“I wanted more firsts with Tod. But all I had left was a handful of lasts.”

“But before I could come up with an answer, Tod appeared in the desk chair, where I'd sat minutes earlier. 'Hey. Am I interrupting something?' 'Yes,' Nash said. 'Get out.' But Tod was watching me, and I could tell from the angry line of his jaw that he'd been listening long before he showed himself. He'd heard what Avari had done to me. What Nash had let him do. 'You want me to go?' Tod asked me, his back to his brother. Nash implores me silently to say yes. Tod waited patiently. 'No,' I said, looking right at Nash. He scowled, and his shoulders sagged. 'Good.' Tod stood and kicked the rolling chair out of his way. 'I just checked on your friend in the straitjacket. But first...' The reaper swung before either of us realized what he intended to do. Tod's very sold first slammed into Nash's jaw. Nash's head snapped back. He stumbled into the wall. Tod shook his hand like it hurt. 'That's for what you let him do to Kaylee.”

“No, you should stay right where you are, or my estranged brother and I will settle our difference by seeing who can break more of your bones."Tod glanced at him, brows raised. "You want to settle our differences?"Nash frowned. "No, I want to break every bone in his body, and I didn't think you'd let me do it alone."Tod nodded. "Good call.”

“Hey." Tod squeezed my hand to draw me out of my thoughts. "I think death looks good on you.”

“But more than any of that, I was thankful for the possibility he'd shown me: that a man really could love a woman enough that he'd do anything to protect her. That's how much Tod loved Addy.That's how much I wanted Nash to love me.”

“That's because Tod never brings anything but death and bad advice," I snapped. "That's not true." Tod tried to grin, "Sometimes I bring pizza.”

“You want to settle our differences?” Nash frowned. “No, I want to break every bone in his body, and I didn’t think you’d let me do it alone.” Tod nodded. “Good call.”