Page 207 of Stormbreaker

“Fuck, you never talked to lover boy like this. Can’t a man die in peace?”

He’s right. I never really fought back against Knox, did I? I learned the lesson from my father never to resist, and I carried that with me until this very moment.

It’s like a light suddenly comes on, bright and clear.

“Knox was never worth fighting for,” I say, and Rook looks over, blinking at me. He reaches out, takes my hand.

“Thanks for sewing me up.”

“Anytime,” I say.

“And I’m not dying. There is no fucking way I’m going down because of that asshole.”

I snort out another laugh, and then his pale face breaks into a smile.

“I don’t think I can get up, though.”

“You need some rest.” I look up, noticing nothing around us. Just sparse trees and dead grass. “Are we safe here?”

“Probably for a little while.”

I nod and clean up the first aid supplies before finding some crackers and water in one of our bags. I share them with Rook, and I think he might be looking a little better despite the amateur job I did on his stitches. It’s the first time since I noticed the blood on his shirt that I allow myself to breathe.

“Lie with me,” he says, lifting his arm. “You must be cold.”

I shuffle toward him and lay my head on his shoulder as he pulls me against his unwounded side. He presses his nose into my hair and inhales deeply.

“I can’t believe we did all that,” I say. “Why did you carry me out? You could have just left me there.”

He scoffs. “I would never have left you.”

“But I’m nothing but trouble.”

I feel the rattle of his chest as he laughs softly. “Poet Graves, you are the best kind of trouble I’ve ever found in my life.”

Then I feel his breathing slow as his eyes drift shut. I lift my head to find him asleep, his dark lashes forming shadows across his cheekbones. I study the map of freckles bridging his nose.

Softly, I kiss him on the lips.

I’m still furious with him. He still has things to tell me, but I also don’t think I could go on if he died.

After another moment, I lay my head back down and snuggle into him.

I stare at the sky. At the clouds and the stars, and I wonder what comes next. I think of the stories Rook shared with me in our cozy little room. Any place that has books can’t be that scary. Right? Especially if we’re doing this together.

With a smile on my face, I fall asleep, too.

73

The sound of a click drags me from sleep. My eyes open. The sky is just beginning to lighten, suggesting only an hour or two has passed.

It takes me a moment to realize something is pointed at my face.

Something long, round, and metallic.

I feel Rook shift beneath me, and we slowly sit up.

The sight before me leaves me speechless.