Chapter 7
Soul
Caiden was acting odd. Then again, I could still see the soft glisten on his neck where I’d licked his skin… so maybe he wasn’t the only one. I couldn’t bring myself to stop, though. I was here; I was defying orders and trapped in a body that was making me feel all these…
Strange cravings.
The only thing I could do was stare at the little line that trailed from his chest to mine and follow the instincts that told me—no, that demanded—I stay close to him.
Close enough I could hear his heartbeat.
Close enough that the soft scent of flowers that seemed to follow him wherever he went soothed the confusion and fear trying to rear its head whenever I had a second to think.
I was right outside the door when he slid into the bathroom and pretended to be human.
I could have told him he wasn’t mortal anymore—he didn’t sweat or need to eat.
It still seemed to make him happy to shower, and the way he smiled when he finally came out in the same clothes but with damp hair made my stomach feel…
odd. As soon as he reappeared, I took his fingers in mine again.
Nothing was the way it should be, but somehow, as long as I was holding his hand, it seemed like it might actually be all right.
“I guess we should sleep,” he said. “Uh, do you sleep?”
I shook my head. “No, but I can guard the room while you do.” The soft laugh that escaped him was confusing, but he just waved me off as he stepped into the biggest of the rooms he’d poked his head into. He was still laughing as he ran his fingers along the comforter. “What?”
“Guard… like a dog.”
“I’m not…” Confusion poured through me. “I don’t understand why that’s funny.”
Caiden shook his head, still laughing, and then pulled at his hand. I tightened my grip without thinking, and his eyes widened.
“Listen, puppy. I kind of need my hand if I’m going to sleep.”
He could sleep with me holding his hand. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that when I realized maybe it was a little unreasonable. Still, I was reluctant when I pulled my arms back, crossing them over my chest.
Caiden stood there for a second, watching me curiously. “You’re really going to just… stand over me all night and play guard dog?”
Play? I shook my head. “I don’t play at things like that. I’m a very good guard.” When that grin spread across his face again, I broke. “What?” I probably said it a little louder than necessary.
It didn’t stop him from leaning forward and gently patting my chest. “I’m sure you are a very good boy, Soul.”
“I…” I knew he wasn’t serious, but something about him saying that made my chest feel warm. That warmth was enough to make the line drifting between us spark in little pops of red and blue that felt like they were tingling my nerves. “I’ll be over here. Guarding.”
Even the few steps I took to cross the room were hard. I’d never been around a soul that I physically didn’t want to be away from. This wasn’t exactly part of the job, but I’d realized the second I took off my collar that this wasn’t just a job.
It wasn’t a hunt.
When Caiden grinned again and got onto the bed, my stomach tightened. I forced myself to sit in the chair in the corner before I did something ridiculous… like climb in beside him so I could take his hand in mine again while he slept.
Hours later, the sound of low groans coming from the bed caught my attention.
I’d been half dozing in the chair, but Caiden’s voice coming out in pained little whimpers had me moving before I had a chance to think about why I was doing it.
He jerked as soon as I reached for him, fingers catching my wrist and dragging my hand down to his chest before he’d even opened his eyes.
Beneath my palm, his heart was thundering—a violent pulse that felt almost painful, a terrified thumping that seemed like it was trying to tear itself from his chest, to escape whatever it was that had made him make those sounds.
“Caiden?” It was just a whisper, barely audible, but those blue eyes flashed in the darkness as soon as I spoke, seeking me out.
“I’m cold,” he whispered, the truth of the words accented with chattering teeth. “I… after I died, I didn’t think I’d ever feel this way again. When I was sick, everything was cold all the time… I’m not alive, so why…”
Was that what he’d been dreaming about? His life before he’d died? When he’d been ill?
I moved without thinking, crawling into the bed beside him.
The soft sound that spilled from him when I picked his small frame up and draped him over my chest was only a little offended, and it was quickly replaced by a sigh of relief when I dragged the blanket over both of us and wrapped my arms around his back.
“What are you doing?” He drew back to look at me, and I cocked my head to the side.
“You’re cold,” I answered, unsure of how he’d already forgotten what he’d just told me. “Are you cold now?”
The silence that stretched between us seemed to last for longer than the few soft breaths he took before he finally answered.
“No. Not anymore.”
“Then what I’m doing should be obvious,” I muttered, wriggling my shoulders into the soft mattress beneath me to get comfortable.
If I could have turned back into my hound form, I would have curled around him, and he wouldn’t need the thin blanket draped over us both.
This would have to work for now. That silence stretched for another few breaths as he slowly settled, the tension in his body melting away as he relaxed against my chest.
“I didn’t know I could still get cold like that,” he finally whispered, though I noticed he wasn’t looking up at me when he spoke.
“I spent a long time feeling a lot of things I didn’t want to.
After I died, I barely felt anything.” When he finally stole a look at me, it was through the soft strands of his hair, and the shine of those blue eyes caught in moonlight made my heartbeat pick up. “Not until I touched you. Why is that?”
He was asking questions I couldn’t possibly answer.
“I’m just Death’s dog… I don’t know how little flowers like you tick.” Even as I said it, my arms around him tightened, and he shuddered once before completely settling against me.
He didn’t speak again until his breathing had evened out, until the rapidfire beat of his heart finally matched my own. “Really? Little flower?”
Hm, he’d caught that. I had the grace to shrug. “Seems to fit. You’re all soft and blue, and you smell sweet.”
I didn’t think I imagined the feel of his lips turning up against the curve of my shoulder, and I found my lashes fluttering shut.
Soul hounds didn’t dream, we didn’t sleep…
but in that moment, I kind of wished I could so I could imagine what Caiden looked like when he smiled because I told him he smelled sweet.