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It was a terrible and beautiful lesson to learn.
Wild’s surprise at the two of us pouncing on him morphed into pleasure, tinged with an indulgent kind of amusement. As though we were two fluffy bunnies trying to take down a giant grizzly bear, and he was just humoring us by letting us even think we stood a chance.
He pulled back with an arrogant smirk that had butterflies launching into flight in my stomach.
‘You two need to eat, clean up,’ he signed, plucking at the bloodstain on Bullet’s shirt.
“You’re no fun,” Bullet replied, almost pouting for a moment before shooting me a dazzling smile. “He’s right, though. I can feel how hungry you are, Amazing Grace. And as much as I’d love to hole up in here and try all the things I thought I might never have the chance to do…”
Wild exhaled heavily, his desire a heavy, syrupy sort of sensation, snaking through the bond.
“As much as I want that,” Bullet continued. “I think Riot might need a little extra reassurance right now, and I know Grace wants to make things official with a certain soul bond.”
I blushed, reluctantly disentangling myself from the two of them. I did want to cement the bond with Dare, I never wanted him to wonder whether or not he belonged, and how I felt about him. And while it wasn’t perhaps the most romantic reason,notsealing the bond weakened both of us, and we couldn’t afford to be weak right now.
“Are you two coming out?”
“We’ll be right behind you,” Bullet said, flopping an arm across his eyes and reclining in Wild’s lap. “I need five more minutes before I try standing up. I don’t think I have sea legs.”
I could relate to that. I gripped the cabin door as I climbed out of the sleeping area, into the main living area where Riot was moving around the small kitchen, body taut with tension.
“Here,” Riot said, guiding me to sit at the bench seat. “I heated some water for you to wash with. The shower is functional but we should really save the gas for cooking, so it’s all sponge bathes from here on out, unfortunately. I’m heating up a second pot for you now.”
“I’m not complaining, I’m grateful we have anything. Thank you for heating it up for me,” I replied sincerely as he set a basin and cloth down in front of me. We were probably better off than most to be on a boat right now, relatively self-sufficient compared to what we’d be dealing with on land after Gaia’s tantrum. There was a small bathroom, and I planned on taking the second pot in there to try to scrub the salt off the rest of my body.
“Where’s Dare?” My hands shook from hunger and exhaustion as I picked up the cloth, and Riot quickly plucked it from my fingers, sitting on the bench next to me and dipping it in the water.
“Helping Arsène. Some people tried to board the boat. Desperate times, desperate measures, that sort of thing. We managed to shake them, but there’ll be more.” Riot grimaced. “I need to get back out there, but I can’t bring myself to leave you alone just yet.”
He was angry about it too. Notatme, but at the whole situation, at how out of his control it all felt.
“Don’t be mad,” I whispered, hating the tight set of his jaw and turbulent emotions I sensed through the bond. “Riot, look at me.”
Despite how stormy his gaze was, his hands were gentle as he gripped my chin and dragged the damp cloth over my skin. “I can’t even explain to you what that moment felt like, Gracie. Ifeltthe bond stretch tight like it was going to snap. I’ve never been so afraid in my fuckinglife.”
I swallowed thickly, my throat dry and aching. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I knew I could get back; you and Wild guided me home.”
Riot grunted, suddenly very interested in working the cloth over my neck. I could sense he needed the distraction, so I didn’t protest, tipping my head back to give him more room.
“The worst part is I know you’d do it again,” Riot grumbled. “You’d follow Bullet into the depths of the underworld if you thought there was even a slim chance you could bring him back.”
“Don’t for one second think I wouldn’t do the same for you, Riot,” I replied instantly, my voice harsher and not as comforting as I’d intended it to be. Now that I knew I could use the bond that way, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” Riot sighed, patting me dry with a clean towel before moving down my body, leaving my bloodstained hands for last. “But I guess I’d be a hypocrite to argue, because there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to keep you. The Fates themselves couldn’t keep me away, Gracie. Just don’t leave us behind, okay? We can’t function without you. If you follow Bullet into the underworld, you can expect to have the three of us right on your heels.”
I leaned forward, stealing a kiss from his lips, hoping it never came to that. Hoping that when it was our time, we all went together.
Chapter 14
Itfeltshittytobe grateful for silence when Wild physically couldn’t speak, but I’d nearly died, so I figured I could be a shitty person for a few minutes at least.
Without Grace right in front of me to act happy for, it was easier to let the intrusive thoughts take over. The privacy was an illusion, of course. Grace could feel whatever I was feeling through the bond with even more clarity than before, if the sensations in my chest were anything to go by. Where there had been a thread between us, there was just… each other. Like a second heartbeat, right next to my own.
I’d love it if I wasn’t fuckingpanickingabout what it meant for Grace.
Wild stroked my hair, his head tipped back against the wall, eyes closed. He was very obviously giving me time to work through my feelings about not dying in peace, and I appreciated him immensely for it. I was low key impressed he wasn’t full-on Keres hulking out, which was why Idefinitelywasn’t about to tell him that Thanatos had shown up to carry my soul to the banks of the River Styx. That might stress him out a little when he was doing so well. When the God of Death shows up, you know shit is getting real.
The problem was, I’d been ready for him.
