Atonement (The Protectors #6)(47)

"Você ama ele," he said as he nodded in Magnus's direction.

"I love him, yes," I said softly, not caring that Ronan and Memphis were around to hear me admit it. I hadn't talked to Magnus about what his plans were for telling people about us, but a quick glance at him showed he wasn't upset in the least.

"Isso te incomoda?" I asked, but when Aleks looked at me in confusion, I realized he hadn't understood the words. "Sorry," I murmured. I should have expected his Portuguese to be rusty since he wouldn't have had anyone to speak the language with in years. "Does it bother you?" I asked.

Aleks looked back and forth between me and Magnus and then shook his head.

"I'm finished here," Ronan said as he tied off the last stitch. He covered the wound with a bandage and then got to his feet. "Take these when you're ready to sleep because they'll knock you out." He put some pills on the nightstand. "Memphis and I are going to go get a room. We'll plan to fly out first thing in the morning if you're up for it."

I nodded. "Thanks, Ronan."

"You're welcome. If you need anything else,"  –  he glanced at Aleks and I knew the doctor in him really wanted to examine my brother, but the man in him knew he was in no condition to be touched by a strange man  –  "let me know."

"I will, thanks. Do you think you can find some bolt cutters to get that off?" I asked as I motioned to Aleks's collar, which I'd seen enough of to know it had been permanently welded around my brother's neck so there was no way to remove it besides cutting one of the links.

Before Ronan could respond, Aleks cried out, "No!" His hand flew to the collar as he said, "Father will … he'll be angry … " Aleks's voice dropped off and I suspected he was remembering Parks was dead, but his hand stayed at the collar, protecting it. I could tell Aleks was nearing the end of his rope. He was clearly overwhelmed and suffering from shock.

"It's okay, Aleks," I quickly said, squeezing my brother's hand. "It stays on for as long as you want." 

Aleks managed a nod, though he still seemed shaken.

Ronan stepped aside so Memphis could drop his hand affectionately on my lower arm. "Get some rest, kid. I'll yell at you some more tomorrow."

I smiled at that. But just as both men headed for the door, I said, "Hey, Memphis. There's this guy, Remy, who's on his way to Seattle. His bus arrives later today. I told him I'd have someone meet him there and help him get settled … he's the reason we found Aleks."

Memphis nodded. "I'll take care of it."

"Thanks."

Magnus got up and came over to me. He leaned down to kiss me tenderly. "Do you want me to go or stay?"

I knew he wasn't asking for me, but for Aleks. I glanced at my brother who seemed okay around Magnus. "Stay," I said softly. Magnus nodded and then he went and got the chair and sat down in it next to the bed. His fingers curled around mine and he gently stroked my hair from my battered face. "You should take the pain pills," he urged as he nodded at the pills Ronan had left behind.

"Not yet," I said, even though my body hurt all over.

"You guys can talk tomorrow," Magnus said and then he motioned to Aleks who at some point had leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes.

Magnus stood up and leaned across me to pull the blanket back. Once he was done, he sat back down and I gave Aleks's hand a little tug. "Aleks, come lie down next to me," I murmured. His eyes shifted open for a moment and then he was curling his body beneath the blanket. He was careful not to touch me, but he also didn't release my hand. I knew it would take months, years even, before his life resembled any kind of normal, but what mattered was that he was here with me.

"Here, sit up a little," Magnus said as he used his arm to support my upper back. I took the pills he handed me and swallowed them down with some water and then he was gently lowering me back down. Instead of trying to work me under the blanket I was lying on top of, Magnus grabbed the blanket from the other bed and placed it over me. He took my hand in his and pressed his forehead against mine.

"Sleep, Dante."

I sighed as I let the exhaustion take over. "Love you," I managed to murmur before blackness claimed me and I didn't need to be cognizant to know the words were said back to me.



* * *

I'd hoped in the days that followed that Aleks would relax and begin the process of adapting to his newfound freedom, but from the moment we'd gotten on Ronan's private jet to fly back to Seattle, my brother had retreated further and further into himself. He didn't speak much, mostly just when someone spoke to him, and he shied away from any kind of physical contact, including mine. I'd tried several times to reassure him he was safe and that Parks was dead, but the end result would always be the same  –  he'd nod silently and then reach up to run his fingers over the heavy chain collar around his neck.

