hate leaving her, but I have work to do. Bloody work.
Nova’s voice carries down the hall. “Now have you ever considered what an awesome baby name ‘Nova’ is?”
17
Quinn
“Logan told you I’m pregnant.” It’s not really a question. Nova’s teasing smile drops from her lips. She looks down at the counter, her shoulders drooping. Guilt hits me hard. She was hurt while protecting my home, and now I’m giving her a hard time. “I’m sorry. That was—”
“Deserved,” she says, cutting me off. “Don’t apologize. It makes it worse.” She lifts her head. “My job is to always know where you’re going. Logan told me to keep me in the loop so that I could protect you.”
“Job,” I repeat, that one word stinging.
“Quinn, shit. You’re not only a job.”
“But I am.”
“I’m fucking this up.” She scrubs a hand down her face.
“Should we get you back to bed?” I suggest, not wanting this to upset her right now. “You need to be healing and not worrying about me.”
“That right there”—when she lifts her head again, I can see the tears forming—“is what makes it easy being a friend to you. You should be pissed at me, but here you are telling me not to worry about you. I want to make some things clear. Yes, I considered you a job at first. But that only lasted about five seconds. You know more about me than anyone else.”
“I don’t want to hurt your feelings, Nova, but I’m not sure I know you at all.” It pains me to even say those words, but it’s the truth.
She takes a deep breath. “Even the small things I’ve told you are more than I’ve ever told anyone else.”
“Oh Nova.” I don’t think people grow up in happy homes and end up hitmen or whatever they are. Nova probably has an entire history that would do nothing but make me cry. I try to balance that with the betrayal I feel.
“We all thought Logan lost it when he went off and fell in love with some girl. That was until we met you.”
“You make me sound like I’m some sort of angel or something.”
“You’re a warm light. I’m sorry if I hurt you; it was never my intention.”
I can see the remorse and sincerity in her eyes. I already know I’m going to forgive her because it’s in my nature. I’m not one to hold grudges. I believe in giving people a second chance. And even though I’m hurt that she kept something from me, I know she loves me.
“Okay. I forgive you.”
“You can’t forgive me that easily!” She rolls her eyes.
“Fine, tell me a secret, and then I’ll forgive you.”
“A secret?” A small smile pulls at her lips.
“It has to be one that you’ve never told anyone else or something you would never admit out loud.”
“I had a sex dream about Ben.”
“What?” I was not expecting that at all.
“You heard me right. Did I hit my head or something when everything went down?”
“No, Ben caught you before you hit the floor.” I fill her in on that little detail. She lets out a groan before closing her eyes. “Why can’t you and Ben... you know.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
“No! He’ll get all protective if we go there. I see how Logan is with you.”
“It wouldn’t hurt your feelings if he didn’t get all protective of you?”
“Yes.” She groans again.
“So you’re worried too right now, since they’re out there doing God knows what?” How are we supposed to sit around here and wait?
“Not too much. Logan is damn good, and he’s trained Ben. They’ll handle themselves.”
I wring my hands, wishing I had that same trust. I know nothing about this world, so I can’t help but worry.
“I still think I’m going to wake up and this is all going to be a dream.”
“Do you really?” She turns in her chair to face me fully.
“I mean, I knew there was this darkness in Logan. I could sense it at times. You know how people say someone can give a look that kills? Logan can truly do that. I can remember one night we’d gone out to dinner and he’d stepped away for a moment, and a man hit on me. I told the man I was married. He proceeded to say something along the lines of my husband would never have to know. Next thing I knew, Logan was there. He had that look in his eyes. He grabbed the man by the neck. At that moment, I knew Logan would kill him if I didn’t do something to intervene.”
“Brock Webster. I remember him.”
“What?” I remember the man’s name being Brock, but I have no clue what his last name was. He’d only given me his first when he introduced himself to me. I shouldn’t be surprised that Nova remembers. It’s one of the things I love about her; she never forgets.
“You got him to let the man go.”
“Then Logan tracked him back down?”
Nova shrugs her response. This isn’t actually surprising. Logan is so protective and intense.
“Does that bother you?”
It probably should, but it doesn’t. In fact, it only makes me love Logan more. He’s always trying to keep me safe. He may go overboard sometimes, but that’s the only way he knows.
“No.” I lick my lips. It’s that darkness that I think often draws me to him. I want to fill the man with love and life. Logan always wants to take care of me, but I also have that need to do the same for him.