“It depends who you’re asking,” he answers truthfully, and I like it.
A yawn parts my lips as my eyelids grow heavy. If what Dr. Holland was saying about emotional spikes is true, then the crash is hitting me full force.
“Lay with me.”
It’s not a question as my eyes meet his, and he doesn’t take it as one, immediately reaching for the sheets and slipping in beside me without pause.
He drapes his arm out for me, and I roll onto my side, nestling against him with my eyes closed as if we’ve done it a thousand times.
My face tingles as a smile ghosts my lips at the press of his lips against my temple.
Warm, safe, and calm, I let the darkness take me.
4
IVY
Burying my face into the firm body pressed against mine, I bite back a groan as the familiar scent of leather and vanilla envelops me.
As the tendrils of sleep disappear, I become more aware of my surroundings, with a hazy recollection of what happened before I fell asleep.
Amnesia.
Fated mates.
Phoenix.
Hugo.
Despite the distress that threatens to reignite, the arm wrapped around my shoulders holds me tighter, blessing me with an air of quietness and calm. My yearning for more obliterates the tension threatening to creep in, and I pry my eyes open, wanting to see the man in person.
He fills my vision, as handsome as I remember from just before I passed out with exhaustion. I don’t remember my fated mates or mating ceremony at all, and it leaves a pang in my chest. Hopefully it comes back to me sooner rather than later.
His eyelids are closed, his dark hair sticking up in every direction, but I know he’s not asleep from the way his fingersstroke idly down my arm. Instead of making a point of it, I bask in the silence for a little longer, soaking up his energy as I dare to look around the room.
I’m still in the same room at the Medical Center. Archer lies beside me, but the other three guys who are apparently also my fated mates are sprawled out in cushioned seats around the room. Mr. Man Bun has the spot by the door, his legs extended far enough to be triggered if someone opens it. Beside him sleeps the guy with the cropped hair. Awake, his features make him appear observant; asleep, he looks brooding and mysterious with his arms folded over his chest. Finally, I glance at the blond. There’s a bandage wrapped around his arm and an air of sadness knitting his brows together, even as he sleeps.
A flash of red from the side table by my bed confirms Ember is still here, and the darkness peering in through the window confirms it’s the middle of the night. It’s just Hugo I can’t locate, but my gut tells me he’s not too far away. I purse my lips, considering whether to get up and find him or not, but my bed buddy must sense my indecision because his eyes ping open a moment later.
“You’re supposed to be resting, Angel,” he breathes, adjusting us so we’re both lying on our sides, staring deep into one another’s eyes.
I blush under his attention. “I was just worrying about Hugo,” I admit, and he nods, lifting his hand to my cheek as he smiles.
“He’s around here somewhere. We all know he won’t go far while you’re still admitted.” I search his eyes. For what? I’m not sure, but it leaves him curious too. “What are you thinking about?”
I shrug. “You don’t want to know what’s going on in here,” I admit, tapping my temple as my chest tightens, and he pulls me in closer.
Our noses brush as his hand drops to my waist, his fingers flexing against my side, making me shiver in his hold. Instinctively, my fingers reach for his hair, running through the soft ends, and he groans.
“If you’re trying to distract me, it’s working,” he rasps, and I snicker, clamping my free hand over my mouth as I continue to tease the ends of his hair.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I tease, but my lips don’t lift at the corners as I hope, and he reads me like a book as his hand turns icy at my side. I gape at him, but before I can ask, he answers.
“Angel, I’m a Fire Protector too. I can tell when someone is lying or not. Hot for a truth. Ice for a lie.”
It takes a second for his words to settle over me, but I understand. “That’s a pretty awesome ability,” I admit, and he nods.
“Thanks, but my ego is big enough. I’ll take the compliment, but I’d rather take your truth instead,” he insists, and I sigh, recalling the madness that ensued before I passed out earlier.
