Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“LOOK AFTER YOU” BY ARON WRIGHT
THORN
“Starting with a shower, then bed,” I order, getting up from the makeshift bed and grabbing my sweats, tugging them on.
“But I’m not tired,” Luna complains, glancing over at the clock on the wall.
“And if it’s like the last time, I’ll be up until about four with insomnia.
” She sighs, and my chest tightens with the need to help, to somehow make all of this better, even if we can’t do what Blade said and cure her ourselves.
“What else?” I ask, perching on the edge of the mattress. She shivers, and before I can even move to find her a blanket, Blade has dragged her against him, Chase grabbing a blanket and throwing it over them. “What else happened last time? Side effects wise?”
She swallows before licking her kiss-swollen lips, and I want to kiss all her worries away, but this is important. We’ve started researching ourselves, but it’s good to know from the source. Chase grabs his tablet from the side, no doubt ready to take notes.
“Well, nausea and vomiting have already started and will be particularly bad in the mornings and after taking my meds,” she tells us, and I can see the need she has to hunch in on herself, but Blade doesn’t give her that option, just pulls her closer.
“Extreme fatigue, my energy window is like maybe eleven until three in the afternoon. Anything outside that, I’m fucked.
” She huffs a laugh, but it’s fucking gutting, and my chest tightens more.
“Insomnia, as I’ve already mentioned, and most likely my taste buds will change, so food I like now I’ll probably hate soon. Oh, and mu— mu-something—”
“Mucositis,” Chase interjects for her, and I’m not surprised that he already knows. “Painful mouth and throat sores.”
“BJs are out, got it,” I note, laughing when her wide-eyed stare snaps to me.
Her cheeks are flushed though, which is nice to see after how pale she looked yesterday.
“Don’t worry, pretty stepsis, we can still eat you out like you need us to, and if you really miss the taste of our cum, we can always feed it to you some other way. ”
“I’m not even sure what to say right now,” she whispers, blinking, and it’s too adorable.
“Your input is not needed at this time,” Chase answers, eyes fixed on his screen, and one might think he’s joking, but he’s really not. “Back to side effects, what else given your current treatment plan?”
“You know my treatment plan? How?” Her widened eyes narrow, which is kind of hilarious because Blade is snuggling her under the blanket, and I can see their legs tangled.
Chase glances away from his screen, a single brow raised, and she huffs.
“Fine, Mr. Stalker.” I cover my bark of laughter at her sass with a cough when Chase glares at me.
“Chemo brain is a thing, so I’ll be foggy and forgetful, my immune system will be shit, and I may have skin conditions flare up; rashes, dryness, and sensitivity.
And…” she trails off, her eyes closing as she clearly works up to say the next thing.
“Complete hair loss is likely, including my eyebrows and lashes.” Her voice breaks at the end, and something inside my chest cracks.
“Hey,” I say gently, crawling up the bed until I’m between her and Chase.
“Look at me, Goldie, please?” Her eyes open and the blue in them sparkles like diamonds as tears make them shine.
Reaching out, I cup her face, brushing some of the moisture away with my thumb.
“I personally think bald girls are hot as fuck.” She chokes out a laugh.
“And you’ll be just as beautiful with or without hair, Moonbeam. ”
“But Blade calls me Goldilocks because of my curly hair, right?” she whispers, and it may seem random, but I can see this is really affecting her.
“Goldilocks is more a state of mind,” Blade rumbles from behind her, and even I raise my brows at that as Luna twists to look at him, my hand falling from her cheek.
“What?”
“Well, she was that naughty little princess who snuck into the bears’ house, stole their porridge.
” He gives her a look, because of course I told them what happened that morning I caught her eating our breakfast. “And then slept in their beds, making a fucking mess and giving no shits. Sound familiar?”
Her laugh is part tear-filled, and I can’t fucking stand it.
“How about this?” I say, and she turns to face me again, her eyes still glassy. “We fuck you whenever we want, wherever we want, and show you how fucking much we want you, bald or not?”
Her eyes widen and lips part. I can’t help the smirk that lifts my lips at her innocence, her shock. “I get no say? No choice?”
“Nope, pretty stepsis. We have free access to that fucking stunning body and that gorgeous pussy, which I’m assuming will be hairless soon too?
” Fuck, there’s something about having an unobstructed view of my dick going inside her that gets me hard again.
Also the idea that I can have her when I like is a rush I’ve never been able to indulge in with any of my partners. Too vanilla.
Her pupils blow at my words, her flushed skin going an even deeper red, and I know she likes that idea.
“What if I’m too tired? Too exhausted?” The thrill of negotiation runs through my veins, and I dip closer, not so much that we can’t look into each other's eyes, but enough that she can feel my words.
“Then you can be the perfect pillow princess and take your brother's cocks like a good little sister.”
“Fuck, Thorn,” Blade groans, burying his face in Luna’s neck.
“Okay,” her soft voice whispers, and I swear to fuck my world stops spinning, all the blood rushing to my now hard dick. “As long as you promise not to ignore me again afterwards.”
“Oh, Goldie,” I coo, leaning further in, my eyes closing as my lips hover over hers. “You’ll be begging us to leave you alone, and even then, we won’t. You’re ours in every way now.”
