The Prodigy | ✔︎

57

Guiding Reyna to my room, I shut the door behind us. There was an awkward silence that settled in the room. I continued to walk her over to bathroom, taking in the sight of her. She was still practically covered in blood and I only just noticed that there were no shoes on her feet.

"Start getting undressed. I'm going to start the shower," I told her, turning away to turn on the water. My shower was black marble tiles that went from the floor to the ceiling. It was large enough to fit a group of people.

Once the water began to fall from the rainfall shower head, I turned to Reyna to see she hadn't moved a muscle. She was zoning out and completely lost in her own world.

Walking up to her, I cupped her cheek in my hand.

"You taught me something. For so long, I've been trying so hard to fit into this picture everyone painted of me... so dull... so black and white. As long as I was seen as the villain, no one could ever expect a hero. If I became the monster-a thief-a gangster, I would have nothing to fear... except for the girl in glasses-Angel-Little Red," I began.

She turned to look at me with those beautiful, glossy brown eyes.

"I feared you because you could see right through me. You grabbed that paintbrush, and you observed me. You looked past some image I created, and you saw me. Then, you did the one thing no one had ever done before... you painted your own damn painting-one with color," I said.

She continued to stare at me. Even though she hadn't said a word, I could almost hear it being whispered into my ear.

"I need you, baby. I don't know why it has taken me so long to realize this. Maybe it's because the thought of losing you both mentally and physically is really fucking killing me," I said, bringing her face closer to my own. "I need you to understand that I'm with you, Angel. I need you."

A tear fell from her eyes.

Before she could say anything I pulled her into my arms and I just held her. I breathed in her scent, and grew grateful to have her in my arms again. Warmth sprang from her to me before softly finding its place between the two of us.

"I barely got to be with her," Reyna whispered.

I could only imagine the disappointment she must've felt-combined with some of the most wounding emotions. Running my hand down the middle of her back, I shut my eyes again, spending every second existing in the present.

I held her for just a bit longer before having to pull away. There was still one piece of information I was missing.

"What happened with Lucile?" I broke the silence.

She didn't look at me. Her gaze moved back down at her feet as she began to play with her own fingers.

"I... woke up all tied up in a basement. Lucille was ordered to send me to Russia, but she was going to kill my mother-I heard her say that when I pretended to be l still be sleep..." she sighed. "In order to prepare me for transportation, she had to untie me. The moment she did, I attacked her and we fought. I didn't mean to-"

Her voice broke into a sob, finally I was met with those beautiful eyes again. "I didn't mean to kill her. I was trying to get her off of me, and she-her head hit the wall and... she was gone instantly."

"Come here," I said.

I hooked my fingers around the hem of her torn up shirt and lifted it above her head. I then slid off her bottoms, leaving here in bloody undergarments.

"I'll be right back. Just get in the shower for me," I said.

As I made my way out of the restroom, I grabbed my cell phone from my pocket and dialed Alessandro's number.