Page 186 of Sincerely, Butterfly

“I know you will.” I nod. “And I wouldn’t expect anything else. But we wouldn’t.”

His jaw grinds, and he closes his eyes. “Why couldn’t I have had a son?” he sighs heavily.

“She’s perfect the way she is,” I tell him.

“You know everything now?” he asks me.

“She takes after her dad.” I smirk. “You should be proud.”

“I am,” he chuckles. “She really is something else.”

“So we’ve come to find out.” I look down at her as she curls into my chest. “She’s created a mess with the Brotherhood,” I inform him.

“I know,” he sighs. “I’ve tried my best to cover her tracks, but I couldn’t do much without revealing her secrets. And they were hers to tell. But if you need anything, just let me know.”

“Is she done?” I ask him.

“What do you mean?”

“Killing.”

“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “She started this for you three, but I don’t know if she plans on stopping.”

Nodding, I carry her upstairs. I’m not going to tell her she has to stop, but if she plans on making a career out of this or something, things are going to have to change.

For now, we need to clean up the mess she made and make thingsright with the Brotherhood. I’d hate to have to go to war with our own men, but if it meant protecting Nola and keeping her, I will.

With my clothes on, I walk us into the shower and clean her skin. She wakes up for a moment, blinking her sleepy eyes up at me.

“Go back to sleep, Little Rabbit,” I murmur. “I’ve got you.”

She closes her eyes, a small smile on her lips.

I’ve never felt the need to provide aftercare to any of the women we’ve been with. They were to be used and forgotten, that was the plan. We preferred it that way.

But with Nola, I don’t think I could. I might want to use her body how I see fit, but after that’s all over, after she’s done being our fuck toy, she becomes our girl again. And what kind of man doesn’t treat the person who owns their very being like a fucking queen?

It might not look the same for everyone, but that doesn’t mean we don’t care.

Once she’s washed up, I wrap her in a towel and carry her to bed.

“I thought Sylas would be the sweet one,” I hear her mumble as I put her in her PJ’s.

“Don’t get used to it,” I mutter.

“Okay,” she says around a yawn, a sleepy smile taking over her lips as she drifts back to sleep.

“What are you doing to me, Little Rabbit?” I sigh, brushing her wet hair from her forehead. “I feel like you’ve changed my very being.”

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I tuck her in and leave.

I meet up with the guys at the morgue Toren lets us use. “Everything good?” I ask, rolling the window down.

“She’s dealt with,” Jasper confirms, getting into the passenger seat while Sylas takes the back. “And Nola?”

“Cleaned up and tucked into her bed.”

“Good.”