*Sephie*
I felt Adrik’s warm hand on my cheek. “Sephie, wake up, love,” he said softly. I could feel Andrei’s arm still around me, holding me firmly so I didn’t move suddenly.
“I fell asleep?” I asked. I could feel the vibration of Andrei laughing at me.
“You’ve been out for a few hours. We just didn’t want to move you. You had a very big morning. I think you wore yourself out,” Andrei said.
I looked to Adrik, who was kneeling in front of me, smiling at me. “You were already sound asleep when I came back to the penthouse. I was only gone for half an hour. Andrei said you’d been asleep for at least 15 minutes when I got back.” I tried to sit up slowly. Both Adrik and Andrei helped me. I turned around to look at Andrei. “Sorry I kept you trapped here,” I said.
“Don’t apologize. I got a nap, too,” he said, his handsome smile stretching across his face.
I couldn’t help but smile back at him. “You needed it. You look better.” He didn’t say anything, just winked at me.
“You need lunch, gazelle. The acupuncturist will be here soon, too,” Misha said from the kitchen. As if he was speaking directly to my stomach, she growled loudly. “I heard that. She agrees,” he said, laughing.
“What did you guys find out on your field trip?” I asked, as Adrik and Andrei helped me stand up from the couch. It was easier to stand up on my own from the bed or the chairs in the kitchen. Not so much from the couch yet, which I found frustrating. Once I was standing, Adrik pulled me to him, kissing me softly.
“The café we picked is a good spot. It’s close to his apartment, which will make Misha happy. It’s easy to cover, which will make me happy. And there’s plenty of places you guys can park to watch what’s going on, which will make Viktor happy,” Stephen said.
“Everyone’s happy, then. I like this,” I said. “Well, maybe except Chen. He’s probably still going to be nervous. Poor guy.” I motioned for Viktor to hand over his computer. “I’ll get started replying now. It’ll be done by next week.”
Ivan, who had gone down to grab the food when it arrived, walked back into the penthouse. “Princess, you’re awake now. Good. We got you stuff while we were out, too,” he said, setting the food down on the island.
“Got me what stuff?” I asked, sitting gingerly in one of the chairs.
Adrik leaned down and kissed my temple. “I had them get you warmer clothes while they were out. You’re always freezing right now. Andrei was right, you’re even colder when you’re hurt.”
“You did? Really?” I asked. I was completely stunned. They all noticed the look on my face, which was clearly amusing for them all given the grins on their faces.
Adrik chuckled. “I know how much you hate buying clothes for yourself, but you need more than just my sweatshirts to keep you warm right now. I don’t like that you’re always so cold.”
Ivan held up one of the shirts they’d picked up. “We’re still going to have to cut the sleeve off because there’s no way this is fitting over that,” he said pointing to my cast. “But it’s thermal so it’ll keep you warmer than you are now. Which will probably mean you’re going to sleep more,” he said, grinning at me.
“That’s just what I need,” I said, rolling my eyes. Adrik clicked his tongue at me. “It is exactly what you need, solnishko. You need time to heal. I say so.” I felt the pull in my chest that meant he was thinking about how much he loved me. He was trying to look at me sternly, but he was failing miserably at it. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Come here,” I said, pulling him toward me so I could kiss him. “Thank you,” I said, against his lips. “And thank all of you for always taking care of me,” I said to the guys.
“You mean the same way you always take care of all of us?” Andrei said.
The acupuncture was easier for me to get through, which usually meant that I was getting closer to not needing it as frequently. It still gave me much-needed relief, so I was happy to have it daily for a little longer. Adrik and Ivan had helped me lie down, but then they left me alone since I wasn’t quite as painful. Taking my arm out of the sling wasn’t nearly as debilitating as it had been the first day. It still wasn’t pleasant, but I could manage.
“One of the others just discovered he’s like you, didn’t he?” the acupuncturist asked quietly as she was sticking needles over my body.
“Like me how? Like his observation skills?”
“Those, yes. But there’s more. He’ll come to find he knows things before they happen. He just doesn’t believe it fully yet. His soul knows already,” she said.
“I stole your line and used it on him earlier. He just saved someone’s life last night because he listened to his gut instinct.”
“Like you, he’s very wise. But he’s young compared to you. He doesn’t trust himself yet. That’s what you’re here to help him with.”
I laughed softly. “I made him a pinky swear.”
