Chapter 37 Xeni #2
“How long until sunrise?” I ask.
“An hour,” Sovran responds, then busies himself with covering the manhole.
I go over to the boarded-up windows and investigate, peeking through a tiny crack. “Where does this take us?”
“Close to where your culvert would’ve dropped you. Half a mile or so along the eastern wall.” He turns to look at us, assessing Bash for a long moment before fixing his gaze on me.
“I will accompany you to a camp twenty miles from here,” he says. “They are friendly.”
“Why are you helping us?” I demand.
His gaze drops to the ground in the first display of true vulnerability he’s shown. Unsure of the answer, or just doesn’t want to share.
Finally, he sighs and gestures between me and Bash. “I’ve helped many mates hide from those who hunt them.”
“Why?” I ask a second time, with more demand behind the question.
His eyes bore into mine. “Because this world needs to heal. Those in charge don’t deserve the power they have been granted, and these mates should be able to love one another out loud. Dark dungeons and hidden corners are no place for a connection so pure. It was never meant to be this way!”
We all stare as he raises his voice, and I swear, the same gold that burns from his eyes shines from underneath his shirt as well before it dims along with his sagging shoulders.
“You believe in the prophecy, then?” Bash asks, keeping his tone cautious despite his curiosity.
Sovran stares at the floor before he sighs and lifts his head once more. “We have to believe in something, or we end up believing in nothing at all.”
The dash from the garage to the cluster of trees in the distance is surprisingly uneventful, though we run with varying degrees of gracefulness. My powers have stolen my energy, leaving me sluggish and clumsier than normal, but Bash stays steady by my side.
Sakane is light on his feet, moving with effortless ease, while Ego wheezes and complains the whole time. Cato glides like a fucking swan despite being a giant oaf, though he seems jealous when he can’t keep up with Sovran’s long, powerful strides.
Daylight is breaking when we weave into the trees, the first rays of sun filtering through the canopy in golden streaks. I put my hands on my knees and pant, sucking in great lungfuls of air as I catch my breath.
“Here, take a drink,” Bash says as he slings his backpack to the ground and passes me a water bottle.
I nod my thanks as I drink, watching the others as they do the same.
Cato’s face has flushed so deeply his freckles are almost hidden, and he catches my smirk.
“Oh, like you look any better,” he snaps.
Bash’s eyes whip to him in question for the outburst, then he glances between us before he sighs and drops to the ground cross-legged.
“Are you antagonizing?” he asks me.
I scoff. “All I did was look at him!”
Cato waves an irritable hand towards me. “It was your judgy face!”
“This is the only face I have,” I argue.
“Unfortunately for the rest of us,” Cato mutters.
Bash grabs my hand and tugs, stealing my attention before I can respond. I let him pull me down, and he grunts as I land in his lap.
“You know you’re a big guy, right?” he asks, his breath strained. “You act like a lapdog, but you are not small, princess.”
I twist to face him and toss him a wink. “Aw, don’t worry. You handle how big I am just fine, darling.”
Cato retches in the background. I chuckle and move to shift onto the ground, but Bash wraps his arms around my waist and holds me there.
“Stay,” he whispers.
A rush of potent emotion hits me as I lean back on him, twisting to lie on his shoulder. “That’s all I ever wanted.”
He presses a kiss to my temple as the others mill about, hydrating and snacking as we take in our surroundings. Sovran perches at the treeline, keeping tabs on the happenings around the wall.
“What’s the plan from here?” I yell over to him.
“I’ll keep watch,” Sovran answers, sparing me a glance over his shoulder. “You are all exhausted and need rest after last night. This close to the city, it is safer to travel in the dark.”
I glance at the rising sun and doubt my ability to sleep in daylight, but the air is cool as it blows over my skin. My head nods forward on its own, too heavy to hold up, and a yawn stretches my mouth wide.
“Come on, let’s find somewhere to lie down,” Bash says, guiding me deeper into the trees.
Options are limited here, but we find a flat area and curl up together. Bash lies on his back with his pack under his neck, and I snuggle in to rest my head on his shoulder, careful not to hit him with my horns.
After so much noise, the world is quiet out here. Even my breath roars in my ears, and despite my exhaustion, my mind spins.
“Your thoughts are very loud,” Bash murmurs.
I tilt my face up towards his. “It’s weird being out here, isn’t it?”
He opens one hazel eye to look at me. “What do you mean?”
“We were always locked up together,” I explain. “At Ljómur, our life was behind those walls… inside that tiny apartment. A living room, that ridiculously small kitchen, a bathroom, and a bedroom. That was all we had. Our entire world was four rooms.”
“It was enough,” he whispers as he tugs me closer, mindlessly running his fingertips over my ear. “You know that, don’t you? That it would’ve been enough for me?”
I nod, my cheek rubbing against his shirt.
“We were isolated in that world together, and then you were gone, and it felt so much bigger without you there. There were so many times I’d look for you in the reading chair or reach for you in the bed.
Everything was suddenly too big. The couch, the table… even the shower.”
I get quiet for a moment as he silently traces patterns over my skin.
“I would’ve given anything to keep you,” I whisper.
He presses another grazing kiss to the top of my head. “I would’ve given anything to stay… but now I understand why I couldn’t.”
“He would never have stopped hunting for you,” I say.
“When I found out you were in Atlanta, I was terrified he’d see you and somehow recognize you.
That he’d know. After everything they did to me, I couldn’t be sure if my mark would’ve told me.
Every morning, I woke up frozen with the fear you’d be caught and taken from me for good. ”
“He didn’t find out, though,” he says as his chest rises in a deep breath. “And now the world is as big as we want it to be.”
“My house in the village is just as small as our apartment. I didn’t want more of those empty spaces.”
“We’ll fill them,” he promises, tilting my chin up so he can press a kiss on my lips. “And it’ll be enough.”