He says the words as though it’s already a forgone conclusion, and my hands tighten. “Yes.”
Chapter twenty-three
Selene
Awareness is not a slow, gentle waking.
It is violent, and vicious. My hands claw at my throat, my face.
Thick, stinking, filth.It clings to me, to my eyes, filling my nose with the scent of decaying food and waste, tossed over the high walls of Terrosa.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Hands grab for mine, pushing my fingers away as they scratch at my face, and my cry catches in my throat as I flinch back.
“Get it off—get it off—please—,”
“Selene.” The low sound of my name has me twisting. Arms slide beneath me, lifting me as I fight. “Open your eyes.”
A palm spreads over my lower back beneath my wings, rubbing in soothing circles through my shirt. “You’re not there anymore.”
Wheezing, fighting, I suck air into drowning lungs. “I— can’t.Hurts.”
It burns. Smothering me, choking me.
Gods, it hurts.Why must it always hurt?
“You are not there.” The murmur grows more forceful. “You’re onVolatus, Selene. You’re not in Terrosa anymore.”
My whimper slips free, sinking into silence. A strong hand captures mine, pressing it against warmth that thuds beneath my touch, my fingers curling into coarse threads. “Stop.Please.You’re safe. Breathe in. Slowly.”
My mouth opens, gasping for the promise of air.
“Not like that.” The words gentle further. “In through your nose, and out through your mouth. With me, on my count. One.”
I slam my mouth shut, blindly following the instruction. My lungs fill, my sob of relief breaking free. My face is pressed to something warm, and I try to focus on the beat beneath my palm, spreading my fingers out against rough material as the world grows a little clearer.
“Now out through your mouth. Don’t stop.” Fingers move to my forehead, gently pushing back damp, knotted strands before they cup my cheek. “It’s alright. Through your nose again. That’s good.”
After a few more breaths, I blink open crusted eyes. As if I’ve slept for days. The familiar sight of the bedroom comes into view, but it’s blocked by a swathe of golden skin barely an inch from my nose.
I force myself to keep breathing.
And with the breathing, comes a familiar scent. Spiced, sweet and heady and directly linked to the male I’m resting against. “C…Callan?”
“Unfortunately.”
I keep my eyes facing forward. And he keeps his arms wrapped around me.
I am…onhim. Settled in his lap, Callan’s legs stretched out down the bed as he rests with his back against the woodenheadboard. My own legs are curled up, his arms holding me gently around my wings. Loose enough to not feel restricting.
His heartbeat thuds against my palm. And my face… my face is buried against his neck. I take another breath, letting his scent fill my lungs. It helps to chase away the lingering filth that tries to cling to me, to fill my nose, so I breathe in again.
I find that it is not unpleasant.
His words are quiet. “You with me?”
I force a nod. My throat aches. When I lift my head to look up, our eyes meet.
