I attempt to sit up for a second before giving up and closing my eyes instead. “Don’t need it,” I tell Caspian, ready for a fucking nap.
“Yes, Songbird, you do,” Fritz peeks an eye at me, “That wasa lotand you need water. Plus it’s been over eight hours since your last dosage. Drink up.”
With a groan, I try once again to sit up, this time with the assistance of Fritz pulling me up by the hand.
“Take your meds. Drink the whole glass. Then we can snuggle,” he adds, and Caspian nods with an amused grin. Fritz reaches into nothing and grabs a small towel, handing it to me to clean off my face, “You’ve got a little something, just there.”
With an indignant eye-roll and warmth flooding my face, I do as I’m told, noting the pain in my hand has lessened over the last few days.Finally.The surgeon wants to try physical therapy for a few weeks before resorting to such an invasive surgery, so the pain and swelling going down is a good sign.
Once Caspian sends the glass… somewhere, he climbs back into bed, wrapping me in a bear hug and gently slapping Fritz on the leg to join us. He does so with unmatched enthusiasm, filling my heart with joy. Nothing has ever felt as much like home to me as being sandwiched between these two terribly powerful men.
As I doze off, I think about the implications of being with both of them forever through the claiming with Caspian. If it’s a bonding ritual of sorts, would it really be fair for me to go through it with one of them and not the other? And why haven’t they done it to each other?
Is that even a possibility?
And how does it correlate with the soul-bond thing?
Does it at all?
Why are there so many god damn ways to be connected to a demon if they’re so terrible?
But maybe Fritz wants me to bond with Caspian because he doesn’t feel about me the way Caspian does. This may just be a passing fancy for him. The idea of that burns my chest, but someone as mercurial and adventurous as Fritz might not be theforevertype.
Clearly, he wants us here. He moved us into his home, for fucks’ sake. But people live together and then break up all the time. After a few years, maybe he’ll get bored of this arrangement and move on to his next adventure.
Why the fuck am I thinking this right now?It makes no sense. They’re both giving me every bit of their attention, so why does it feel like, at any moment, it’s going to be ripped away from me?
Fighting those distressing thoughts, my body pulls me under into a fitful sleep filled with strange dreams about the future we might live in.
???
When I awake, the loss of body heat leaves a sour taste in my mouth.Why is the bed empty?
Rolling over, I search for my phone, finding it plugged in with a note sitting on it where it lies on the bedside table.
Bel,
Running an errand. We’ll be right back.
-Caspian
Huh.As I peel myself out of bed, I wonder what they’re up to.
I know Caspian hasn’t made any time to… eat since we’ve been back. That’s gotta be wearing on him, and he maybe took Fritz with him to talk or whatever. I don’t give it too much thought because, for the first time since we’ve been here, I have a few minutes to do something I’ve been putting off.
Hopefully, she’s not too busy, I think to myself as I start calling Isla.
After two and a half rings, her bright voice radiates over the speaker, “BEL! Hi! What’s up? I miss you. How’re things?”
“Things are good. I just… um…” I rip the bandaid off, “Do you have Eamon’s phone number?”
After a beat, she scoffs, “Why would I have Eamon’s number?”
Her avoidance makes me laugh, “Do you?”
“Well, yeah… but why do you need it? What’s wrong? Why are you asking me and not your boyfriends?” Her voice switches into immediate concern, “What’s going on?”
I sigh, “Probably nothing, I just-”
