**Jax**
She pushed against me and sat up. "I spent a lot of time growing an herb and flower garden." She laughed, but the sound was strained. "I was desperate for a distraction from my thoughts of you, and being with nature like that calmed me."
My heart gave a hard, violent beat before returning to normal. The thought of her outside, surrounded by nature, sun shining down on her, hair glinting, tugged at something deep inside of me. I didn't even have to try to imagine what it would be like to build a life with her - a home, a family. I let out a slow, shaky breath.
"What about you? What did you do?" She glanced sideways at me. "How many people did you kill?"
I laughed. "I didn't kill anyone, though there were a few times I wanted to strangle my brothers. I spent every waking moment wondering what you were doing, if you were okay, if you'd given me a second thought."