Chapter 6 #4
From here, I can see most of the square. The well in the center, the general store, now closed for the evening. Parts of the streets are mostly empty now, just a few people moving about their evening business.
It’s not perfect coverage, but good enough.
Garrett moves around behind me, getting ready for bed. I hear the rustle of blankets, the creak of old mattress ropes taking his weight.
“You know, most guards don’t literally throw their charges into ponds,” he says after a moment.
“Most charges don’t pretend to drown.”
“Fair point.” He sighs softly and pauses. I can feel him looking at me, though I don’t turn around. “I’m sorry. For scaring you.”
Admitting he scared me feels like admitting too much. I don’t bother answering him.
Minutes pass in silence. I track the last few villagers heading home while Garrett occupies himself with a book.
“Wolf.” His voice pulls me from my surveillance. “You planning to guard that window all night?”
“Yes,” I mutter.
Garrett huffs a laugh. “The most dangerous thing in this village tried to drown me in a pond. I think we’re safe from the geese until morning.”
Despite myself, I almost smile.
“Wolf, seriously. There’s no threat.” There’s amusement in his voice, warm and slightly drowsy. The ride today took more out of him than he’d admit. “Come to bed.”
The casual invitation sends heat crawling up my neck.
“The bed’s too small,” I say, grasping for reasons.
Garrett shifts, making room on the bed. “It’s big enough for two.”
“Barely.”
“Wolf.”
Something in his voice makes me glance back. He’s propped up on one elbow, looking at me. The fading light makes his eyes even greener, catching flecks of gold I’ve never noticed before.
His gaze holds mine, open and honest. “I think I sleep better when you’re close.”
What the fuck?
Something in me aches to accept his invitation. The urge to cross that room nearly overwhelms me.
I can’t risk it.
The moment I stop watching is the moment everything goes wrong.
“Go to sleep, Garrett.” I force the words past the tightness in my throat.
He smiles, just a small curve of his lips. Then he settles back into the bed, pulling the blanket up. The room falls quiet except for the distant sounds of the village and voices from the tavern below, muffled by the floor.
I keep watch through the window as the sun sets. Lamps flicker to life in windows across the square and warm yellow light spills into the gathering darkness.
It’s peaceful.
I don’t trust this serenity. Peace is when the silent knife finds your ribs. My grandfather taught me that. One of the last lessons before the hunters came.
Behind me, Garrett’s breathing evens out into sleep. I keep my focus on the darkening square.
I hear a soft sound from the bed.
Teeth chattering.
I ignore it. My job is to watch for threats, not play nursemaid. The square is empty now except for a few stragglers heading home. I look at the alleys between buildings.
The chattering comes again, louder this time.
Damn it.
I glance back. Garrett is curled tight under the blanket, but even from here I can see him shivering.
He’s going to catch a cold. Or worse, given how soaked he was.
I turn back to the window. Not my problem. I’m here to keep him alive, not comfortable. There are threats to watch for and potential dangers to assess.
The teeth chatter again, rapid and violent.
Fuck.
I cross to the bed. Garrett is asleep but shaking like he’s caught in a blizzard. The thin blanket does nothing against the chill settling into the room. No fireplace, no heat source except the dying warmth from the malachite crystal in the bathroom.
I pull the blanket back slightly. His skin is cold to the touch, lips tinged faintly blue.
This is ridiculous.
But I’m half werewolf, Sylverin clan blood. My body runs hot, always has. Higher temperature than pure elves or even most half-bloods.
I could warm him up. Easily.
But that means getting in the bed with him. My hands hesitate on the blanket’s edge.
After what I just did in that shower. This is a fucking terrible idea. I should go downstairs, ask Muireann for more blankets, build a fire, anything but this.
Garrett’s teeth chatter again and his whole body jerks with the force of the shiver.
Gods damn it.
I slide under the blanket and sit on the edge of the bed first. It’s just to warm him enough so he stops shaking.
I gather him closer, carefully. His body is ice against mine.
I pull him against my chest, wrapping my arms around him.
My hands find his fingers first. They’re frozen cold.
I rub warmth back into them, then move to his neck, his shoulders.
Please don’t wake up. Please don’t wake up.
This is embarrassing enough without having to explain why I’m holding him like this.
Garrett makes a small sound and burrows closer, seeking heat instinctively even in sleep. His face presses against my neck. His cold nose makes me flinch.
I stay very still, hardly breathing. Slowly, his shivering eases. The tension leaves his body as warmth seeps back in.
I should move now. Get back to the window. He’s fine.
But I don’t move.
Instead, I watch him. His lips are slightly parted, no longer blue. I wonder what it would feel like to kiss him. The thought comes unbidden and I freeze.
What the fuck is wrong with me? Why am I wondering about kissing a fucking guy?
But even as I think it, my eyes stay on his mouth. The curve of his bottom lip. How soft it might feel against mine. Then the thought shifts and turns filthy. I imagine those lips wrapped around my cock, looking up at me with those green eyes while he takes me deep.
No.
I shake my head sharply, trying to dislodge the image. I do not need another hard-on. Not while I’m holding him like this.
I close my eyes, tightening my arms around him. It’s just for warmth. That’s all this is.
Just warmth.
I let my eyes close and drift off.