Once I have the tub full of hot water, Atticus leaves, and Julian gives me no real reaction as I strip him of his clothes and guide him into the tub.
I notice bruising on his ribs as he settles, beginning to color the left side of his body, but I don’t comment on it. We can take him to the infirmary after we make sure he doesn’t have pneumonia.
Julian sighs against the hot water, his chattering teeth slowly beginning to calm. His lips, once purple, begin to regain the soft pink they were before he jumped.
It takes roughly twenty minutes for him to thaw enough to be completely lucid. Once he is, Julian only has the desire to stare at me.
Brown eyes watch my face as if he’s waiting for something, as if he’s dreaming.
“You were right,” I say softly, sitting on my knees at the edge of the tub.
“Hm?” he sounds, tilting his head slightly.
“About the curse,” I add. “When you… When you died, it broke. I don’t feel it anymore.”
In fact, the clarity with which my mind is working and the way my skin feels completely and utterlycalmis astounding. I have no desire to devour Julian, outside of everyday lust, and I don’t think I’ll die if I don’t orgasm soon.
I am not burning up. I am not overwhelmed.
“So itdidwork? I didn’t fail?” The way he says it, it’s as if he views his being here as a failure and not a blessing. Like hewas more worried about the curse still being around than he was happy to be breathing.
“You didn’t fail,” I assure him. “You died momentarily, but then Barfred brought you back with some CPR.”
“Good,” he mumbles. “That’s really good, baby.”
Julian blinks lazily, clearly exhausted. But I’m not done with him yet.
“I’m very angry with you.” I let my fingers drag through the water until they reach his chest, where I rest them lightly.
Julian grins. “And why is that?”
“Because you did something stupid,” I say, as if it’s obvious.
“But it cured you,” he counters.
“I’d rather be cursed than you be dead.”
“And I’d rather be dead than you be in danger.”
We are at a standstill, neither of us willing to budge. I’m glaring at him, and he’s looking at me as if I’m the most precious thing in the world.
“Stop being mad at me,” he pleads softly. “Let me be happy that I get to love you now.”
My heart shatters. Julian looks so peaceful here, right next to me and having broken my curse, and all he wants is to be happy together.
I can give him that.
“Okay,” I whisper, leaning over the water to kiss his lips. They’re still a bit cold. “I’m not mad.”
“Then get in here,” he demands, pulling at the buttons of my pajama shirt.
As I strip off my clothes and climb into the tub, I can’t stop giggling.
He’s alive.
“You jumped from thecliff?!”Jeremy shouts, slamming his hands onto the dinner table.
Barfred winces as he places our food in front of us, and my hand instinctively reaches out to squeeze Julian’s thigh.
