Page 103 of Lost

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re my soldier, not my housekeeper. There’s a silver cart just outside my door. Stick the dirty dishes out there. The minions will take care of them.” Then she hesitated, and her hand reached out, for a moment like she was going to touch his hair. “Before you pass out you might want to dry your hair more. Sleep on it like that and it’s going to stick up—”

“Like a duck’s butt,” he finished for her. “I know, I know. Zo used to tell me that all the time.”

“Yeah, well, it’s distractingly tousled and shaggy and even kinda…” Her words trailed off and she shook her head like she wanted to dislodge her last thought.

He couldn’t help it. He looked up into her gorgeous eyes and said, “Were you gonna say kinda sexy?”

“Must be almost dawn. You sound delirious.”

“Other Aphrodite likes me, you know,” he grinned cheekily.

“Other Aphrodite has issues. Lots of issues.”

“But excellent taste,” he said. “She would’ve done what you did today. She would’ve made sure Dragon and the rest of those people got away.”

“Goodnight, Kevin. Tomorrow we’ll figure out a more permanent rooming solution for you,” was all she said before she disappeared into her bedroom.

“Goodnight, Aphrodite,” he called through the closed door.

Kevin put the dishes outside the door on the silver cart that waited there, banked the fire, and made up his bed on the couch. Then, exhausted and feeling safe for the first time in his world since he’d been Marked, Kevin slept.

* * *

“Kevin, come on! You need to wake up!”

Kevin swam his way up from the depths of a deep, beautiful dream that had him back in Zo’s world laughing with her as he held Aphrodite’s hand and she accepted his proposal to be his mate.

“Huh? What? You will?!” he said sleepily, reaching for Aphrodite’s hand.

She actually let him take it, and then she pulled him to a sitting position.

“Wake! Up!”

Kevin blinked and rubbed a hand across his face. “I’m up. Sorta. What’s wrong?”

“There is a big black bird pecking at my window. I was going to throw something at it, but it said ‘Redbird Boy.’ Um, might I assume that’s you?”

“Yes! Is it still there? Let it in!” He’d taken off his shirt to sleep, so he hastily pulled it over his head and hurried after Aphrodite into her bedroom.

Aphrodite’s raised hand stopped him. “Stay there! My drapes are totally open and the sun is definitely up.”

Kevin only had a moment to pace back and forth, then the big raven flew into the sitting room, landing on the glass coffee table.

“Redbird Boy!”

“You found me! Good job. Okay, okay, I’ll read it.”

Aphrodite peered over Kevin’s shoulder. “What is that thing around his neck?”

“It holds notes.” Kevin pulled the leather thong over the bird’s head and opened the little tube, taking out the paper inside.

“Ohmygoddess! That’s how you warned the Resistance about the bales of hay.”

“Yep.”

“What’s the note say?”

He turned and looked up at her. “It’s Zoey! She’s here!”