Chapter 45
Keelo
“Did you get any sleep?” Eot whisper-asks, crouching in the sand beside me.
“Yes.” I think so. Or have I been awake this entire time, cherishing the feeling of Halley against my chest?
So incredibly vulnerable.
So trusting.
I’m certainly not dreaming. If this was a dream, I wouldn’t be sliding out of my bedroll, detangling my limbs from Halley’s. It’s fekking cold, but I can’t stake claim to my blankets when it’ll mean waking the sleeping human.
I stretch, arms over my head, fully expecting for Eot to crawl into the space I’ve abandoned and to rub his scent all over Halley’s skin until any faint reminder that I’d lain beside her has been erased.
Instead, he catches hold of my arm and tugs me toward the stove, a little way from the two sleepers.
“Did you hear what I said? Earlier today, back at the ravine,” he asks, voice urgent.
“Sure.” I wave my free hand through the air, feigning disinterest, even as my heart starts beating drums in my chest.
He smells like you, Halley. It’s more than I can bear.
“It was Halley who hugged me,” I remind him before he can strike me. “It won’t happen again.”
“I meant it, Keelo.” His hold on my arm tightens. His gaze darkens. “You’re mine.”
I roll my eyes, as I’ve seen Halley do when she’s exasperated. “I’m your other half,” I agree, trying to yank free, wanting this conversation to be over—or to never have started in the first place.
“Yes,” he growls, jerking me closer. Chest to chest. Skin to skin. “And you’re so much more.”
Then he presses his lips to mine.