Mended

11

Ethan's POV

Izzy was fast asleep by the time they came back.

I'd stayed awake all night, watching the door while Izzy dozed in and out of consciousness as she remained curled up as close to me as possible. Every so often, she'd flinch in her sleep or peel her eyes open if she heard a sound, but for the past few hours, she'd finally allowed herself some deep sleep.

My head snapped up when Elijah's deep voice traveled in from the kitchen. A moment later, he appeared at the threshold to the living room, his gaze immediately finding Izzy's sleeping form.

He crossed the room, before he knelt down in front of where she was curled up. "Has she been asleep ever since I left?" He asked quietly, reaching out to brush a few strands of her hair away from her face.

"No, she was awake for a bit," I answered, glancing down at her before returning my attention to him. "Did you find him?"

Elijah's smoke grey eyes darkened, flickering with a burning rage so strong that I hadn't seen him harness it in years. "No," he gritted out, his jaw clenching. "But I will."

"Where's everyone else?"

"On their way here."

I nodded, letting a tense silence encase the room around us. After a moment, I spoke. "What do you think he wants from her?" I asked, not liking any scenario that crossed my mind. "I thought we made it clear to him years ago that he was never to show his face again."

Elijah stayed quiet for a few seconds, his gaze on Izzy's face. "I don't know," he finally said, his voice hard. "Whatever it is though, I doubt it's anything good." He released a deep breath and stood up, taking a seat on the couch across from us. He rubbed a rough hand over his mouth. "He has every reason to hate us."

I agreed, my arm tightening around Izzy. "You killed his father," I voiced my thoughts. "He never got the revenge Lucas promised him he'd get. You think that's why he's here now?"

Elijah said nothing as he studied Izzy, so I spoke again.

"He knows Izzy's the easiest way to get through to us," I continued.

"She wouldn't trust him again," Elijah said.

"She'd forgive anyone if they tried hard enough," I countered, hating the thought.

Could that be it? Maybe he was here to get her to trust him again; to forgive him. Then, he would strike and do whatever it was that he'd come here hoping to do. Maybe it was revenge, maybe it wasn't. I didn't know.

"We'll talk to her when she wakes up," Elijah answered calmly, his gaze flickering to mine. "About her safety and her reaction."

My chest constricted as Julian's recollection of Izzy's breakdown flashed through my mind. He'd told us she'd had a full blown panic attack, something she hadn't had in years. It made us think that just maybe, she wasn't progressing as much as everyone believed she was. Maybe she was just suppressing everything because she believed that she'd no longer face anything from her past. If that were the case, then Mariam needed to know.

I nodded. "Let me take the lead."

Elijah's eyes hardened. "No. You have no filter," he immediately shut me down.

I threw him a murderous glare. "I do when it's needed."

Elijah ignored me, his attention traveling back to our sister. He stood up. "I'll take her to her room," he said, walking over. I gently removed my arm from around her shoulders. Izzy didn't stir as Elijah picked her up and left the room.