“I’ve already gone through the pain of almost losing you,” he whispered. “How am I supposed to survive it again?”
“Don’t live in the future. We’re both still here...for now.”
“Barely.” Rolling onto his side, he brushed my bottom lip with his thumb. “We’re both barely here. And if we stay here, who the hell knows what they’re going to do to us come morning.”
The stacked bones and echoes of the dead tried to trap me in their memories again.
Whatwouldhappen when they came for us?
Would they bleed us like they had with Lucien in Cinderkeep? Would they torture us? Maim us?
“I won’t let them,” Lucien hissed. “I’ll kill every last one of them before they lay a single finger on you.” His voice tightened with promise, even as his weakness festered like an open wound.
I could feel how close he was to breaking. How close we both were.
We might not even make it until morning...
Lucien sucked in a breath, his eyes widening with horror.
I scrambled to make him feel better—to change my thoughts so I didn’t make us morbidly depressed before the sun came up. “Ignore me. I don’t—”
“You truly don’t think we’ll survive, do you?”
I flinched.
I had no reply.
All I had was the comforting knowledge that I wouldn’t diealone. I’d met him, loved him, and had him for such a short while, but...it was enough.
“It willneverbe enough,” he snarled. “I will never stop wanting more of you.”
Same.I smiled, resorting to talking without words because it took less energy.If I’d known how quickly it would all be over, I would’ve gotten you into bed back in Cinderkeep.
I waited for him to chuckle at my lame joke, but his eyes turned stormy.
Sorry...I cupped his cheek with trembling fingers.I didn’t mean—
“Fuck it.” He captured my hand and pressed it against his face. “If you think we might be dead by morning, then....”
Falling over me, he kissed me.
Sweetly, deeply, desperately.
The moment our lips met, our hearts slammed wide open. Our souls crashed together with all our love and pain and need.
The scent of apple surrounded us—
And the cell vanished.
Chapter Twelve
SNOW EXPLODED AROUND US IN A GLITTERING storm.
Golden embers danced in the flakes, blurring silver with gold, looking like broken stars in a blizzard.
The sensation of Rook in my arms was as real as anything. Our lips pressed together, my fingers entwined with hers on my cheek, just like we’d been on the mattress.
The only difference was we’d materialised into this private dreamscape standing and strong instead of lying down and weak.
