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“It’ll be black and bluetomorrow, but I’ll live.”
He was going to fuckingkill that bull shifter.
“How’s your chest?” sheasked softly.
He hadn’t been thinkingabout the fact that there was a gaping hole in his jacket andshirt. He glanced down at scar tissue that looked a good year ortwo old. Experimentally, he poked at the skin. It felt strange, butnot painful. “Remind me to find a warlock who needs a new bestfriend. They are damn handy to have around.”
Elodie chuckled at that,though the sound was a little forced. “I thought you weredead.”
Had that bothered her? Hurther? Would she have cared? He wanted to ask, but they were stillfeeling their way through this post-arrow situation.
For humans, who didn’t knowthey’d been struck, the transition was near seamless from lust andphysical desire to something deeper. He had no idea how twosupernaturals, one who’d been in lust and the other who hadn’tgiven a shit to begin with, would end up.
Chance tucked Elodie’s headonto his shoulder and rested his cheek against the silk of herhair. “I’ll take first watch,” he said. “You get some sleep. Weboth need to be ready when he comes back.”
Elodie was silent longenough that he started counting her breaths while he waited to seeif she would pull away, go somewhere else to sleep or—
She snuggled into him. “Wake me in a fewhours, okay?”
The knot tied tight in hisbelly loosened a smidge. “Okay,” he whispered back.
He thought she’d fallenasleep, until a good fifteen minutes later she started moving herhand. Only the lightest touch at first, moving up his abs to hischest and the scar there, exploring it gently. Maybe she had beenworried?
She lifted her head tostare at the spot as she touched it. “I was so scared,” shewhispered, not looking up.
His entire body clenched inreaction. She’d been scared for him? After his second arrow. Pleaselet that mean something. “You were?”
She bit her lip and nodded slowly.
“I have a confession tomake.”
The thump of his heart wasso heavy, she couldn’t miss it with her hand against his chest.Could she.
“What’s that?”
“I saw your redjournal.”
Chance grinned. “Snooping,huh?”
“I love that youcare.”
Which chipped away at thelead that had coated his heart with her earlier confession aboutcompelling people. “Did you get to the last page?” he asked,winding a lock of her hair around his finger.
He held his breath, waitingfor the answer.
“No.”
He let that breath outsilently, not quite sure if he was disappointed or relieved thatshe hadn’t uncovered that little secret.
“But I liked the book. Itmade me like you even more.”
There went all his breathagain, gone in a whoosh. “You like me.”
“I’ve always liked you,”she whispered.
Chance closed his eyes,praying to every god and fate that he wasn’t wrong, that there wassomething real here for her.
Elodie’s hand drifted loweragain, tracing his body with her fingertips. Teasing. A differentpurpose in the touch. Every brush was an awakening, but slow, likeshe was giving him time to put a stop to it.
