Their Plan
They’d fallen silent after that, content to simply enjoy the warmth and presence of finally being back in each other’s arms. Jo snuggled into his side, head resting on his shoulder, and lifted a hand to his bare chest, fingers tracing loose patterns against his skin. When he hummed in contentment, she could feel the vibration of it all along her body.
“Just once,” Jo whispered, stopping to splay her hand over one of his pecs, fingers lightly fanning out to brush against a still-hardened nipple. “I would like to have sex with you when the world isn’t falling apart.”
A deep chuckle vibrated beneath her hand. The bed shifted as Snow rolled over, his arm falling on her waist, pulling her closer to him and trapping her hand between their bodies. There wasn’t much space left to begin with, so Jo appreciated the indents his body made on hers.
“What if you no longer desire me when the world is not falling apart? How shall I find you in my bed if I cannot use desperation to have you running to me?”
She could hear the joke in his words and it brought out a laugh of her own. “Perhaps you won’t be able to. Seems a poor reason though to leave the world in a near-constant state of worry and chaos.”
“For you, it would be worth it.” He kissed her forehead, her cheek, her jaw.
Jo’s eyes fluttered closed and she sighed softly, feeling reality seep back into her. Despite the fact that it had been turned into something of a joke, she really did want to see how things would be between her and Snow without the weight of the world continually crashing down between them. She didn’t think it’d ever be easy. Relationships, from what she’d seen, never were. Plus, Snow didn’t really seem like the type to relax on a beach for the rest of his life—no matter how deserved it may be.
Her eyes opened again, the room coming into focus over Snow’s shoulder. She had no idea what he would be like without living at the end of Pan’s leash. But she wanted to know, and there was only one way to do that.
“Is it safe in here?” she asked delicately.
“Safe how?”
“Will she know what is said? Or are there wards like your room in the Society?” Jo clarified. Breathing under Pan’s roof would likely never be safe.
“I’ve placed my own protections that I do not believe she can penetrate.”
It wasn’t an absolute like Jo had hoped for, but it was the best she was going to get. The feeling of sand slipping through the hourglass was beginning to creep up in the back of Jo’s mind. Wriggling away, Jo sat, gripping the edge of the bed, as if bracing herself for what needed to happen next.
“She’ll come for me soon.”
“I have no doubt,” he agreed, grimly. Jo felt Snow move behind her. He appeared at her side, fingers lacing with hers. “Why are you really here?” he asked, finally, rephrasing his earlier question. “You know it’s not—”
“Let’s not waste the precious time we have talking about what I should or shouldn’t have done.” Jo caught his gaze. “I’m here now. I’ve rolled the dice on this.”
“What, exactly, did you roll the dice on?” he asked, simultaneously tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, his fingers brushing down her cheek as if he was still trapped in wonder at her mere presence. “You’re not safe here.”
“I know, but no one is safe if I do nothing. Pan said she’s using your magic to keep existing.” His expression told her everything, so Jo spared him an explanation and continued. “She also told me that if I join with her and form Oblivion, we can exist on our own, and she’ll let you live with us.” Snow pulled away from her as if burned.
“She’s lying to you,” he said quickly, rolling to sit up in bed before getting hastily to his feet. Jo fought to keep her focus on what Snow was saying when his naked backside loomed ahead of her. It became significantly easier when he wrapped a silken robe around his god-like form. “There is no way that once she gets what she wants, she will let me live. Beyond that, if you join to form Oblivion once more, then you will be something—someone—else. Who knows how your wants will change, if they are not lost entirely. And—”
Jo stopped him with a touch on his elbow. Snow blinked, clearly startled even though she hadn’t exactly been quiet about getting up off the bed and walking over to him.
“I know all that,” she said gently. “I know she’s lying to get what she wants—that she’ll do whatever it takes to get what she wants. Which is why I came here with a plan.”
“What plan?”
It was Jo’s turn to dress as she spoke. Snow returned to the bed, watching intently, a look of pure appreciation on his face with her every movement. Once more, she had to resist distraction, and not give in to the quickly refilling tank of molten need that sat low in her stomach.
“The Society is here.”
Snow blinked, clearly taken aback. “Here?”
“Well, the team is outside, in Goddik.”
“What do you hope to do?” The way he phrased the question told Jo he did not suspect that she was going into this blind—a fact she appreciated.
“We have the arrow from the Goddess of the Hunt.”
Snow stared at her as though she had just grown several tails. Then there was a swift intake of breath, and a whispered “What?” Followed quickly by a “How?” that brought him from the bed back to his feet.
