Chapter 44
Will basked in the afterglow of intimacy, holding Amaya to his chest with his messy blankets draped over them. Every inch of her incredible body was pressed against his, and it was perfect.
For just a moment, he could relax. He’d almost forgotten what that was like. But for as long as they were together in this room, they didn’t have to think about the dangers and challenges that lay ahead—Graven, the doorway, and Edmund’s mad science experiment.
Shit. He hadn’t even gotten a chance to tell Amaya about those things yet.
And now he was thinking about them instead of her.
No. Their problems could wait. Everything could wait.
Will stroked Amaya’s hair, weaving his fingers in and out of her curls and planting the occasional kiss to her temple, hoping to draw out a contented hum.
He’d never held a woman like this before, not even Emelie.
She hadn’t liked being held. But Amaya had a special softness to her.
Will loved the way her skin gave under his touch, the way her impeccable curves cushioned his hard edges.
She let out a sleepy little groan and shifted so she was on his chest instead of against his side, and a smile crept onto Will’s lips.
Amaya was strong, resilient, clever, brave, and gorgeous .
. . but she was also adorable. He kissed her forehead as she nuzzled into his neck and adjusted his arms around her, holding tight.
Being this happy wasn’t normal for him. But damn if he wasn’t going to cling to this feeling—to her—as long as she’d let him.
It was then he noticed a raised line on her skin that had somehow escaped his notice earlier. Puzzled, he examined it more closely. The thin pink line bisected her upper arm, more recent than his silver scars.
“What’s this?”
“Hm?” Amaya opened her eyes drowsily, blinking up at him. She turned to look at her arm and shrugged, unbothered as she cuddled back into him. “Oh. That’s where the automaton got me. It healed pretty well.”
Will pressed his lips together and inhaled through his nose, anger stewing in his stomach as he examined the mark. It was the only imperfection on her, and only existed because she’d been hurt on his watch.
He did not make his next decision lightly, but he made it quickly and without hesitation.
“Here.” Will reached for Amaya’s left hand and slid his gold ring onto her finger, right where her engagement ring used to be. “I want you to hold on to this for me.”
Amaya stared at Sixth Sense in disbelief as it shrunk, resizing itself to fit her. She began shaking her head, propping herself up on her elbow to twist it off.
“No. No, that’s very sweet, but I can’t take this.”
Will closed his hands around hers, preventing her from removing it, and kissed her knuckles.
“You can, and you will. You’re a target, and accidents happen. I won’t lose you.”
Will was terrified of what he’d do to keep Amaya. But if he lost her? He might not be a bystander when the world burned—he’d be the one igniting the flames.
Amaya still shook her head. “No. You need it more, and I don’t even know how to use it.”
“It’s easy. I’ll show you.”
With a dramatic flair, he flung the blankets off of them. Amaya squeaked at the sudden departure of heat, leaning her body back toward him to absorb his warmth. Which, coincidentally, was exactly what he wanted. Will gently adjusted her position until her rear was exposed, and lifted his hand.
Amaya followed the motion, eyes narrowing into slits. “Are you going to spank me?”
“No, because Sixth Sense is going to work.”
“William Lexington, if you spank me, I swear—”
Will brought his hand down hard without warning, grinning when Amaya’s body jerked forward, seemingly of its own accord. She yelped, practically jumping onto him as he hit nothing but sheets.
He laughed, a deep rumble coming from his chest while Amaya sat up, aghast. Her eyes were wide, like pools of liquid sapphires, as she looked down at the ring, then back at him.
“I cannot believe you just did that!” she said, smacking his shoulder with all the ferocity of an annoyed kitten.
He chuckled again, reaching for her waist and rubbing his thumbs in small circles on her abdomen.
“Come on, I knew it would work. Look at you, you’re a natural.”
She rolled her eyes, her lips quirking into a smile despite herself.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“You’re worth protecting.”
Amaya’s eyes sparkled as she shifted to straddle him, leaning down for a kiss. Will sank his fingers back into her curls, his other arm slipping around her back.
“Although,” he mused between kisses, “if I did spank you, I bet you’d deserve it.” He nipped her bottom lip, more than ready to go again. “You might even enjoy it.”
“Mm. I disagree.”
“I don’t know, you seemed pretty into it when I—”
A sudden knock interrupted him, followed by the door squeaking on its hinges.
“Hey, Will? Ed’s made some progress. He’s wondering if—” Sebastian pushed open the door like he had a thousand times before, but this time, he walked in on a decidedly compromising sight.
Amaya gasped, and Will’s first instinct was to protect her modesty. He pulled her down and yanked the blankets back over them, scowling at Bas. Amaya’s cheek burned against his chest as Sebastian stammered out an apology.