I let the small distance between our lips close, and just like before, it’s like coming home after being away so long you’ve forgotten what it feels like to relax. Kissing Luna might just be my new favorite thing. I’m already addicted to her taste, to the feel of her tongue stroking mine.
“If we’ve resolved that issue,” Chase’s voice interrupts, and I groan against her lips, but in frustration at my brother, who is like a dog with a fucking bone sometimes.
“I’d like to go over your current treatment plan, Luna, and then you need to wash up and rest properly. Maybe even eat a little something.”
“Is he always this bossy?” Luna murmurs as I pull my lips away, and I chuckle.
“You’ve no idea,” I tell her, lying on my bent arm and playing with her curly blonde hair.
“So you’ve just had your first dose of Salvage Chemotherapy, the ICE Protocol, which is administered every twenty-one days for two to three cycles, correct?
” Chase questions, completely ignoring us.
Luna nods. “And each cycle requires you to spend three consecutive days of hospitalization for the infusion?”
“Yes, that’s right,” Luna replies, not even questioning how he knows this stuff. She’s learning.
“Phase two is preparation for a bone marrow transplant, which includes high-dose chemotherapy, the BEAM protocol, which will be administered for six days prior to the transplant, the purpose of which is to completely eliminate any remaining cancer cells and suppress the immune system.” My chest tightens again, and I have to swallow hard past the lump in my throat. This is serious shit.
“That’s right, they just need to find some donors for the bone marrow,” Luna tells us, and my brows drop.
“We will be undergoing the testing next week to see if we’re compatible before anyone else,” Chase informs us, and her brows raise to her hairline. She tries to sit up, but Blade growls at her, making her huff an annoyed sound, which is cute as fuck.
“You will get tested, why?” she asks, her eyes narrowed as she looks at me, and then past me at Chase.
“Because I don’t want anyone else contaminating what belongs to me if I can help,” Chase replies, and damn, I’m nodding even if I know it’s a fucked up thing to think.
“I don’t belong to you,” she snaps, and my palm cups her face, turning her irritated gaze to me.
“Yes, Goldie, you do, and we will help you in any way we can. You can have our blood, our bone marrow, anything if it means you’ll get better.
” I surprise myself with how much I mean my words, how the mere idea of her not being here to face off against us is so abhorrent, panic fills my stomach at it.
“I don’t understand. Why? Why have you changed?” Her brows are furrowed, her eyes searching mine for answers that I’m not sure I have.
“Our Mom died of cancer when we were fourteen,” Blade confesses from behind her, and my heart jolts. We hardly talk about that time between us, each of us carrying scars that sometimes feel like fresh wounds.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, genuine pain in her eyes.
“And it wasn’t until she was gone that I realized I didn’t appreciate her while she was here, that I wished I could have done more to help keep her with us,” he continues, and my eyes prick with his raw honesty.
“I always put on a brave face around Mom and everyone else,” I find myself saying, the words flowing from me unbidden. “I used humor to mask the sadness, to hide the fact I cried every fucking night she was ill and for months afterwards.”
A hand lands on my shoulder, Chase squeezing in reassurance.
“Towards the end, I was at her bedside,” Chase starts, his voice thick like I’ve never heard it. “I—I broke down. It was the last time I let myself show anyone else a weakness, a vulnerability.”
I watch as Luna’s eyes fill with tears again, but they are tears for us, and they don’t feel like pity, but sadness at our experiences.
“It must have been so hard to lose her like that,” she says, her hand coming up from the blanket and cupping my cheek, like mine is hers. It stalls all the breath in my lungs. I’m not sure anyone has ever held me like this, not since Mom anyway. “But I don’t want to be just a do-over for you. I—”
“You’re not,” I rush out, needing her to understand that it’s so much more than that. “We learnt that time is precious, and when you find something worth holding onto, worth fighting for, you don’t fucking let go.”
“I felt nothing since the day she passed, not really,” Chase adds, and Luna’s blue gaze looks at him over my shoulder.
“Until a certain blonde firecracker stole my room and then gave me hell for the privilege.” He laughs, and a smile tugs my lips upwards.
“You broke through my walls, Luna, and I want you to keep smashing them down. I need you to.”
A small smile lights up her face, and fuck me, she’s so beautiful, our little fighter.
“Told you already, Goldilocks,” Blade rumbles from behind her, taking a deep inhale of her addictive vanilla and jasmine scent. “You’re mine, ours, and I’ll fight god himself if he dares to try and take you from us. So what’s a little piece of me if it can make you better?”
A hot tear lands on my thumb, falling from those beautiful eyes that I don’t ever want to dull.
“Okay, we can go through the rest of the treatment plan tomorrow,” Chase says, and I know that this is how he cares for those important to him, by managing them and making sure everything is in place. “For now, clean up and bed.”
Luna’s stomach growls as if in protest, and I laugh. “Okay, I’ll make you some of your favorite porridge and bring it up. I’ll even let you have some of my Nutella stash because I’m that nice of a guy.”
“You’re an asshole.” She chuckles, and my smile grows.
“Maybe, but not to you, not anymore. Pinkie promise.” I hold my pinkie finger out to her, her gaze darting to it, then back to my face.
I hold my breath as she slowly lifts her hand from my face, her little finger extended, and locks it with mine.