“Have you done that with all of them?” she asked.
“Not all of them yet. Most of them.” I looked at her, curious as to why she would ask. She smiled softly.
“You’re ensuring that your souls stay linked. This won’t be the only lifetime you spend together.”
“But it’s just a childish thing. I only tell them it has that much power to get them to agree to it because it’s so silly.”
“You might think it’s childish, Sephie. They take it very seriously. You should too. You have more power than you think. I told your boyfriend this the first time I saw you after you and Ivan were taken. You, your boyfriend, and Ivan, you’re older than the others. The one who can see the unseen is older than the rest of them, but not as old as you. Part of why you’re here and why you’re all together is to help them all discover their gifts. You didn’t think the others had gifts, but now you’re discovering they do. The other two do too, but they’re scared. They see it in you, which helps them to see it in themselves. It’ll take time.”
“I mean, no pressure.”
She laughed. “There really isn’t any pressure. There’s no guarantee they’ll discover it in this lifetime, but by binding your souls to spend future lifetimes together, you’re telling them you’ll be there to help them whenever they’re ready. The one who just discovered he’s like you is the youngest. But seeing you made him brave. What happened last night was the first step. None of us thought he was going to discover his gift this lifetime.”
I felt goosebumps over my entire body when she said that last sentence. My eyes went wide as I looked at her. I could once again see the outline of a pair of wings as she stood next to the bed, smiling down at me. “I work with your father, Sephie,” she said.
“I knew I wasn’t crazy when I saw them the first time!” I said. “I even told Andrei earlier that I felt like you were supposed to be in my life.”
“You’ve always known, Sephie. You sometimes need a reminder to trust yourself, just like he does.”
“Do you see my father regularly?” I asked. She nodded her head. “Will you tell him I miss him?”
“He knows, but I’ll tell him. He still watches you, even though you have Ivan now. He’s very proud of you, Sephie,” she said, squeezing my hand. “I need to take your arm out of the sling again. Should I get your boyfriend and Ivan first?”
“No, it’s manageable now. It still hurts, but I can take it.”
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should, you know. They want to help you. You know it frustrates them when you don’t let them?” I just looked at her, not knowing what to say. She smiled sweetly at me again. “I know you’re used to being on your own. Used to taking care of everything by yourself. But you’re not by yourself anymore. Even if I didn’t know everything I know, one look at them and I’d be able to tell any one of them would do anything you needed. It’s okay to be completely vulnerable with them. Your boyfriend especially. Your connection is stronger than I’ve ever seen it, but you’re still holding back from him because you’re scared when you’re hurt. It’s not your fault. You’ve been conditioned to be so, but you can let go now. Much like how his anger was causing an imbalance with you, you holding on to your pain will start to cause an imbalance with him. You helped him with his anger. Let him help you with your pain.” She didn’t wait for me to answer, she simply walked out to get Adrik and Ivan.
Adrik walked to the bed on my good side, grabbing my hand. “You feel better each time, solnishko. Soon it won’t hurt so much when your arm comes out of the sling.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
Ivan walked to the opposite side of the bed, ready to hold my arm once it was taken out of the sling. It hurt much less when he did, if I was being honest with myself. I still felt pain when my arm was free of the sling, but it was much less this time and the needles barely hurt when she stuck them in my shoulder and over my ribs. I could always breathe much deeper when the needles were over my ribs without excruciating pain.
“Can you leave those ones in all the time?” I asked, nodding to the needles over my ribs. “I can breathe so much better when they’re in.”
Ivan immediately got worried. “Are you having trouble breathing, princess?”
“No, not like before. There’s nothing wrong, but it hurts to breathe. I realize you don’t know this, but your ribs are affected by literally everything. Every movement makes them hurt. Every breath makes them move, which makes them hurt. The deeper the breath, the more they move, the more intense the pain. When the needles are in, I get momentary relief and can take a deep breath. It’s just nice.”
He looked at me sympathetically. “Yeah, I really have no idea how painful broken ribs are. I mean, I’ve broken plenty of my ribs, but not once did I feel it.”
“I still haven’t decided if you’re lucky or unlucky for your inability to feel pain. Every time I get hurt, I lean hard toward the lucky side, not gonna lie,” I said, smiling at him. The acupuncturist removed the needles from my shoulder, but left the ones over my ribs a little longer since I was clearly enjoying them. I took a few more deep breaths in, just because I could.