Chapter 24 - Sam
I was suspended in nothing. No thoughts, no senses, no sense of being. Then images flickered in the void. Rachel’s concerned face as she held onto me. Her clutching a baby—our baby. The three of us all together.
Part of me wanted to slip away. I knew I could if I decided to.
But I held on, because I didn’t want to lose Rachel.
I didn’t want to leave her alone. I wanted to be by her side always, to protect her and our baby.
I wanted to be with her, even if that meant letting her be her own person and not smothering her.
I wanted to meet our child. I wanted Rachel.
Then I floated back to consciousness, my senses coming back to me. I heard trickling water, could smell damp and moss. Something was crushing my fingers. Hard. On top of that, I could feel cool water wrapping around me, up almost to my neck.
I let out a slow groan, my head moving from side to side as my fingers flexed, testing the grip of whatever was holding me.
“Oh my God. Sam?” a voice said, the relief in it palpable.
It took a moment to place the voice, and then it hit me. I should have recognized it immediately. I had dreamed about her enough.
When I opened my eyes, Rachel was staring down at me. Relief broke across her face as her entire body seemed to crumple, as if she had been holding her breath for a century.
“Thank God,” she said. “How are you doing?”
At first, I couldn’t figure out what she was talking about.
I still didn’t know where I was. I tried to sit up and winced as a stabbing pain lanced through my stomach.
Frowning, I looked down. Only then did I notice my body rippling below the surface of shallow, crystal clear water and the cool air all around me.
The stone walls with moss and water trickling along the crevices came into focus, along with the light that seemed to have no source but illuminated the entire cavern.
The memory of the attack came rushing back in a flash.
The wraith, a shard of glass piercing my chest, Rachel hovering over me, a burning sensation on my chest. A scar ran down my chest to my stomach, far thinner than it should have been, as if it were years old instead of hours, or however long I had been here.
I barely thought about it, though. I pushed myself to a seated position and studied Rachel, taking in every inch of her, looking for any injuries, any indication she was hurt or something bad had happened to her.
A few scrapes from the sand dotted her face and arms, but besides that, she was fine.
I breathed easier, reaching out and cupping her face.
“I’m all right,” she said, leaning into my hand.
“Emma?” I asked.
“She’s okay,” Rachel said. “Everyone else is fine.”
I let out a relieved breath as I gave a slow, satisfied nod. We had at least managed that much.
“What about the wraith?”
Her relieved smile fell, replaced with a guilt-ridden grimace. She sucked in a breath as she glanced at the ground, her grip on my fingers slipping a little.
“He got away,” she admitted, biting her lip. “I had to pick between going after him and saving you. So I saved you.”
I glanced back down at the scar running straight down my chest, just below my sternum. It was a miracle it hadn’t killed me. I probably should have bled out.
Not a miracle, a voice in my head told me. Your mate.
I twisted to look at Rachel, who was gnawing her lip as she watched me anxiously, shifting her weight from side to side as she sat next to me.
“Thank you,” I said. “Your quick thinking back there saved my life.”
“I should have done more,” she said grimly. “I was supposed to help. Instead, you got hurt, and I let the wraith get away—”
“Hush.” My hand reached up and cupped her face, my thumb swiping away her tear. “We got Emma out, and you saved my life. You did amazing.”
“It’s my fault you got hurt,” she said.
I snorted, rolling my eyes. “Yes, it’s your fault that the wraith managed to weaponize his glass hand in a way we couldn’t have anticipated.”
She gave a choked sob that did nothing to conceal the guilt radiating off her. “Of course, you manage to be glib after everything that’s happened.”
“It’s better than some of the alternatives,” I said with a bored shrug. “But listen, before anything else, before we go out and face everyone, I need to tell you something.”
She stilled, remaining silent as she waited for me to speak.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I know how controlling I was. I was just trying to protect you. I can’t help it.
Because I can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt, or you dying, and I don’t know if I would be able to keep going if that happened.
All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be safe and happy. I should have told you that years ago.”
Her eyes had locked onto me, and I could tell she was barely breathing, but I could feel her adrenaline racing through the mating bond as she waited for whatever I was building up to.
“I love you,” I said. “I love your fighting spirit and independence, even when people treat you worse than they should. I love that you aren’t afraid to call me out on my bullshit.
I’ve loved you since we were kids, and I’m sorry for being stupid and pigheaded enough not to admit it until now.
But I plan on making it up to you for the rest of our lives.
” I reached out, placing a damp hand on her stomach as I looked up at her.
“And I can’t wait to meet our child, and I can’t think of a better mother for them. They’re going to be lucky to have you.”
The adrenaline I felt through the bond, which had tinges of relief that I was okay and lingering fear of what had nearly happened, was replaced with a joy so overwhelming that I couldn’t help but feel it myself.
Rachel pulled me toward her, her lips pressing against mine, not caring how wet I was.
I grabbed her, holding her closer as my mouth claimed hers, my damp fingers tangling in her hair.
For a moment, nothing else mattered, not my injuries, not our fight, not the wraith, even as the threat of it loomed far in the distance.
All I cared about was Rachel, holding her body, her scent wrapping around me as we kissed.
After what could have been hours, for all I knew, she finally broke away.
“I love you, too,” she said. “Always have, always will. I know you just want to protect me. And you gave me the skills to let me do that myself. You also trusted me and kept my secrets when I asked you to. Most importantly, I couldn’t imagine spending my life with anyone else but you.”
I brought her lips to mine once more, and it was all I could do not to go further as my own rush of emotions threatened to drown me. But the aches in my body brought me back to reality before I could injure myself further.
“Are you good to stand?” she asked when we had finally stopped.
“I think so,” I said.
“Good.” She clambered to her feet, holding her hand out to me. “Because Elias will kill me if I keep you to myself for much longer.”
She gave a playful grin, her eyes sparkling in the mysterious light of the cavern. Cracking a smirk myself, I reached out and grasped her hand.
“We certainly can’t have that,” I said.
When I got to my feet, I didn’t release her hand. Instead, I tugged her back toward me, unable to stop myself as I wrapped my other arm around her, pulling her flush against me, holding her tight and kissing her.
“I love you,” I said. “Thank you for putting up with me even when I’m an idiot.”
She smiled up at me. “I love you, too.” Her smile turned into an amused smirk. “And you’re welcome.”