This time I’m in the middle, Haven turning to snuggle against my side. Bastian props himself up on his elbow, watching me until I feel compelled to turn and look at him.
“Color?” he murmurs.
I blink at him a few times, licking my lips. “Green,” I croak, then clear my throat. “That was…”
He nods, like he knows exactly what I’m failing to say. “It was,” he agrees, an almost rueful smile on his mouth. “And it’ll be even better next time.”
I shiver at the promise in his voice. Even after everything, it still feels like a threat.
“Bold of you to assume there’ll be a next time,” I mutter sourly. “Since we’ll be in jail.”
“That won’t be happening.” Rooke sighs, a frown forming between his dark brows. “I have a plan, but…”
“But?” Haven prompts before snuggling tighter against me.
“You’re not going to like it,” Rooke says, reaching over to tuck hair behind Haven’s ear.
“Great.” I drag my hands over my face. “Just great.”
When I glance over, Rooke’s watching me with a frown. “Do you trust me, Kai?”
I’m about to joke with him, but I give him a grim smile instead. “You really think I’d bring her here if I didn’t?”
The ‘her’ in question looks at me, then Rooke, then back at me. “Don’t you dare manage me,” she says.
Rooke exhales, glancing at me as the frown relaxes from his face. “We’ll discuss it.”
Haven opens her mouth to argue, but Rooke just keeps speaking. “All of us. But right now, let’s try to savor this as long as we can.”
“And each other,” Haven says, nodding against my chest.
Rooke sees me watching him and ducks down, pressing his lips to mine. They slide to my jaw, then to my neck.
“The tide’s coming in,” he says, speaking so quietly I know it’s meant for my ear alone. “Promise me you’ll keep her head above water.”
I think back to what I told Haven a couple of months ago. About how, if she drowned, no one would even miss her.
My chest clenches at how wrong I was.
If something were to happen to her—to Rooke?
I’d throw myself overboard…without a life jacket.
Chapter 54
Haven
When I open my eyes again, the world has gone dark.
It’s not the soft gray of dusky twilight, either. This is actual darkness. The light from the fireplace casts everything in shades of amber and shadow.
The mattress shifts beside me. “What time is it?” Kai rasps.
On the other side of me, Bastian jerks awake with a sharp inhale. “It’s still snowing.” He’s already moving, his warmth disappearing as he slides out of bed.
I blink toward the windows. He’s right. The snow is falling so thick and fast that I can’t see anything beyond the glass.
“Jesus,” Kai mutters. “How long were we out? Feels like I slept for days.”