“Shit, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were—”
“Why are you still here?” Will asked. “Get out, Bas.”
He wasn’t embarrassed—especially since he’d found Sebastian engaging in similar activities several times on various sky cities and, occasionally, on the Maelstrom while they were docked—but the breach of Amaya’s privacy was unacceptable.
The very idea of someone else seeing her the way he’d seen her was enough to spark his ire.
Still stammering, Sebastian slammed the door. Will huffed, his pulse pounding. He ran a hand through his hair to calm himself down and glanced at Amaya. She was bright red.
“Bastard walks in like he owns the room,” Will muttered. “Are you all right?”
“Mmhm,” she said, nodding. “Just slightly mortified.”
“I’m going to kill him,” Will grumbled. “I’ll weld that door shut if I have to. As for you . . .” Will adjusted Amaya on his chest and captured her lips in a delicious kiss. “I’m not quite finished with you, Bluebird.”
Amaya giggled at that, the sound reaching the most jaded corners of Will’s heart.
He slid his hand between them, about to press for more, but Amaya broke away before things escalated further.
“Wait, wait. I can’t take this,” she said, pulling off Sixth Sense. “Doesn’t this keep you alive? Accidents happen.”
The way she threw his own words back at him was equal parts endearing and annoying, but she wasn’t going to change his mind.
“They do. But I’m more practiced at avoiding them.” Will laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. She still looked unsure.
The truth was, parts of Will were unsure, too. He’d been using Sixth Sense for nearly a decade. What if he was woefully inadequate without it? What if he couldn’t protect her as well?
He’d have to train nonstop, but it was more than worth it if it meant she could protect herself.
“I just . . .” Amaya fiddled with the ring, unfolding the thin layers into an astronomical sphere. “Nobody is trying to kill me. If this is the reason you get—”
“Shh. It’ll be all right. I promise,” Will said, reaching to cup her cheek. His mouth curved into a playful smile. “Consider it an order.”
Amaya scoffed. “You and your orders.” She studied Sixth Sense and bit her lip, finally nodding. “Okay. Temporarily.”
Will chuckled, satisfied when she slid the ring back on her finger and cuddled down beside him. He put both his arms around her and squeezed, admiring the way the starlight filtering in from his uncovered window reflected in her eyes.
“Are you ever going to tell me what happened last night?” she asked softly. “Graven has Genesis. That means . . .”
“Ronan Pearce was never in the Skyvault. I meant to tell you earlier, but things . . . escalated,” he said, kissing the top of her head.
“Tell me now.”
Will unpacked last night’s events, explaining everything about Westin Cory and the doorway he wanted to use Amaya to explore, industrialize, and exploit.
There was something else he wanted to tell her, too. It seemed important, but his brain failed to grant him the words. It was all distorted and gray.
“Maker above,” she breathed, sitting up. Will followed suit, then slid an arm around her shoulders while she leaned on him. “And we can’t kill him. How did you get away? Did you knock him out?”
Will hadn’t planned on telling her that part. The nest of shame coiled inside him writhed.
“No. I . . . I just ran,” he said, forcing the words past his lips. “Like a fucking coward.”
“Hey. No,” Amaya said, sitting up straight and taking his hands. “I’m glad you did. Knowing when to run is wisdom, not cowardice.”
Will disagreed, at least where his own actions were concerned, and he struggled to believe she could hear that and not think less of him. But he couldn’t bear to linger on the issue.
“I think it’s possible to kill him, but not with my current relics,” he said, changing the subject. “Edmund’s going to attempt crafting a new Class Four with some of the information he found in Pearce’s library. That’s probably what Sebastian wanted to ask about.”
“I did hear them talking about the formulas in the library. Is he . . .” Amaya’s brows pinched. “Do you think it’ll work?”
“I don’t know. Ed said he’ll have to siphon Aether directly from the storm to have enough, but that’s dangerous on its own. And no one but Pearce has ever made Class Fours.”
Will’s stomach suddenly twisted in guilt. While Edmund was slaving away in his workshop trying to craft him a relic that could overpower Genesis, he was lying in bed. He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I should really go see what he needs.”
“Okay.” Amaya didn’t let go of him. “. . . Now?”
Nodding, Will pulled the sheets aside and slid out of bed, the absence of Amaya’s warmth next to him instantly torturous. He swept his clothes up off the floor to redress.
He knew he was insane to leave the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen naked in his bed, but they had work to do, and he’d already been too selfish.
Edmund’s relic, if it worked, would help free Amaya from the threat of Graven forever. After that happened, they could spend entire days in bed and no one would say a word.
“I’m sorry,” Will said, lacing up his boots before crossing the room once more. He tilted her chin up for one last kiss. “Once this is over, I’m never letting you leave this room. That’s a promise.”