Torn between caring for their baby and staying with Darling, she met Maris’s gaze.

He hesitated before he nodded.

“All right,” she relented. “We’ll go. But you better not get worse after we leave. I meant it. I will skin you alive if anything happens to you.”

“And I will hand her the knife to do it,” Maris added.

Ryn crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll hold him down for you both.”

“Thanks for the support,” Darling said drily. “Your warm, loving words mean so much to me.”

Ryn laughed. “Anytime, little brother. My pleasure.”

Darling frowned at the term Ryn hadn’t used for him since before the fight that had left him scarred. It was weird to hear Ryn call him that after all this time.

But even more unexpected was his next words. “Mari? Zarya, would you mind letting me have a word with Darling alone?”

“Sure.” Zarya kissed the palm of his hand before she left.

Maris touched his shoulder, then followed after her.

As soon as they were gone, Ryn moved to stand beside his bed. Though he didn’t touch him, Darling could feel his body heat.

Darling braced himself for whatever bad news Ryn was about to dump on him. “Is something wrong with the empire?”

“Other than the fact that the gerents and Resistance are trying to remove you from power?”

Darling let out a short, bitter laugh. “I’d only be surprised if they weren’t. Arturo made sure long ago that they’d never respect me as their governor.” The bastard had gone out of his way to guarantee that should, by some miracle, Darling reign, it would be as hard on him as possible. But that wasn’t what concerned him. “How are you coping with it all? I can have Nyk step in if you’re tired of the crap.”

“He’s not Caronese.”

“Neither are you. At least that’s what you’ve always told me.”

Ryn shifted his weight to his other leg as his throat drew tight over those words and the regret they gave him. There was no anger in Darling’s voice. Only a calm acceptance that cut him all the way to his blackened soul. He’d much rather deal with Darling’s anger that set fire to his own and made him feel vindicated.

This…

It ignited his guilt and that hurt most of all. Of all the people in his world, Darling was one of the last he’d ever intentionally hurt. There was a time when Darling had looked up at him and respected him.

A time when Ryn had respected himself.

But that was a long time ago and the one thing his harsh life had taught him was when it was too late to try. All he had now was a desire to be the brother Darling once thought he was.

He stared at the bandages that kept him from reading Darling’s features. That, too, reminded him of the worst night of his life.

If I could have only one thing…