Hold Me Closer, Necromancer - Lish McBride [52]
“I’m sure it helps that the story is true.”
He nodded. “That it does.” He looked her over quickly. “How are you holding up?”
She walked up to the glass and looked in at little Samhain, who was sleeping, one fist shoved into his mouth.
“I’m fine,” she said.
“Now, why don’t I believe that?” He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “He takes after me, doesn’t he?”
Tia didn’t trust herself to speak. Her eyes filled, and she let the tears come. They answered for her. Nick pulled her into his arms, squeezing her against him. She should have protested. After all, she didn’t know him well, but she was tired of facing this alone, and she needed that small gesture. She listened to his strong heartbeat and thought only of the rhythm of it, the warmth of another person, and closed her eyes. He smelled like trees, cloves, and sweat. It wasn’t unpleasant.
Nick loosened his arms and stepped back but kept his hands on her shoulders. He leaned down to look her in the eye. “Hey, it’s not so bad.”
She couldn’t help it; she laughed. “Not so bad? You can’t even live in the city because of what you are, and your brother has disowned you. He will do the same to his baby if he knows.” Panic suddenly gripped her. “And what about Douglas? We have to do something.”
He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “Calm down.”
“I can’t! He’s in danger. What if I can’t protect him?” She eyed Nick’s face, searching for any solace. She found none.
“Tia, he’s going to be in danger his whole life. Even if he was normal, you’d feel this way, I’m sure. Your baby’s just going to have…more specific problems, that’s all.”
She pulled away from him. “How can you be so cavalier?” He went back to looking through the window. “What do you want me to say? That your baby is doomed to live a life of fear and isolation? That there’s nothing you can do?”
“Isn’t that what you’ve done to yourself?”
Nick shrugged. “So? Doesn’t mean I can’t have hope for someone else.” He placed a hand against the glass and smiled at her son. “I want to believe that change is still possible.” He waved at Samhain with his index finger. “You know what the great thing about babies is? They are like little bundles of hope. Like the future in a blanket.” He stopped waving and shoved his hands into his pockets again. “Maybe your kid will turn things around.”
She made a decision. It coalesced in her chest and hardened there like an unpleasant pearl. Nick was right. Babies were hope, a blank slate for the future to write on. But he had to make it there first.
“We need to hide him,” she said softly.
“How do you mean?”
“You said you could recognize me by my aura?”
“Yeah…”
Tia could tell he didn’t like where this was going, but it was the only chance she had. “Well, if we bind his powers, his aura might be too weak to be noticed, right?”
“Tia, that’s dangerous. Dangerous and hurtful. You might as well remove one of his limbs.”
“But will it work?”
He crossed his arms, frowning at her. “Theoretically.”
She touched his elbow. “We can undo it later, I promise. When he’s old enough to protect himself.”
Nick’s eyes on her grew heavy. “I can’t help with this, Tia. I understand your reasoning, but I can’t in good conscience be part of a binding like this.”
“I understand,” she said stiffly. She wrapped her arms around herself and tried not to notice how lonely it made her feel. “Would you like to hold him before you go back?”
Nick straightened up. “Do you—I mean, is that okay?”
She nodded and gestured toward her room. He went in to wait for her while she fetched her baby.
Nick sat on the edge of the hospital bed awkwardly. “Are you sure I’m holding him right?” He had Samhain cradled in his arms. He’d taken off his jean jacket and pushed up the long sleeves of his shirt. Tia tried her best not to notice the fact that Kevin hadn’t looked this excited holding his own son.
“For the third time, you’re doing fine.” She took the chair by