“Oh, shit,” Gray said. “Is she okay?”
“Your sister is completely fine,” I assured her. “As for me, well… I’d been timing them on the sidelines, taking notes and making observations, as I do. But the moment I saw her go down, instinct took over. I leaped in front of Hobb to prevent the inevitable collision, and…” I shrugged, knocking lightly on my head.
“You jumped in front of a charging wolf?” Gray nearly exploded. I’d never seen her so upset, so worried. “You’re lucky you’re still alive! You can’t do things like that anymore, Liam. You’re human. Understand? Not Death. Not the Great Transformation. Not a bird or a bat or a wisp of cloud on the breeze. You are aman, with breakable bones and spillable blood and a head that could crack open like a melon if you hit it too hard.”
Shame burned a hot path up my spine and I turned my head, unable to hold her gaze. “As much as I appreciate the detailed enumeration of my many weaknesses, I assure you, I’m fine. So if that’s all, I’d like to be alone now if you don’t mind.”
Undeterred, Gray waltzed over to the other side of the bed, once again capturing me in her gaze. From those twilight eyes, I could no more look away than I could’ve defended myself against the inertia of the rapidly charging wolf.
But now, her eyes were soft. Wounded. Gentle. “That’s… that’s what you think this is about?”
“It matters not what I think. These are merely facts, Gray. I can no longer protect you or any of the people I’ve come to care about. Not the way the others can. I am a liability in the truest sense of the word.” I gestured toward the window, against which the wind sang winter’s incessant song. “Despite the fact that I’ve brought much of this chaos to your doorstep, I am no longer in a position to help you defend against it. Despite the shame in my heart, I’ve lost the ability to right those wrongs or any of the—”
“Stop. Just… stop.” She took my face between her hands, her thumbs sweeping over my cheeks. Tears shone in her eyes, and when she finally spoke again, her voice had lost all of its anger, though none of its ferocity. “It’s about losing you, Liam. I can’t… I told you that night at the cemetery—you’re family. Losing you is not an option.”
Family. The word echoed in my mind, suddenly bigger, grander, greater than it’d ever been. In truth, I’d wanted nothing more than what she was offering, but now, I felt as if I were the runt of the litter, the one who’d constantly need looking after while the others risked their lives to keep me safe.
But Gray was having none of my self-pity. She stripped down to nothing but her T-shirt and undergarments, then gestured for me to move over.
“What is this?” I asked. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you. It’s just… a bit unexpected.”
“As it should be.” She flashed me a quick wink, then climbed into the bed beside me, sliding beneath the blankets, her bare legs tangling with mine.
The brush of her soft skin against mine was a balm for all that pained me, physically as well as emotionally.
We lay on our sides, face-to-face, and there we remained for many long moments. There was a time, however briefly it’d lasted, when it felt as though I could read the thoughts swimming in the depths of her eyes. But tonight, whether it was the loss of my greater powers or merely the shifter-induced scrambling of my soft human brain, I could no longer anticipate the direction of her mind’s many wanderings.
“Please tell me what you’re thinking,” I finally said, my voice breaking, though I couldn’t have said why. Some strange, uncomfortable emotion had climbed into my chest and taken hold of my heart, making it skitter and stall.
I hated that I’d disappointed her.
Gray ran her fingers through my hair, and I closed my eyes, settling into the comfort of her gentle caress.
“You’re not weak, Liam,” she said softly. “You are brave and strong and wise beyond measure. But you are accustomed to immortality.Eternalimmortality. You don’t have that self-protective instinct that humans develop. Your instinct is always to protect those you care about, and I appreciate that more than I can even express. But you have to balance that with common sense. What happened today with Detective Hobb… What if something like that happens in the Bay? What if it's not friendly shifters next time? What if you’re not surrounded by witches with healing magic?”
I opened my eyes to meet hers once again. “Then I shall do my best to outwit them.”
“That's not good enough.”
“I will not allow you to fight these battles while I cower in the shadows. That is not up for debate, little witch.”
“I'm not asking you to sit this one out, Liam. I'm just asking you to know yourself. Not as Death, but as a mortal man.”
She was right, of course, and I promised her I would do as she asked. This seemed to appease her, and she drew closer to me, the crease between her eyes smoothing once again.
I traced an infinity symbol on her forehead, and she sighed, her eyelids fluttering closed.
“Tell me what you’re thinkingnow,” I said.
“Just that I miss our philosophical talks.” Then, opening her eyes again and turning a bright smile my way, “But that just means we’ll have lots more to talk about when all of this is over, and we can finally breathe again.”
“I am looking forward to that day more than you know.” I traced my thumb around the curves of her mouth. “I love you, Gray Desario.”
She parted her lips to reply, but I cut her off with a kiss, drawing her closer, hoping she could feel just how much I’d meant those words. I would’ve been quite content to kiss her for the rest of the evening, but Gray pulled back.
“That day on the beach,” she said, “when we first kissed? Do you remember?”
“I remember everything about that day. About you.”
