“I assure you, it has.” It’s felt like a year for me. “Do you remember anything?”
His lips thin, and he slowly shakes his head. “Not really. I remember the king’s soldiers arriving, and the start of the battle, but I don’t recall what happened after that. Only that something must have gone wrong for me to end up here.”
That feels like an understatement.
“It did.” Leaning across the Hunter, I pour him a glass of water from the jug on the nightstand. Once it’s in his hands, I walk him through everything that happened. The battle, defeating the king’s soldiers, and the wounds he received.
I start crying again, telling Gabriel about how he wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I begged for him to do so. I tell him about Eva and Gallan, and how they looked after him. That he’s probably still alive because of them and their treatments. About traveling through the tunnels to the camp and my growing friendship with Skyler.
“Mist is here, too.” I dab my palms against my cheeks. “She seems very attached to you, for a panther.”
“Yes, she is.” Gabriel’s searching gaze sweeps through the cabin.
“She’s out hunting. Having a panther around was making some people nervous, so they placed us in a cabin on the edge of camp. Mist has been coming back every night, but she spends her days in the woods, staying on this side of the net.”
His brows furrow. “The net?”
“It’s... hard to explain. There is a web of magic around the camp. It protects them, cloaking them from the king’s sight.”
Gabriel traces his amulet. “I see,” he says, and it seems like he does. “I’m glad Mist can come and go as she pleases. She seems happy.”
A year ago, a statement like that would’ve struck me as peculiar, but considering I possess magic and a fated bond, Idon’t really think I’m in any position to question this type of thing.
“I think she is.” Even though Mist is large, especially when compared to the size of the animals I used to rescue at home, it’s been nice to have her around. “She’s been sleeping at the foot of our bed every night.”
The moment the words are out of my mouth, I inhale sharply. My heart skips a beat, and even though part of me wishes Gabriel missed what I just said, I know the chances are slim. He is far too perceptive. Sure enough, when I meet his eyes once again, I swear they’re darker than before. A mossy green filled with hunger—for me.
“‘Our bed’?” he repeats, and suns fucking save me, this would be a great time for the floor to open up and swallow me whole. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I have one gods-damned normal conversation with the Hunter?
Unfortunately, since the ground doesn’t devour me, I’m stuck here as his careful gaze sweeps over me slowly. My skin tingles, and heat that has nothing to do with my Mark engulfs me.
It feels like an eternity passes before Gabriel lifts his eyes, looking over my shoulder.
I don’t need to turn around to know what he’s looking at. The other, smaller bed resting against the far wall. It’s clearly untouched, save for the missing pillow, which is next to him. That, along with the extra blankets on the bed and the words I just spoke, tell an interesting story.
Silence stretches, and I squirm, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut.
The more time passes, the more I feel the need to justify what I said. Sharing Gabriel’s bed when it was the only one available was one thing, but things are different now. I could’ve slept on my own...
But I didn’t.
“When we first got to camp and got settled, I tried the other bed. But the nightmares...” Shivers overtake me, and I draw up my knees, hugging them. There had been so much blood and death, so many horrendous things that had flashed through my mind in quick succession. Dragons and priestesses and evil kings with dark, crimson magic had haunted me. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came here.”
I hadn’t touched Gabriel, but the proximity had kept the worst of the nightmares away.
The next night, I hadn’t even tried to fall asleep on my own. I’d climbed into bed beside Gabriel and promptly fallen into a deep sleep. The nightmares hadn’t completely disappeared—I was beginning to suspect they never would—but they hadn’t been as frequent or as awful. The head priestess’s voice was less shrill. Her warnings about the Blessed and the Inherited needing to die, less horrifying. The king’s magic was dimmer. Less deadly.
Gabriel still hasn’t said anything.
“I’m sorry.” I press my forehead against my knees. “I should’ve stayed over there and kept my distance. It wasn’t right of me?—”
A finger lifts my chin, pulling my face away from the safety of my curled-up position. Gabriel angles my head, making sure my eyes meet his.
“Birdie,” my Hunter murmurs, and my stomach flip-flops at the raspy sound. “You are always welcome in my bed. No questions asked.”
My mouth falls open, but before I can make a sound, Gabriel leans forward and claims my lips. His mouth is warm as it sweeps over mine, silencing whatever protest I might’ve had.
The kiss starts out sweet and slow as if he’s reminding himself of what it’s like to taste me, but the moment I moan,Gabriel’s hand slips around my neck, and he pulls me towards him.
