Page 65 of Nightshade

Aleks nodded at that, and the breath I’d been holding went out of me with a whoosh.

Perfect. No alpha heads butting, and I could get the information we needed. Information that might save all our lives.

CHAPTER 34

Altair

As much as I hadn’t wanted to move down by the river, or how I’d grumbled and griped when Leo had cleaned my muddy feet, I didn’t mind being in bed once he’d gotten me there. All day long, I was bundled up in his thick golden blanket, warm and surrounded by the scent of him, even when he was out.

I certainly couldn’t keep him in bed all day, even if I liked the thought of it.

That was the very same impulse that made me want to stop time, though. It wasn’t about facing what came next, but preserving something precious that I didn’t think I’d get to keep.

Could I?

I wanted to. Yes, maybe I’d been locked away for a long time and would benefit from getting to know the world a little better before deciding what I wanted to do with my time in it, but I’d been alive long enough to know it wasn’t that simple and—and some things were worth taking the risk on.

I’d been on my own in the Americas for decades, searching for a better life. I’d never really felt like I’d found anything worth keeping until Leo.

Maybe I didn’t fit here, but if I made him feel even a little bit more like he did for me, that was worth staying.

I spent the day stretched out in the nest of his bed, yes, wishing he were there too but happy that I got to stay. Once evening fell, he knocked on the door—obvious it was him from how soft and considerate he approached it.

“Come in.”

He slipped inside, his lips curled a little higher on the left side. “Sleep okay?”

I stretched, grinning. “Wonderfully, actually. You don’t have to knock, you know. It’s your room.”

He shook his head. “It’s yours while you’re with us or . . . for as long as you want.”

His gaze darted toward the far side of the bed. Was he nervous?

No sense in that.

“Or we could share it. I’d rather be with you if you don’t mind the company.”

His eyes widened and he blinked at me. “You don’t . . . want a space of your own?”

“When the alternative is having you here with me?” I shook my head. “I’d prefer you stayed.”

“Oh . . . ” Leo’s cheeks went a lovely shade of pink and he smiled. “Then I’ll stay.”

Simple as that. I didn’t have to make any promises or offer him anything specific. He wasn’t looking for that. I’d never had to ingratiate myself to him, not really.

He was just there. He accepted me as I was.

He had from the beginning.

I held out my arm, lifting the blanket to let in the cooler air beyond the edge, knowing all the while that if he joined me, he’d share more of his warmth than what I risked by inviting him close.

“Come here,” I said.

His grin widened. He kicked off his shoes and slipped into bed with me.

His broad shoulders formed an enormous wall, protecting me from the outside world. I sighed, stretching up to kiss him.

It started slow and easy, just the movement of our lips against each other. The feeling that settled over me was warmer than any blanket, and it sparked a flickering need I hadn’t meant to ignite.