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“I… I think so.”
Dare’s breathing was quiet and steady, the wounds and bruises that had littered his skin were gone, leaving behind streaks of dried blood. I moved to the edge of the bed, tracing a smudged line with my finger.
I can’t believe I kissed him.
He was mine to kiss,mysoul bond, and I’d felt immediately territorial the moment I saw him. But he was also in no state to be making out with, and I should have realized that instantly. The past few days of worrying about him while we tried to track him down after the plane crash had clouded my judgment.
Wild rapped his knuckles against the wall to get my attention before tipping his chin at something out the narrow window. Riot walked around the bed to investigate. It was after midnight, but they both looked energized and raring to go, while I felt ready to go into hibernation.
“I’m guessing that’s Dare’s ride. Shall we head down and say hello?” Riot asked Wild, a mildly threatening note in his voice.
“Be nice,” I reminded them both as Wild nodded, crossing his arms over his chest, biceps straining against the too-small cotton shirt he was wearing. “That might be Dare’s friend.”
“I’mDare’s friend,” Riot replied a little petulantly. Bullet and I discreetly exchanged amused looks. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one possessive over Dare.
“You should rest with him,” Riot continued, sidling up next to me and gently guiding me onto the bed. “Philotes daimons need physical touch, and I doubt he’s been getting enough. Besides, you’re exhausted.”
A brief thought that Ihopedhe hadn’t been drowning in physical touch flashed through my mind before I suppressed it, disgusted with myself for my selfishness. I immediately laid down next to my unconscious fourth mate, resting my head on the bicep of his outstretched arm but leaving a couple of inches of space between our bodies, not wanting to overstep when we’djustmet.
“I’m sure after he sleeps it off a little, he’ll be okay,” Bullet said reassuringly as Riot and Wild silently left the room. I looked back at him, noting not for the first time how incredibly exhausted he seemed. He’d always been pale, but his skin had taken on a grayish pallor, his usually sparkling purple eyes were duller than usual, and the dark circles beneath them were beginning to look like bruises.
“You need to sleep too,” I replied softly, patting the bed next to me. Bullet glanced guiltily at Dare, but I felt his resolve crumble in real-time through the bond.
He climbed up behind me, shuffling slightly lower on the mattress so his head didn’t brush Dare’s outstretched arm, before burying his face between my shoulder blades. The past couple of days had been fraught—Riot and I had been so consumed in our worry for Dare that I’d neglected Bullet and Wild a little. Not to mention the tension between Riot and Bullet that Ireallyhoped they’d resolve now that Dare was here.
Bullet was relieved too—I could feel his gratitude and affection pouring through the bond.
“I love you too,” I whispered, hearing the silent words through his emotions. We were all here, we were all together. It hadn’t been an easy journey to get to this point, but we’d made it.
Growing into our new dynamics would take time and patience, but I was determined to see it through. Determined that now we were all together, nothing would tear us apart.
This place is beautiful, I thought to myself, glancing around the blooming garden I was standing in. The white pergola above me provided shade from the blisteringly bright sunshine, lush purple wisteria hanging over the edges slightly obscuring the view.
This was a new dreamscape scene. Bullet had been busy.
“Bullet? Where are you?”
“Right here, Amazing Grace.” He appeared in front of me out of nowhere, and I jumped, clutching my hand to my chest. “I didn’t mean to scare you—I was seeing if Mercy was asleep. I thought you’d like to check on her.”
“Is she?” I asked, not letting myself get my hopes up.
Bullet grimaced, shaking his head. “Either she doesn’t sleep a lot, or she’s medicating. She is Dare-level difficult to track down in the dreamscape.”
“I guess there’d be no use visiting Dice’s dreams, I doubt he knows anything about where Mercy is,” I sighed, unnecessarily smoothing down the pale blue sundress I was wearing.
“Probably not,” Bullet agreed, cocking his head to the side. He looked so much healthier here—like he had when I’d met him. And he was dressed in dark gray slacks and a matching waistcoat, with a cream shirt underneath, sleeves rolled up to the elbows. The elegant, dressy style he’d favored before we were snatched away to the underworld and spat out on a whole different continent with nothing to our names.
Seeing Bullet here and healthy made the contrast between awake and asleep that much starker.
“I wonder…” Bullet mused, grabbing my hips and pulling me against him, drumming absently over my waist. “Want to go exploring, Amazing Grace? It might not lead anywhere, but by the sounds of it, Mercy is at some kind of agathos settlement and I wouldn’t be able to get in their heads even if Ididknow them. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to boot you out of the dreamscape when I feel Dare wake up.”
I went up on my tiptoes to brush a soft kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you.” Bullet winked. There was a pang in my chest at his easy demeanor, the clear weight off his shoulders at being in this realm versus the discomfort he was carrying around in the real world.
“Don’t look at me like that, Amazing Grace,” Bullet whispered, pulling me against his body and burying his face in the crook of my neck. “I know I’m being selfish, and I know you can’t lie, but can you try to give me your smiles? I want to memorize every single one.”
Before I could respond—or worse, cry—the dreamscape was dissolving around us, and I held on tight to Bullet as he carried me wherever we were going, forcing my emotions down so I could focus on the task at hand.
