She nods.“I’m really here.Ignatius and I fought.He’s in chains now.”
I leap up from the toilet and then I’m falling, falling, falling.
I don’t know how long I’m out for but it’s long enough that by the time I wake, the crusted blood all over my face and arms has been cleaned and I’m in fresh pyjamas and in bed.
But the most comforting thing of all is that there’s a warm body next to me.
“Lucy?”I whisper.
She rolls over.“Hey…”
“Hey…what happened to you?”
I wince, my hands trembling under the covers.She wraps hers around me until I stop.
“There was this sweet old man I was supposed to reap.But he…” Bile claws at my throat.
I run to the bathroom to puke, but nothing comes out.I flick the tap on and slurp some water trying to wash the memory away.I scrub my hands with soap, and even though there’s no blood, I swear the water turns pink anyway.
Lucy appears.“Stop now,” she says, turns the tap off, pats my hands dry and guides me back to bed.
When we’re tucked up, I try again.
“Magic is fucked.I had to reap him, but my scythe beheaded him instead.It’s never done that.I didn’t think it worked like that.”
“Oh sweetie, I’m so sorry.”She cradles me against her until my body eases.
There are so many things we need to say to each other.The last time we saw each other she didn’t say a word to me.The time before that she was screaming how much she hated me.And now she’s lying in my bed, her hands sliding through my hair.
“I’m so, so, so—” I start, but she places her lips over mine and everything silences.All the things I know we’ll need to talk through silenced by the warmest kiss I’ve ever had.
She grips me like she’ll never let go and my entire body deflates in relief.
She eases back.“I’m sorry, you’re exhausted.You passed out in the bathroom, we shouldn’t…”
But I pull her to me, suddenly ravenous.Not for food, but the touch and taste of her.All the pieces of her I can get.I need to devour her.To consume every ounce I can get.Not for control or ownership.
But for love.
I want to cherish her and love on her and make her come so many times she forgets what a fucking idiot I am.
She deepens our kiss.Her fingertips roaming lower, skimming the waistband of my boxers.She’s ferociously hot, the heat seeps into my muscles and fills me.
Her tongue pushes into my mouth.She sucks my lower lip between her teeth and bites down gently.I moan into her.She slips her hand under my waistband and down, down, down until she stops suddenly.
“Can I?”
I hesitate.I want to, gods I want to more than anything.But we also need to talk.We can’t use sex to solve everything.
As if she reads my mind, she says, “I know there’s so much we need to say, but will you let me apologise like this first?Please?I need you, Midnight.All of you.I need to know you’re still mine.That we can fix this.”
I nod, and she plunges her lips over mine.
Our tongues dance, hungry and aggressive.My hand cups the back of her head, drawing her closer.I want more.Need more of her.
Everything else disappears.It’s only Lucy and me.Our touch, our tongues and the way we taste.She slips her fingers through my heat.I’m already wet for her.I moan into our kiss and buck my hips, desperate for more friction.
She focuses on my clit, rubbing in long, lavish strokes.But it’s teasing and building too slowly.I break the kiss and tug her top off.
