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“Minus the last part and you’re right on.”
The way he pouted his swollen lips had me in another giggle fit.
“Yup. I lost a screw or two in the crossfire," I concluded, and it was Saint’s turn to chuckle before claiming my lips for a sweet, quick kiss.
“You didn’t lose anything,” he assured me. “I made sure of that when giving you a hint of a boost after balancing your energy a bit. We were advised you’d feel a bit wonky with everything that happened,” he explained. “I did mean what I said earlier.”
“About being with you?”
“No,” he admitted with a slight smirk. “You’re overwhelmed with the fact that you’re alive, and our frisky experience emphasized that. At least, that’s what I felt in that brief moment of being you.”
“Hmm. Intriguing,” I whispered and felt the urge to hug him - which I did.
Though the sensation was weak in comparison to when we’d climaxed, I caught onto the hint of worry and confusion that oozed off him.
“Willow,” he began, “what’s wrong?”
“I just want a hug,” I whispered into his shoulder. I was sure my sudden need for intimacy after such a spike of pleasure was odd to him, but then again, everything felt weird right now.
I wasn’t going to be apologetic about it, and I didn’t think Saint wanted me to be either. He hugged me back, our bodies buzzing with alleviation.
“Whatever our Willow wants,” Saint whispered.
Time passed and I may have drifted off at some point, but when my consciousness returned, Saint was climbing back into my bed with his clothes on. I briefly caught a glimpse of his white t-shirt and black joggers, but my eyes came to a close as I immediately snuggled against his frame after he settled into the bed.
“Willow?”
“Hmmm,” I replied and further relaxed. There was just something about Saint that really gave off a protective curtain that eased the vault of fears and worries that fought to come out and play.
His presence was one I was grateful for because it gave me time to truly rest my mind.My body? Not so much, but I’d totally do that all over again if the opportunity arose.
“How are you feeling?” Saint quietly asked.
“Drained,” I admitted after a few seconds. “My brain feels sluggish. Like my responses.”
“That’s okay,” he once again assured me. “Your body endured a lot. Sluggish responses are better than being in a coma. We were worried for a hot minute.”
“You were?” Now I was confused. “What happened? Actually…where are we?”
“We’re still on the mountain,” he revealed. “Mount Marcy. After we were congratulated and you met your mom, you literally passed out.”
“Oh fuck,” I cursed. “Really? That sounds so embarrassing.” It really did. After all this time, I’d finally gotten the chance to not only face my mother, my real biological mother, but I was literally inches away from discovering more about my life in general.
All these trials, the torture, the constant ridicule from all angles, I wanted to hear the truth of why I experienced all of this and what she meant by me gathering the Endangered Seven.
There were plenty more questions to ask, like why they were here on this particular mountain as if they knew I’d be dropped onto this snowy oasis, and I wanted to know more about this magic part of me I’d somehow unlocked.
Then there would be questions that I wasn’t sure she’d be able to answer. Like what the Vile Queen was after or whether Roberto’s coma was on purpose or really instigated so one of the pack members -particularly Felicia and whomever else she’s working with -could rise into the Alpha role of the pack in his absence.
“That’s not embarrassing, Willow,” Saint reasoned, and his seriousness was enough to prompt my eyes to open to look up at him.
“Saint?”
“You could have died again, Willow,” he stressed, and his eyes clouded over as if he were witnessing it before his eyes. “Since the gym confrontation, every attack that hit you was meant to kill you, to wipe you off the earth and leave no instances for you to discover and return through. There’s only so much anybody can take. Mundane, shifter, even gods and goddesses have their limitations, Willow.”
He seemed to debate whether he should say what happened next, but he ended up continuing, “You passed out because you went into shock. It was like your body finally caught up to everything you experienced in those few short hours and whiplashed you in defiance. It took Milo, Viktor, Ruby, and me to stabilize you.”
The immense fear in his eyes was obvious now, and my heart clenched in empathy as I pressed myself against his body so he was reminded that I was right here and not the Willow in his memory.
