I lie back on his bed, still fully clothed in my sleep pants and tank top, and stare at the ceiling.I should feel vulnerable here.Should feel trapped.But instead, I feel...
Safe.
Which is insane, considering what just happened.
“Tessa.”Vex’s voice is soft, careful.“Can I...?”
He gestures to the bed, asking permission.
I nod, not trusting my voice.
He climbs onto the bed beside me, staying on top of the covers, keeping space between us.But his presence is a solid weight, grounding and real, and before I can stop myself, I’m rolling toward him.
His arms come around me immediately, pulling me against his chest.One hand cradles the back of my head while the other settles on my lower back, and the cold of his skin seeps through my shirt.
I should pull away.
I don’t.
Instead, I press closer, my face buried against his neck, breathing in his scent.My hands fist in his t-shirt, holding on like he’s the only solid thing in a world that’s trying to tear itself apart.
“I’ve got you,” he murmurs against my hair.“You’re safe.I promise.”
And God help me, I believe him.
I don’t sleep.
Neither does he.
We just lie there in the darkness, his arms around me, my breathing gradually evening out as the tremors fade.Every so often, he runs his hand up and down my back in soothing strokes, and I let myself pretend this is normal.That we’re normal.
That I’m not marked by an ancient creature, and he’s not a vampire fighting every instinct to claim me.
“Vex?”I whisper finally.
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”I pause.“For protecting me.For...for not letting it take me.”
His arms tighten fractionally.“Always.”
The word hangs in the air between us, heavy with promise and danger and things neither of us can say out loud yet.
But I hear it anyway.
And lying here in his arms, with the cold of him seeping into my bones and the steady, unnecessary rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek, I realize something terrifying.
I don’t want to fight this anymore.
Whatever this thing is between us, this connection that shouldn’t exist, this want that’s stronger than fear, I’m done pretending it’s not real.
Even if it destroys us both.
“Vex,” I say again, lifting my head to look at him.
His eyes meet mine in the darkness, and they’re not white anymore.Just dark and intense and full of things I’m not ready to name.
“Don’t,” he says quietly.“Whatever you’re about to say, don’t.”
