She nods. “Mm-hmm.”
“He was huntingme.”
Skyler almost drops her cup, her eyes comically wide. “What?!”
I can’t help but chuckle. It’s odd to hear the sound of amusement from my lips when all I’ve felt the past few weeks is worry. On one hand, it feels good to smile, but on the other, how can I be smiling when my friends are dead and Gabriel is in this endless sleep?
Turmoil rolls through me, and I stand, trying to shake off the odd feeling. Tracing the back of the chair, I drink the last of my tea as memories of the day I met Gabriel run through my mind. Him waking up, flirting, and then the horror that both of us felt when we realized who the other person was.
I add, “That’s not all.”
“What else could there be?”
“Since I saved his life, he gave me a gift.”
Skyler grins, her eyes twinkling. “We like gifts.”
Normally, sure. But I’m still not convinced the Hunter knows how to give a proper gift.
“Not this one.” I release the back of the chair. “Gabriel gave me a very interesting gift. He gave me aday.”
A crease forms between her brows. “You mean...”
“It was a very generous gift.” The raspy words come from the bed, and my heart leaps in my chest. “One day’s head start.”
29
I MISSED YOU
WREN
Blessed, burning suns.
I whip my head around, and my fingers spasm. My teacup falls, forgotten, but Skyler must snatch it because I don’t hear it smash. I can’t focus on that right now.
Emerald eyes meet mine, and suns fucking save me, they’re vivid and alert and full oflife. Relief rushes through me, and I cry out. Shoving my chair out of the way, I fall to my knees beside the bed. A curse may slip from my lips. Maybe two.
I barely feel Skyler’s touch on my upper arm, barely hear her mention that she’s going to give us time alone. I must nod because she squeezes my shoulder and leaves, shutting the door behind her, but it hardly registers.
I’m drowning in emeralds, and I never want to be anywhere else.
“Hi,” I whisper, as eloquent as ever. But who the fuck cares about things like articulateness right now when Gabriel is finally awake?
He pushes himself up on his elbows, and I scramble for extra pillows, adding them to the stack already behind him.
“Hey, little bird,” he rasps.
I’ve never heard a better sound. Tears rush to my eyes, and I clasp my hand over my mouth. “You’re awake,” I mumble, the sounds muffled.
For all the times I thought about this moment, I didn’t plan what I’d say.
“I am.” Gabriel reaches for my hand, pulling it from my face. His movements are stiff as he takes my fingers in his. “I missed you.”
The raspy confession is all it takes for my heart to crack right down the middle. It splits in half, and I can’t even find it in myself to care. Burning tears flow down my cheeks, unchecked. I’ve been staying strong for weeks, but finally, I can let my walls down.
The bond, incomplete though it may be, thrums with intense relief.
“Oh, no,” Gabriel murmurs, sweeping his thumb across the back of my hand. The small movement sends another rush of tears flowing down my cheeks. “Don’t cry, little bird.”
