Into the Fading Twilight (Starlight Grove, #2) (89)

Nova tugged her bottom lip between her teeth.

“Are you already experiencing any of that?” Ever asked.

“When I get anxious, I can get dizzy. Happens off and on,” Nova explained.

Ever nodded and leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. “It can be a symptom of a panic attack. Less common than shortness of breath, but more common than people know. Do you experience anything else?”

Nova’s gaze flicked to me and then back to Ever. “Sometimes, I have shortness of breath. But more often, I feel like … like I’m crawling out of my skin.”

My gut twisted. Just one more scar Travis had left her with.

“Another symptom for sure. But the good news is, there are lots of things out there that help. You just have to find the thing that’s right for you,” Ever encouraged.

Nova’s eyes took on a bit more fire. “I hate therapy.”

Ever barked out a laugh. “I mean, I sometimes hate it, too. My therapist can be a real bitch when she’s right.”

Nova’s mouth curved. “You go to therapy?”

“Honestly, I think we’d all be better, happier humans if we did. But you’ve got to find the right match. It’s kind of like dating in that way.”

Nova let out a breath. “I’ll think about it.”

But I knew it would be hard, facing the things she’d gone through … It might be more than she could take right now. But if she didn’t find someone to talk to, I worried what might happen.

“Tree Man, do me a favor and make Nova a snack while I bandage these scrapes. She needs some water and maybe some juice, too,” Ever called over her shoulder.

I scowled at her. “I hate that nickname.”

“Do you or do you not love trees?” Ever pressed.

“He does,” Nova answered for me.

“You’re both horrible,” I grumbled.

Ever snapped her fingers twice. “Snacks, Tree Man.”

Nova pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.

“You okay up here?” I asked.

She nodded. “I’m good. I’m gonna get all the dirt on you from Ever.”

Ever let out that raspy laugh that she’d had since she was a kid. “We’ll start with the time he let me dress him up and marry him off to one of my dolls.”

“I’m leaving,” I called, heading for the door.

“Good, we don’t need you,” Ever shot back.

I slipped through the door, then waited, just in case Nova couldn’t handle being alone with someone she didn’t know. But instead of any sounds of distress, her laughter cut through the door. It swirled through the air and coated my skin.

I wanted that laughter to be enough. I wanted to believe it fixed everything. But I worried it couldn’t. Not even close.





CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE


Nova




EVER’S FINGERS WORKED DEFTLY YET GENTLY AS SHE applied an antibiotic ointment to my worst cuts. But after Kol had cleaned them, it was really only the ones on my knees that still needed attention.

“I’m putting some waterproof bandages on these so you can shower tonight if you want,” she informed me.

My nose wrinkled. “Given that I was biking for a couple of hours, I will definitely need one of those.”

“Try working in the blazing sun in a place where air-conditioning doesn’t exist,” she said with a half smile.

“That’s gotta be rough.”

“It is at times. But the highs outweigh the lows, ten to one. I just miss seeing my niece and nephew as often as I’d like.”

Just her saying that sent a pang through me at the reminder of how much of Owen’s life I’d missed. “That would be hard for sure.”

“Thank God for video chatting, or I’d be lost.” Ever covered the final cut. “You know … I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kol quite that protective over anyone but Skylar or his brothers.”

My stomach flipped. “Oh.”

A laugh bubbled out of Ever, throaty and free of any inhibition. “Yeah.”

“He saved me.” I said it simply, but it had Ever straightening and leaning back on her stool as she studied me. I saw the flicker of concern there and pressed on. “I don’t mean the fact that he was the one who found me. Who kept me alive. I mean, he saved me. He let me feel whatever I was feeling and didn’t blink. Not even when it was scary.”

Her expression softened. “He gave you a safe place to land.”

I nodded. “He made it safe for me to tell him things I couldn’t tell anyone else.”

Ever’s blue-green eyes glistened. “That’s a gift.”

A pang lit along my sternum, and I saw grief living in those eyes. “Orion?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

Her mouth curved into a sad smile. “It’s always Orion. Hard to let go of someone who was such a fundamental part of your life for so long. Especially when you know they’re hurting. Or maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment.”

I had so many questions, and most of them were none of my business. But I thought something was interesting: Ever traveled the world for her work, never staying in one place for too long, never having a real home to return to; it was almost like she was keeping herself from putting down roots.