I hated that collar with a passion because it was a reminder that my little brother had been nothing but a possession and that very little of the boy I'd once known remained. I'd only broached Aleks about removing it one more time, but he'd adamantly refused and had nearly had a panic attack when I'd pressed the issue. It had been Magnus who'd stepped in and reminded me that Aleks was desperately clinging to the only things in his world that made sense, no matter how fucked up they were.

Magnus had been my anchor and then some. He'd played more roles than I could count as I'd tried to adjust to having back the brother who wasn't quite that. Friend, lover, moral support, sounding board … it didn't matter what I needed, Magnus was there. Long before we'd even landed in Seattle, he'd insisted that Aleks and I go home with him to the small ranch style house he owned in Queen Anne. Under normal circumstances, I would have been reluctant to play house with Magnus for fear that I'd ruin what was still a very new relationship, despite our commitment to one another. But we'd found ourselves in circumstances that couldn't be any further from normal and I'd been grateful that Magnus had taken that decision out of my hands.



       
         
       
        

I'd waited until a few days after returning to Seattle to call my mother and stepfather to give them the news about Aleks. If I'd expected thanks, I would have been waiting a long time. And I knew forgiveness would be a long time coming, at least on their side. On mine, well, that was a different story.

My mother had sobbed when I'd given her the news and then had asked to talk to Aleks. I'd watched him standing emotionless as I'd heard my mother's cries of joy coming through the phone, but he'd only said a few words here and there in response to her questions about his health. His conversation with our stepfather had been more stilted, proof that his adjustment to his new life would take a long time.

My parents were set to arrive in Seattle in a few days after they got their travel arrangements squared away. My own anxiety was sky-high at the prospect of seeing them after so many years, and at the realization that as every day of their impending arrival ticked by, I was counting down the same number of days that I had left with Aleks. I hadn't told him about my strained relationship with our parents and I had no plans to since the focus needed to be on Aleks's recovery. I'd broached Aleks about talking to a therapist as well as seeing a medical doctor, but he'd resisted and Magnus had told me to give him time.

The dynamic between Magnus and Aleks was an interesting one that was equally encouraging and disturbing. It wasn't something either me nor Magnus had noticed at first, but had become clear as day the first night we'd sat down to have dinner together at Magnus's house. Aleks had been given the guest bedroom in which he'd spent most of his first few days tucked away. He'd taken his meals in the room when he wasn't sleeping, which had ended up being what he'd done for the first 48 hours. By the fourth night, I'd been feeling physically well enough to get out of bed myself, so Magnus and I had made dinner and we'd asked Aleks to join us at the kitchen table.

He'd been nervous when he'd entered the kitchen. The food had already been sitting on the table and Magnus and I had taken our seats, leaving the chair between us open for Aleks. But instead of sitting right away, he'd stood quietly next to Magnus's chair until Magnus had invited him to sit, moving the chair back from the table for him. We'd ended up making roasted chicken with several side dishes to choose from. But instead of taking what he wanted, Aleks had sat unmoving in front of his plate. When Magnus and I had offered him the dishes to choose from, he'd sent Magnus a questioning look for each one. I'd attributed his strange behavior to nerves and the fact that it was Magnus's house. But he'd taken it a step further and had sent Magnus a questioning look after every single spoonful of food he'd put on his plate. 

It had hit Magnus and me at nearly the same time and we'd ended up exchanging a look of confusion and horror.

Because somehow Aleks had inserted Magnus into a role that Parks had likely played in the past. My brother looked to Magnus for approval for everything he did. If I asked Aleks if he wanted to watch a movie, he would look at Magnus and wait. When I bought Aleks some clothes so he'd have something besides the single outfit he'd been wearing at Parks's house, he would actually ask Magnus what he was supposed to wear that day. When I began suggesting activities to get us out of the house, Aleks asked Magnus for permission.