Chapter 71

LILY S tefano makes quick work of freeing Nico and Dean from their bonds. Running straight to me, Nico wraps me in a hug. “Are you two okay?” I ask. They step back. Nico nods but glares at Stefano. “Yeah, but what the hell, Doc?” Stefano, or Doc as we’ve affectionately called him since we were innocent little kids and heard people refer to him as the surgeon, pats Nico on the back. “I’m sorry, boys, but I had to make it look real. Besides, I barely scratched either of you.” Dean wipes a streak of blood from a cut above his eye. “Tell that to my face, Doc,” he says, but he’s grinning. “So, we’re not twins?” Nico frowns. “Not even brother and sister?” I shake my head. Smiling, I try to lighten the mood. “I was born two days before you, by the way. So I’m officially the oldest now.” He looks down, sorrow clouding his handsome features. I cup his face in my hands. “You’ll always be my brother, Nico. No matter what.” Stefano wraps an arm around my shoulders and kisses the top of my head. “C