Chapter 25
Joseline
With every hurried step toward the tour bus, I try to prepare myself for what I might be walking into. I can barely breathe, my mind and heart trying to outpace one another. I don’t even bother knocking on the door before tearing it open and bounding up the stairs.
My eyes immediately go to Niki’s recliner, which is empty, and my stomach pitches toward the floor.
“Joseline?” The sound slices through my panic, and I look up to see Ashten making her way out of the bedroom at the back. She’s dressed in all black, and her long pink braids are pulled into a ponytail. There’s no mistaking the worry in her dark eyes.
“Is she okay?” I ask, my throat tight. I’m afraid to know the answer.
“They’re keeping her pretty stable.” She attempts a smile and fails. “Emrys is in there now.”
I want to tell her how much I appreciate her taking care of my best friend, but all I can manage is a feeble thank you. Panic overrides my thoughts, and my feet take over. I hurry past her to the bedroom where Niki is tucked in with her eyes closed.
Emrys stands next to the bed with her hand between both of his. He’s dressed in casual clothes, but all of his skin is still covered. His brassy steampunk mask hides his face. When I step into the room, his gaze shifts in my direction, his green eyes meeting mine.
A million questions come to mind, but I can't figure out how to make words at the moment.
Thankfully, Emrys must understand, because he gently places Niki’s hand on the blanket and approaches me with a few slow steps.
“She's conscious, but only just,” he explains, keeping his voice soft. “We plan to take turns bringing her energy every couple of hours to keep her in this state so she can rest.”
“She's… she's going to stay like this?”
My gaze shifts to Niki’s form. She looks so weak, so pale. So sick, even though it's not a disease ravaging her body. It's a parasitic baby feeding on her like a buffet.
“It's not ideal, but we can't keep up with the energy demand to keep her fully conscious,” he explains slowly. “When she goes into labor, we'll start pumping energy into her as much as we can, but…”
My chest seizes at his hesitation, and I already know what he's going to say.
“Even then, it may not be enough.” He hangs his head slightly.
His words are like a punch to the gut.
“She was fine last night,” I whisper, thinking about the way she looked before I left for the club.
How did she go downhill so quickly?
Why did she have to wait until I wasn’t here?
Emrys rests a hand on my shoulder, his eyes full of sympathy as they meet mine. Immediately, some of my nervous energy abates. Rather than biting his head off for siphoning my energy like I might have Tobias, I’m relieved. I’m also able to think a little clearer.
“Thank you,” I say softly. “For everything.”
He dips his head before turning to leave the room, and I kick my shoes off at the foot of the bed.
Without invitation, I crawl up the mattress and settle beside Niki, unable to take my eyes off her.
She looks so peaceful as she sleeps, aside from the dark circles under her eyes and slightly hollowed cheeks.
“Niki,” I whisper, reaching to brush her hair back.
I don’t know if she can hear me or not; maybe she really is sleeping and talking to her is pointless.
I try anyway. “You’re not allowed to leave me.
You know that right? You can rest and save your strength, because you’re gonna need it when that baby gets here. ”
I try to force a smile, but my bottom lip wobbles. Deep down, I don’t know if I believe the words I’m saying—she already looks so fragile—but if I expect her to hang on, I also have to stay strong. I can’t give up just because the odds seem stacked against her.
The fact that she even met Sebastian in the first place was such a bizarre coincidence. Like the stars lining up to bring them together.
There’s no way her story ends now.
It can’t.
Maybe I’m being selfish because I can’t imagine my life without her, but I need her to fight. For me, for her boyfriend, for this baby that’s trying to kill her.
“I’m gonna be right here.” I brush her hair back again. “We’re in this together, Nik. I’m not going anywhere.”
Her eyelids flutter briefly, and my heart shoots into my throat. Maybe she’s not sleeping after all, and she's just too weak to open her eyes. The thought breaks my heart, but at the same time gives me a sense of hope. Almost like she’s agreeing to fight.
