Their astonishment at my lack of argument might be a little insulting, but I was definitely happier when we were together.
That way I could protect them too.
Chapter 18
Rafe's room was twice the size of mine, and his bed was larger too, so when I crawled in later that night, showered and dressed just in one of his shirts, there was plenty of space between the three of us.
No one moved closer—we stayed as we were for this weird, awkward moment—and then, in almost the same instant, both princes rolled over into me, draping their long-ass arms and legs all over my body, cocooning me in their heat and protection.
"We got you, Vi," Jordan murmured. "You can sleep. No one will touch you tonight."
It probably didn’t take any great leap of imagination to know how badly I’d been sleeping the past month. First while locked in a cell and beaten, then constantly on guard for Uriel’s late night visits. But still, my chest felt tight knowing that they were here with me. Finally, all three of us were together, and there was barely even any anger simmering in the air.
It almost felt... peaceful.
Jordan was the first to pass out; his injuries had him hurting and more tired than usual, and he needed the rest. Rafe was wide awake, his breathing even as he traced his fingers over my skin, almost absent-mindedly.
"Sleep, baby." His voice was a husky whisper. "You need to rest."
Wiggling a little, I moved out from under Jordan so I could turn to face Rafe. In the near darkness, I couldn't see much, but I knew his eyes were on mine.
Leaning forward, I searched for his mouth, and he moved to find mine in the same instant. The kiss was soft—an almost foreign concept for us. "Rafe," I whispered. There were so many unspoken things that we needed to say.
"It'll keep until tomorrow," he told me. "Tonight we sleep."
I nodded, not sure he could see it. Closing my eyes, I stayed the way I was, facing Rafe, needing to try and regain some of the closeness we'd had before the kidnapping. Eventually, his soft caresses on my back and rhythmic breathing lulled me to sleep—only to have me jerked awake a few hours later by a cry.
I dragged myself up from the dead sleep I’d been in—my body dangerously weighed down by exhaustion.
"Jordan," Rafe said shortly, way more awake than me. "He's having a nightmare."
It took way too long to orient myself and figure out what that meant. If we’d been under attack, I’d be dead. I couldn’t let myself get this tired again.
Jordan writhed on the bed, his skin burning hot when I reached out and touched him. He growled and jerked away, but didn't wake.
"Don't touch her!"he mumbled with ferocity. "Don't hurt her."
"Fucking hell." I wanted to cry; the anguish in his voice was killing me.
"Jordan," Rafe said, trying to snap him out. "Brother. You're having a nightmare."
Just more moans and sad sounds. When I couldn't take it any longer, I threw myself onto him as gently as I could, while still wrapping my arms around him and holding him close. "Jordan, I'm here," I said. "Everyone is safe. We're all okay."
I kept saying it over and over, holding him as he tried to jerk free, until eventually he calmed and fell back into a deep sleep. My entire body trembled as I kneeled beside him. I tried to shift away, but his arms tensed around my waist, pulling me back to him. And I let him.
Moving carefully, I got comfortable again with Jordan wrapped around me like a blanket, and kissed his hair.
"He was having nightmares about me," I whispered into the darkness, knowing Rafe was still right there with us, despite his silence.
He released a long breath, lying down behind me and brushing my tangled hair back to expose my shoulder. "It wasn't aboutyou, Vi," he replied in a hushed voice. His soft lips touched my shoulder, pressing feather-light kisses to my skin. "It was about losing you. About those sick fucks hurting you. It's his biggest fear right now."
My heart squeezed painfully, and I stroked my fingers through Jordan's hair as he snored softly against me. His head was tucked into my chest, like he was listening to my heartbeat.
"How can you even know his biggest fears?" I replied with an edge of sadness and desperation.
Rafe shifted closer, molding his body to my back and tucking his arms around me, just above where Jordan held my waist. "Because it's how I feel, and Jordan has a better heart than me."
I wanted to argue with him over that comment, but it was neither the time nor the place. So, I let it go and relaxed into their combined hold. He was wrong, though. Rafe's heart was far bigger than he let anyone see. Especially when it came to his best friend... and me.
