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EMILY
Ilet the fire out to give Griffin privacy. I knew his eyes could see in the dark. I, however, couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. I shifted and sat down on the ground, enjoying the coolness all around me. “Clothes are in the backpack. And water.”
Griffin shuffled closer and I felt him open the backpack and dig inside. There was more shuffling and then sudden light. I slapped my hand over my eyes and groaned. I’d packed two candles and a box of matches as well. Griffin sat in front of me with one of the candles between us and a moment later he lit the other. The flames wobbled in the darkness, and I immediately felt comforted. Griffin nudged my hand with a bottle of water, and I gulped it down. I glanced at him, he’d pulled the black jeans and shirt on, much to my disappointment.
“You look a bit better,” I said quietly. My eyes felt heavy but the water calmed the headache. I pulled out two protein bars, handed one to Griffin and ate mine in two bites.
“Yes, thanks to you. You shouldn’t have come, it's too dangerous. How did you even know where I was?” Griffin asked. I flinched at his tone. “I’m sorry… Thank you for saving me.”
“Feels nice for a change.” I sipped my water again. “I tracked your phone. And I heard your call for help. I actually dreamed it.”
Griffin shook his head. “You tracked my phone? I would be upset, but I’m relieved you did.” He leaned forward and tilted my head back. He tore a piece of fabric from his shirt and wet it with his water. He dabbed the material against my nose and my lip, wiping the blood away.
When he was done, I took the fabric from him, rinsed it and pulled his arm into my lap.
“I thought you were dead when I saw you hanging there. Even as a wolf you looked terrible. I didn’t know what to do.” I ran through the events from the last few hours and tears threatened to fall again. “You were covered in blood.”
I wiped the crusted blood from his arms and examined the hand that was clearly shattered. Purple still marred his skin, but it wasn’t broken anymore.
He flexed his hand and winced. “I’m sorry you had to see that. How did you get the healing potion in? I could taste it when I woke up.”
“You didn’t fight me on it. I think even as a werewolf you knew I wanted to help. I mean you snapped at me a few times and growled, but you didn’t bite me,” I said as I shifted between his legs and lifted his shirt to clean his other wound. Griffin didn’t move but groaned when his shoulder shifted. “What did Kellan use?” I asked and gently touched the wound.
Griffin gritted his teeth as green liquid and blood trickled from the hole. It wasn’t as bad as earlier, but it wasn’t healing completely. “Some sort of poison that slows the healing and hurts like a bitch.”
I poured water over the wound and wiped the it. I squeezed lightly and more of the poison leaked out. The sickly green liquid was replaced with deep red blood, and I hoped that meant the poison was completely out.
“I’m sorry. If I knew a healing spell, I’d use it.” I looked at him and my breath caught at how close he was. I could feel his breath as my hand stilled on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, I think I deserve some of the pain for being such a prick to you,” Griffin said, his voice quiet.
My gaze dipped to his lips which rose in a half smile. I cleared my throat, “You confuse me, you know that. One minute you’re cold and sarcastic, the next you’re sweet and, uhm, seductive.”
“Seductive?” He growled and goosebumps rose on my arms.
“You know what I mean.” I dropped my head as a blush warmed my cheeks. “What do you want?” It was meant to come out as a serious question, but the words were laced with a desire I barely recognized in my own voice.
“What do I want?” He whispered and a moment later he lifted my chin with a finger. He smiled arrogantly and his eyes traveled to my mouth. “What do you want, Princess?”
“Stop calling me pr—”
The words were cut off as Griffin lowered his lips to mine and heat coarse through me. The kiss was soft, barely a whisper, as if he were waiting for me to push him away. I smiled against his lips and placed a hand on his neck, pulling him closer. That was all he needed, and the soft, gentle kiss turned deeper.
Griffin pulled me closer so that my legs were on either side of him. His hands were in my hair and mine trailed to his bare chest. He parted my lips with his tongue and the kiss deepened. I wasn’t sure where he ended and I began. My mind was bursting with stars and I fought the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl.
Griffin broke the kiss for a moment and I moaned.
He caressed a thumb over my cheek and whispered, “Emily.” There was something in his voice, but I couldn’t think clearly enough to pin it down. It was strained, like he was on the edge of a cliff and contemplating whether he should step off or not. I’d never heard my name spoken with so much emotion—uncertain but also unwavering and filled with both desire and hesitation. I looked into his eyes. He was staring at me and something shifted in the bond. Griffin lowered his lips to mine again, but a loud crack outside made us both jump.
He put a finger to his lips. My heart was racing and I didn’t know if it was because of the kiss or because of the sound outside. Griffin stood up silently and peered up into the dark staircase. All sound disappeared from the room, and it was like time stood still. Griffin took one step up and I cursed under my breath. Neither of us would be able to make it through an attack right now. My head was still pounding and Griffin wasn’t strong enough yet. He took another step and I threw a pebble at him. He spun back and I shook my head. He lifted his finger to his lips again. I wanted to yell at him, but another snap pulled his attention back. I tried to put a ward on the ruin but pain lanced through my head as soon as I tried.
Griffin disappeared up the stairs and I counted my breaths. Panic kicked in and I stood as quietly as I could. I started walking to the stairs when footsteps made me pause. Seconds later, Griffin appeared, and I let out a breath. I straightened again when a second set of footsteps filled the room.
“Morgan?”
* * *
Morgan
