Chapter 48
CALISTA
Even after I clean him up, Christopher takes up most of my mattress.
Sprawled out like the world’s largest bed hog, by the time I’m crawling in beside him there’s barely any space left.
At least, that’s what I tell myself when I return to the warm cavern between his arms.
The wet wipes I used to clean up his body and rouse him enough to pour water down his throat now lie discarded on the ground. His stitches didn’t hold up as well as the rest of him, but that’s a problem for tomorrow.
“Goodnight, Devil.”
Tracing the high arch of his brows, I whisper the words against his lips. Listen to him breathe as the clock ticks on the nightstand nearby, the hourglass that got glued to the table a long time ago.
I hear the click of nails and the gentle nudge into my back. The soft press of a wet nose, Ronan’s presence reminding me of our nightly tradition.
A tradition that feels lost to the tragedy of tomorrow.
“I’ll keep watch tonight. Get some sleep.”
He huffs quietly and nudges me again.
“You know the rules.”
Another huff.
“Ronan, baby. Back to bed.”
When he doesn’t move, I sigh, rolling over to face my accuser.
“No men in my bed was a general term. You can’t take it personally.”
He looks away, snout poised high in the air.
“Come on. Don’t be like that.”
Ronan huffs again, his accusation just as loud as it was the first time around.
“You men are always so needy.” Grumbling to myself, I give him a warning look, “Fine. But just this once, okay?”
He ignores the question and jumps up on the bed.
Ronan settles himself down beside me, nuzzling my chin gently as he tucks his neck under my arm. Lies his massive head on my chest and cushions me from the world just as he’s done countless times before.
Trapped between two animals, the one covered in ink protects my back while the one covered in fur protects my front. It’s a circle of love and affection, warmth spilling from each beating heart until I feel flushed, overwhelmed by the heat that engulfs me.
Both of my boys fall asleep beside me, the two bright lights on my dark and twisted road. I watch over them as the night drifts by, refusing to close my eyes in case I lose a single second of this moment.
Sunlight creeps through the curtains just as my eyelids start to drift lower. A beam of sunshine that creeps along my bed, casting an ethereal glow on the peaceful breaths rising and falling from each scarred chest.
In and out.