Nerves course through my body as I wait on deck with Sig. The night is dark, the thinnest sliver of the moon high in the sky is almost invisible in the vast expanse. Tonight needs to go to plan. After my last failed attempt, I don’t want to deal with the repercussions if the worst happens. Hopefully, Roley trusted me and is waiting alone for us to arrive.
The danger we face is more real than any other shift or interaction with the Voyagers. My stomach is in knots as my mind conjures all the things that could happen to Weston if Dane had somehow found out. Weston would put himself between us, and it isn’t below Dane to use him against me to get what he wants.
The healing waters. My mother.
My body shudders and I push the thought out of my mind.
That will not happen.
Sig is quiet. She stands beside me, hands on her hips, as she watches the steps, waiting for Weston to emerge. My mouth dries the moment he does, and my eyes trail over his body. More weapons than usual are strapped to almost every surface, looking like he’s going into battle. A second sword hilt peeks over his shoulder, and every slot in his vest is filled with a varietyof sized blades. His sleeves are rolled to his elbows, the fabric tucked away so it won’t interfere in a fight, and his hands are filled with even more as he strides toward us.
He hands the weapons off to Sig, then holds a dark brown leather vest behind my shoulders. I slide my arms through the holes, and he pulls the laces taut, the backs of his fingers brushing against me as he secures the knots. It’s just like his, and I’m not surprised at all when he turns back to Sig, taking the weapons from her and fitting them in my vest.
A sword is all that’s left, and he reaches down, hooking the scabbard to my belt, the one I stole from him. He doesn’t have to say a word, because I know what he is doing. He needs to make sure I can defend myself in the event he cannot. Knowing I am protected gives him peace of mind going into tonight.
Weston turns to Sig then. “You know what to do if I don’t come back. You take care of everyone, and never stop trying to get them home.”
“You’re going to come back, Cap. Both of you,” she says, looking between us.
Weston reaches out, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, and pulls her into his chest. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen him affectionate with anyone else in the crew, and a pang fills my chest. They’ve been through everything together. Weston wouldn’t have lived if it hadn’t been for Sig, and I finally understand what Sig meant all those months ago, when she said Weston was like a brother.
She pushes him off with tears in her eyes.
“Stop. Just go get the kid,” she demands, looking at me next. “You make sure he comes back. Both of you better come back.” She turns on her heel, and descends the steps quickly, disappearing into the deck below.
Once we’re alone, Weston steps back to me, our bodies barely brushing. I crane my neck to look into his face just as he wrapshis hand around the back of my neck in a soft caress, his thumb softly stroking my jaw.
“If we run into Dane,” he says, “you let me deal with him. If something happens to me, you don’t hesitate. You get back to this ship.”
My throat feels like it’s closing and my voice catches on it. “I’m not going to leave you, Weston,” I croak.
He reaches up and brushes a piece of hair off my forehead, and my chest warms. “You know what you should do. You’ve had all the training and the lessons. I know you have. You know it’s more important for you to get out than me.”
“Stop talking like that,” I say. My nose burns as I try to will away tears. “We’re going to get Roley, and we’re coming back.”
“Promise me, Lennox.”
His eyes trail over my face, as if he’s memorizing every piece of it. Tenderness fills his expression, and it feels like my chest is cracking in half when I realize what he’s doing.
“I promise,” I whisper.
He leans down slowly and presses his lips gently to mine. This kiss is so much different from the others we’ve shared. Before, they were filled with passion and desire, impatience and hunger. This one says more than his words do. The gentle caress of his lush lips tells me everything I need, and more than I want him to say.
A single tear falls onto my cheek and I swipe it away, pulling my face from his. “Don’t you dare say goodbye to me, Weston. This isn’t over.” I sniff, and he smiles down at me softly.
“No, sweetheart, it isn’t over.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, then laces his fingers through mine.
“Let’s go.”
I pick my bow and quiver up off the deck and drape them over my shoulder. Weston leads me down the gangway, the mask of the abrasive and intense First Guard and Captainfirmly back in place, as if that moment between us hadn’t just happened.
Weston is always on high alert whenever we leave the ship, the result of being responsible for everyone else’s well being, but he has never been as attentive to our surroundings as tonight. He watches everything, keeping me hauled in close to him as he constantly scans the terrain while we move swiftly to the portal.
Once we’re safely inside, his shoulders relax slightly, but his pace doesn’t slow. I’m almost running to keep up with his long strides as we weave through the tunnels.
“Near the edge of the forest, right?”
“Yes,” I say. “I told him to wait there for me and I would be there after dark.”
