Page 181 of Dark Night of the Soul

I bit my lip to keep from smiling.

The room itself was simple and perfect. King size bed. White linens. French doors opening directly to the courtyard. A dresser. A reading chair. No sharp corners. No clutter. No feeling of being trapped. He’d need that. We both would.

They stopped. He sat up. They helped him off.

Kincade looked around once, jaw tight, eyes sharp even through the pain.

“This’ll do,” he said grudgingly.

That was the highest praise he gave anything. I’d take it.

I set the duffels down by the wall and stepped closer to the bed, resting a hand on the frame like I needed the contact to make it real.

Since Bagras. Since the server room. Since the blood and the alarms and the running, I thought… I could hide here forever. With him. With these impossible men who’d become something like family.

Even though I knew that wasn’t possible. Nothing ever was. But I’d take what I could get.

“It’ll have to do,” Ludwig said.

“We’ll be here a while,” Ulrich added.

And that was okay by me.

“I’m on first watch,” Ludwig said as he walked out the door.

“I’ve got breakfast.” Ulrich followed him, leaving us alone.

The moment he said breakfast, my stomach rumbled. I ignored it, though, and moved to the French doors to peer out.

“This is fantastic,” I said.

“Anna—”

“Look at this!” I flung them open.

“Anna—”

“Fresh air. Morning light.”

“Anna.”

“What?” I turned to face him. “Am I in trouble?”

“When are you not in trouble?”

“Valid,” I said.

He held a hand out to me. “Come here.”

I hesitated. He looked… annoyed and tired. I left the doors open and walked to the side of the bed. He took my hand.

“Sit.”

“You’re so bossy.” But I sat, gingerly, on the side of the bed.

It was big enough there was room for me.

His grip tightened—not hard. Then his gaze landed on the fading bruises at my throat. My instinct was to pull back, turn away. Everything slammed into place. I knew what he wanted to talk about. I didn’t want it, but I decided to get there first.