9 | Roscoe
Idid a pretty good job fighting off the zombies last night, even though my magic doesn’t exactly lend itself to one-on-one combat. Too bad. If the zombies could have been distracted by a dragon flying through the air and scaring the shit out of them, then it would have been more my speed. Unfortunately, they weren’t interested in anything I was pulling out.
I made one bad call and let one of them get too close. Got stabbed right in the gut with their creepy bone hand. It was nasty. Sliced right into my fleshy-weshy.
A gut wound like that is normally fatal. I knew as much, even as it was happening.
There was a hot, stabbing pain and then a rush of warm blood, and I knew I was fucked.
Especially once my brain went quiet.
Usually I can’t get myself to shut up, even inside my head. But last night, everything went kind of fuzzy and distant and I felt like I might just float away. As I was staunching the bleeding with snow and my body temperature dropped, my mind slooowed riiiight the waaay doown. It was weird as hell.
There were two things that made me hang on tight, tethering me to the feeling of cold at my back and the pain at my front. The sensations that kept me anchored in this world.
Silver was the first, obviously. The thought of how bummed she’d be without having me around filled my insides with this deep, aching grief. And I knew I’d do just about anything to stop her from hurting. Including not letting myself fade off into the night.
I also knew my death was gonna be something where I go out with real pizazz. No chance I’m dying alone next to a trash can on a dirty street.
So I hung on.
Now, though, I’m feeling pretty damn good for a guy that was as good as dead less than twenty-four hours ago.
I’m also bored as hell.
Luna stopped by a while ago and slipped me this weird tasting root and a potion she’d made herself and since then I’ve been buzzing.
Bouncing off the walls. For hours now.
I practically throw myself at Silver as soon as she steps into my room in the med bay. Seb rolls his eyes from his corner, where I’m pretty sure he’s been set up to stop me from leaving the room. My teenage prison guard.
“I missed you sweetheart,” I tell her, jumping off the bed and attempting to bound toward her, toning my movements down to a slightly wonky shuffle. Damn. Seems my barely healed wound is not a fan of vigorous movement, which sucks. I’ve got plenty of vigorous shit I want to try with Silver right now.
Turns out nearly dying has made my dick greedy. I need to touch her, to feel her skin on mine. To hold her close and swear I’ll never let go.
She smiles, cupping my cheek with her small, perfect hand. Seriously, her fingers are so tiny, I wonder how she gets anything done.
I caress them lovingly. If she needs things doing, I can do them for her. I’m much bigger, stronger. I’ll open all the doors and jars and hand feed her so she doesn’t need to lift a finger.
“Are you feeling all right?” she asks gently, leading me back to the bed like I’m an invalid. I flop down and stifle a wince as the movement tugs at my wound again.
I hate not being able to move how I want. I want to dance. Dance with Silver and romance her, hold her in my arms and tell her I love her.
“I’m pretty sure he’s high as a kite,” Seb says.
“As an eagle,” I correct sagely.
Silver pops herself down on the chair beside my bed, but that’s not close enough for me. I pat the bed enticingly and wiggle my eyebrows. Maybe she’ll snuggle with me. I hate being in bed all on my lonesome.
“Zeph wouldn’t cuddle with me,” I complain.
“Is it the pain meds? Is he hurting?” Silver asks Seb, even though he’s only a baby and he’s not my keeper or my nurse.
“Pretty sure it’s that shit Luna gave him. He downed it right before you came back,” Seb says. “She told him to wait until later, but he was so bored and all ‘I’m gonna drink it all down and see what happens’.”
Snitch.
“Rude to take a man’s words and flaunt them when his ass is hanging out for all to see,” I tell Seb.
“You’re an idiot and your ass isn’t out.”
“Really?” Huh, I thought I was wearing a gown, like you see on the sexy medical shows.
Although it’s never the patients that are the sexy ones. Maybe I need to borrow a nurse’s outfit and practice my pouting, so Silver will cuddle with me and tell me she loves me back.
Silver’s sniffing the bottle of potion, though, and frowning. “I think we should get Luna down here. Check he hasn’t poisoned himself.”
“It’s gonna make my blood grow back big and strong. I’ll be a machine, you’ll see. A sexy, nurse machine.” I think for a moment. “One that gets all the snuggles.”
Silver ignores me and my heart hurts. “Could you get Luna down here for me?” she asks Seb.
I’m not dumb. I can hear them talking around me, like I’m not even here.
“You’re ridiculously cute. Even when you take too much medicine just to see what happens, like a dumbass.” She stands, and for a second, I’m terrified she’s going to leave me.
“It wasn’t that much, really. I’m fine. Totally sober, see?” I try to push myself up so I can walk in a straight line or whatever, but I’m feeling kind of wobbly, so I plop back onto my butt and grin at her.
She’s so pretty. So perfect. She won’t leave me while I’m in a weakened state like this.
Then Silver crawls onto the bed beside me, carefully rearranging the covers and avoiding touching my bad side. My heart rate goes back to normal as she snuggles against my chest and I let out a soul-deep sigh.
“I’m a cuddle slut,” I tell her. I kiss the top of her head and soak up her scent.
Bliss.
“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” I tell her. “Love you more than llamas. And you should see those guys. They’re stinking cute.”
Then her voice lowers until it’s barely more than a husky murmur. My eyelids are growing heavy, like all my body needed to relax was her right here next to me.
“I love you, too,” she whispers.
My chest grows about three sizes. Warmth fills me up and golden light breaks out across the city.
Somewhere, angels sing an ode to us.
And my chin drops onto my chest. I want to bask in this moment. This joy. Then she kisses my cheek and lets out a soft sigh and I let sleep claim me.