Chapter 13 #2
She’d warmed up to Trey, and tolerated Griz and Sam, but she remained wary of other men.
“Trey’s stayin’ with Clarity,” Mac answered for me.
I liked it when he talked to the kids. His voice became so gentle.
“I’m watching the clinic tonight. That okay, Miss Apple?”
I couldn’t make out her expression in the dim light, but I imagined her pursing her little lips in disapproval. I smiled slightly, but I fell asleep again before I heard her answer.
—
It took another three weeks for the sickness to disappear.
I’d never been so relieved as I was after I healed the last person and no one else seemed to get sick.
Then I slept for two whole days, only waking to use the outhouse.
In the days that followed, I noticed a difference in how the people of the hold treated me.
More said hello, or they waved and smiled.
The attention prickled like needles, but a small part of me felt soft and light every time someone greeted me with genuine happiness.
I tried to squash that part of me down, but it persisted like a stubborn weed.
My strength returned slowly, much to my annoyance.
A couple of times, I passed out from standing up too fast, and I fell asleep anytime I sat.
Even though I wasn’t healing much, I had to take Violet on rounds, because the walk exhausted me.
I knew I didn’t have to keep checking in on people, but it made me feel better to see with my own eyes that no one was sick.
Zip didn’t come by the clinic, and while I knew that probably didn’t mean anything good, I didn’t go see him, either.
“Hey, Bones, come outside.”
I looked up from the exam chair, where I was attempting to catch up on my medical notes. Trey stood at the door, his eyes alight with excitement.
“I wanna show you something,” he said. I set my notes aside and nodded, but he paused, looking down at me. “Okay, close your eyes.”
“What?” I asked, deadpan.
“It’ll be worth it, I swear. We’re gonna get on Violet and I’ll tell you when we get there.”
I grumbled but closed my eyes, and Trey pulled me through the door.
The cold night air hit my face, but it wasn’t the painful cold of the past few weeks.
In the last couple of days, the weather had warmed up enough that most of the snow had melted, leaving a thin layer that crunched beneath my boots.
I heard Violet nicker at the sight of me, the sound comforting.
When we reached her, Trey placed my hands on her warm side to orient me.
“Ready?” he asked. “I’ll give you a boost.”
I let him lift my foot and place it on his knee and used him as a step to haul myself onto Vi’s back. The familiar move was easy to do, even with my eyes closed. He swung up behind me, his arms reaching around me for the reins.
“I might fall asleep,” I mumbled.
He laughed softly. “I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
It struck me that a couple of months ago I never would have trusted him like this.
Now I didn’t think twice. I’d passed out from healing so many times during this sickness, often waking up to Trey carrying me back, or sitting behind me on Violet so I didn’t fall off, or tucking me into my bed at the clinic.
He’d had so many opportunities to hurt me, and he hadn’t, even once.
And I could be confident about that because Apple watched him like a hawk when I was unconscious.
I leaned back into him, my head resting on his shoulder. His arms tightened on my waist, reassuring me he wouldn’t let me fall off. I melted into the soothing warmth of his body, keeping my eyes dutifully closed.
“Bones, we’re here. Look up.”
Trey still sat behind me on the horse. As I blinked at the surroundings, I realized we were on one of the smaller ridges outside the hold. My heart started beating faster. We were outside the walls.
“Bones, look up,” Trey repeated.
I lifted my eyes and my breath locked in my chest.
In the night sky, ribbons of green and purple lights were dancing.
I watched them move gracefully across the sky, mouth agape. Trey chuckled behind me, but I didn’t care. This was magic. It had to be.
“They’re called the Northern Lights,” Trey said.
“How?” I asked, my gaze never leaving the sky.
“Dunno,” he admitted. “I just know that’s what they’re called.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes, and I drank in the dancing lights like I couldn’t get enough of them. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Do you think it’s magic?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer for a moment. “You know, a few months ago I would’ve said no. But now that I met you, I think anything’s possible.”
My cheeks heated in a pleasant way. Everything about him felt warm and steady, from his chest against my back to his arms around my waist to his hands resting on top of my thighs.
As the lights began to fade from the sky, the emotion that welled in my chest threatened to drown me.
I couldn’t deny that my feelings for him were firmly rooted in my heart. I took a shaky breath.
“You okay?” Trey asked.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “I—thank you for showing me that.”
I could hear the smile in his voice. “You’re welcome. I thought you might like it.”
When the last of the lights faded, he clucked his tongue at Vi to get her to start walking. I tried to get ahold of myself, but the emotion lingered, pressing against my lungs. He was always so kind to me, and I didn’t deserve it, that was for damn sure.
“How’d you feel today?” Trey asked.
“Still tired.”
“Well, I’d expect you to be tired for a while after all that healing you did. Guess we can’t do much else but wait and see if it gets better.”
I hummed my agreement. When he sighed, his warm breath ghosted down my neck.
“Madame arrested a few more people today.”
I stiffened, nausea rising. I hadn’t been summoned to Madame’s dungeon since before the sickness, and I’d almost convinced myself that maybe I wouldn’t have to help her torture people anymore.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “Gods, I wish I could do something to make her stop.”
I remembered Apple telling me that Trey had been one of the rebels. The fear that I’d enter that dungeon room to see him restrained to the chair surged back.
“Don’t,” I choked out, my voice laced with panic. “Don’t…make her mad.”
He paused. “Why?”
“I can’t—” My voice cracked and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force all the emotion in my chest back down where it belonged.
“Bones, talk to me.”
“I can’t watch her hurt you.” The shaky words slipped out of my mouth before I could stop them, and my eyes burned. Well, fuck.
He let go of the reins with one hand so he could wrap that arm around me, squeezing me tight. “Bones, I’m not gonna do anything stupid,” he said so gently that my stupid eyes overflowed. “I promise.”
We rode in silence as I swiped at my wet cheeks and tried to get ahold of myself. His arm stayed tight around my waist and his solid comfort helped. As we neared the gate, a figure peered over the wall.
“That was way fucking longer than ten minutes,” a familiar voice grumbled. “Hurry up, the guard is gonna change soon.”
The gate opened, and Trey urged Violet through. Sam glared as he shut the gate behind us.
“Thanks for the help, Sam,” Trey said, a smile in his voice.
“Bones is givin’ me enough grey hairs. I don’t need you chippin’ in,” Sam muttered.
“I’ll help you pluck ’em out,” Trey said.
“You owe me.” Sam pointed a finger at Trey. “It’s a good thing Bones is my favorite person on this crew.”
“Since when?” I asked.
“Since Griz ate the last piece of bacon this morning.”
“Oh, I see how it is,” I said, and Trey laughed.
“You see the lights, Shortcake?” Sam changed topics as we headed for the stables.
“Yeah.” My voice warmed, remembering how breathtaking they’d been. “They were the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“See?” Trey sounded smug. “Worth it.”
“Fine,” Sam grumbled, then scowled up at me. “You know, Shortcake, I’m a little offended, ’cause nothing could be more beautiful than these.” He flexed his biceps and Trey groaned.
They continued bickering all the way to the stable, and my lips twitched upward. I slid off Violet and watched as Trey got her ready for the night. Sam threw his arm around my shoulders, and I didn’t mind it.
It wasn’t until I lay in my bed in the dark that I realized these people were starting to feel like a family.
The thought settled heavy in my chest, and panic followed it in.
Wolf tried to snarl something at me, but he sounded fainter.
I pressed my face into my pillow, hoping Trey wouldn’t hear my unsteady breaths as I tried to ignore both Wolf’s warnings and my desperate longing that it could be true.