“You’re going to make it through this.” Leaning forward, I press my forehead to hers and close my eyes to keep them from burning. “You’re going to be okay, I promise.”
Two hours later, one of the twins slips into the room without a word.
He’s not wearing a mask, his vibrant red skin and white hair on full display.
With a nod, he rests a hand on Niki’s arm and stands there for a moment while the energy transfers.
I can’t see it, but I swear I can feel the energy in the room shift.
Two hours later, Sebastian walks in. He’s dressed in all black, not wearing his mask, and he lingers by the bed for longer than the others.
“If you want to lay down, I can hit the couch,” I assure him, moving to crawl out of the bed.
He shakes his head. “That’s okay, I’m not staying. I have to go collect more energy.” Then, he bends to kiss Niki’s lips and turns to leave.
I order takeout, even though I don’t have much of an appetite. Then I’m back to sitting with Niki, staring at the TV in the corner without actually paying attention. My mind races, my thoughts clashing. All the while, I try to make sense of all this.
Try to rationalize…
Try to prepare myself for whatever is to come…
When Tobias walks in wearing his black, horned mask, it feels like all the air has been sucked out of the room.
I stiffen, watching as he slowly approaches the bed, my heart beating in my throat as memories from last night consume me.
My eyes linger on the way his shirt hugs his broad torso, and a shiver dances through me as I recall what he's packing underneath those clothes.
He doesn't even look at me.
Forcing down the disappointment I shouldn’t even be feeling, I drag my eyes away from him and pretend to be watching the TV. Pretending to ignore him, even though he can probably sense my nerves.
I know I should be elated that he’s sticking to our agreement, that everything has gone back to normal between us, but I’m not. If anything, I’m deflated as he leaves without a word.
“He’s such an asshole,” I mutter to Niki, imagining her laughing at me if she was coherent. What I wouldn’t give to hear her laugh right now.
One day soon.
Hopefully…
I crash on the couch when Sebastian finally decides to catch a few hours of sleep, but I can’t find it in me to go back to my hotel in the morning. I don’t want to be far away, in case anything happens. In case things take a turn for the worst.
Like clockwork, the guys take turns bringing her energy every few hours, making sure she has the strength to hang on. They never complain, and most of the time they don’t say a word. They just show up, give her energy, and leave again. Doing what they can to keep her alive.
Ashten comes to check on us a couple of times, always kind and offering to help with anything she can. I can’t believe it took so long for us to meet, and now I regret all the lost time, because she really is a gem. A beacon of light in this dark storm of a situation.
Every time Tobias steps onto the bus, I do my best to control my racing pulse. I distract myself with my phone, trying to pretend like the asshole doesn’t exist, but just his presence has my senses lighting up and my nerves on fire.
Then, he’s gone just as quickly.
Days pass, blurring into one another. Morning, noon, and night I stay on the tour bus, my mounting anxiety threatening to tear me apart. I lose track of time, but I refuse to leave.
Everything outside of this tour bus, including work, can wait. Niki’s health is more important, and if she isn’t able to pull through this—if these are her last days earthside—I plan to spend every second with her.
The weekend rolls by, and the band cancels their show. Not even the promise of money and a swell of energy can distract them from the task at hand. They’re all committed to keeping Niki alive, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
My nerves surge with every passing day, and I can’t seem to soothe the anxiety making me too jittery to stay still.
I take a scalding shower in an attempt to relax and squeeze my ass into some of Niki’s clothes—leggings and a T-shirt.
I get used to sleeping on the couch, crawling into bed with her anytime Sebastian isn’t around, talking to her like she’s listening.
Hoping, with every part of me, that she can hear me and hang on just a little longer.
Every hour that passes is a milestone, every day a huge step further into the unknown, and I can’t help but cling desperately to a single thread of hope that Niki and the baby will make it out of this alive.
The last thing I want, after all this, is to bury my best friend.