Page 140 of His Prince

I tuck my face into Mikhail’s side and breathe, disappearing into the scent of him, the feel of him against me.

I don’t want to. I don’t want to do anything except watch that flicker of life.

I’ll wait for an eternity or until death consumes me too.

Until then, I set up my vigil.

And wait once more.

31

ANTHONY

“How is he?” Diablo asks over the phone, his voice threaded with worry.

“Not well,” I reply, moving out of Mikhail’s room to speak to my son.

“Should I come then? I can totally be on a plane?—”

“You can if you’d like, but he won’t leave Mikhail’s side. It’s been a week, and he barely eats.”

“Fuck,” Diablo mutters, and then I hear him rustling around. “I’ll be there. I should have come sooner, but you know how it is.”

I hang up a minute later and await his arrival details. I should have known better than to keep my twins apart. They were always so different and yet thick as thieves.

As I place my phone in my pocket, Felix and Casey move up next to me, staring longingly at the door. An hour ago, it was Titus and Gael. No one will leave him alone, each of them taking turns holding vigil with Angel, so he’s not totally alone.

“Someone needs to make him eat. He won’t listen to me,” I say,and Casey nods, moving toward the kitchen. I’m sure Nina is in there, attempting to ply Angel with all of his favorite foods. But he merely picks at it, his appetite non-existent.

I know how he feels. I lost Laura and felt as if my world was crumbling around me. The ache in my chest was immeasurable, as if part of me was torn out.

My sweet son is now experiencing the same fate. It’s something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I worry about him.

I truly worry he won’t recover from this.

I rub my chest, wishing Tatum was here. I need him, his comfort.

Just as I think that, arms wrap around me. Tatum. He’s here.

“You shouldn’t have come.”

“As if you could tell me what to do.”

I huff a small laugh, his body moving around to face me, and I can’t help but lean down and capture his lips.

“How is he?” Tatum asks, peering into the bedroom.

“Not well.”

Tatum sighs just as Casey rounds the corner, a plate of food in his hands.

He looks determined, and so does Tatum. Perhaps with the two of them here, things will get better. But I know that nothing will fix this except Mikhail waking up.

He needs to wake up, or I may lose my son.

And I can’t lose him. Not after everything I did to keep him.

“Don’t worry,” Tatum says and squeezes me. “We’ll take care of him. He’ll get through this. He’s strong.”