“I’m sorry,” I started.
“Shhh.” He leaned down, hand still holding my face, and tilted his mouth to mine, kissing me softly. My lips were chapped, but that didn’t seem to bother him.
“You’re okay. We’re okay. Your sister’s a little pissed off, but me and you? We got this.”
I swallowed back the tears that threatened to fall. Why was I always crying? Maybe not having my emotions for so long made a kind of backlog and now I was doomed to over-feel everything.
Or maybe I’d been shot, died, and had woken up here, in my town, with my family, and the man I loved.
“You’re not mad?” I asked.
“I didn’t say that.” The slash of smile he gave me was teasing. “But unlike your sister, I prefer a fair fight. I’ll wait until you’re on your feet before I lower the hammer.”
I huffed a laugh and that made him smile more. “Do you remember? Mithra?”
He frowned. “Back at the house? I called on him. I think. Asked him to help. I was desperate. I think I blacked out.”
“Oh,” I said. I wasn’t sure how he was going to take being controlled by a god. Maybe it was a discussion that could wait until after I could think straight.
“There we go. Think you’d like to sit up a little? Maybe try our vast array of gourmet ice chips?”
His thumb was still stroking my cheek gently, his eyes holding my gaze, filled with warmth and love and comfort.
“You know I like to live dangerously.”
That tightened the edges of his eyes, but only for a moment.
“Too soon, baby. But yeah, you’ve always been a troublemaker. I don’t think one little fight with a vampire is going to change that. I wouldn’t want it to.”
“But?” I said, because I could hear it in his voice.
He turned away to fiddle with the buttons on my bed, and I missed his touch immediately.
“But we’re going to set some rules, agree on some boundaries for how we all pitch in to look after this town and all the people in it.”
“We already have rules.”
“You have rules, which you ignore when it suits you. I’m thinking I’m a guy who’d like things written down with signatures signed nice and neat on the dotted line.”
“I thought you said that wasn’t who you were.” The bed lifted, and even though I was still on pain meds, I wasn’t too groggy, or too sore to enjoy the change of position. I didn’t know how long it’d been since Myra had been here watching me, but she wasn’t in the room now. Right now, it was just me and Ryder.
“I’m exploring the possibility that my new position as warden of this town might have its upsides.”
Ugh. That was exactly what none of us needed. Another person, especially one doing the bidding of a meddling god, all up in our supernatural business.
“I see you are thrilled with the idea.”
“Myra and Jean won’t like it.”
“Jean suggested it. Myra agreed to it so quickly, I didn’t even have time to argue her into it.”
“Traitors,” I grumbled.
“Sisters who want to keep you around for a few more years.”
“I know how to do my job without you setting rules for me to follow.”
“I won’t be setting the rules. Well, I won’t be the only one. We’re going to all come to an agreement on rules. All of us who are here to look after Ordinary. All of us who put our lives on the line.”
