The longer I remain still, listening, the closer I get to falling. I fight it as hard as I can, but the nothingness that sleep offers knocks on my mind. Oak argues with Briar and Silas about when his translations will begin, and warmth spreads through my cold body when I hear Oak mention that he won’t be leaving my side anytime soon.
I tell myself that it’s okay for me to drift off to sleep when I hear the words leave Oak’s mouth, and my entire body goes rigid, sending a wave of pain through my system.
“I have to tell you both something,” he whispers to Briar and Silas. “I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more. She seems to be her normal self, but there’s something else—a darkness I’ve never felt from her.”
He knows. Oh, Gods, he can feel something too.
My entire body goes rigid, causing a flash of pain to nearly make me flinch.
Briar chimes in, assuring him that it’s nothing to worry about, and I relax a little bit, knowing that she doesn’t feel anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it’s in our heads, and the effects of the injury are making me feel off. That’s all.
Oak speaks again, “I felt it before that.”
Dread envelops my broken body, and I nearly jolt up at that. He’s felt it longer than I have. How is this happening right now?
Sleep is near now; I can’t resist it or the medicine coursing through my body.
Stay awake.
I drift further down the tunnel of my mind, unable to make out their words. I only hear mumbles and the faint movements of my friends in the room with me. Before I completely fall asleep, I feel Oak sit down beside me, and his glow shines into the darkness of my mind brighter than the sun. I’m safe with him around; the darkness can’t find me with him close.
“You are not safe,” I hear a voice whisper into my mind as I fall asleep.
Iawake in pure darkness.
I take a moment to focus on my surroundings and calm my racing heart. Pain surges through me, but by now, the persistent throbbing feels normal. The house is not quiet. I hear footsteps echoing through the hallways, and the clang of metal resonates in the living space down the hall. Hushed whispers bring me back to my senses, and I muster all the strength I can to sit up in my bed.
Oak is in the far corner putting on his clothes when he notices that I’m awake. He bounds over to me.
“I’m so sorry I woke you up,” he says, cupping my face. “You should go back to sleep.”
“What is going on?” I ask.
He sighs, and I watch his face harden into concern and misery. “The ships are here.”
My stomach flips, and a wave of nausea almost makes me sick that very second.
“It’s going to be alright, darling,” Oak leans closer, his delicious scent flooding my system and calming my poundingheart. “Rose is going to stay with you. She is more than prepared.”
“You can’t go,” I move my hand to his and tighten my grip. “Please don’t go.”
“I have to.” Oak’s hand, still cradling my face, begins to trace softly along my jawline. “I can’t let them do this alone.”
Silence envelops the dark room, and I grimace for several reasons. My body aches now, echoing the pain in my heart.
I lower my gaze. “You are right.”
“I’m coming back, Maines.” His dark eyes shine into mine. “I will always come back to you.”
“If anything happens to you, Hombern.” Tears begin to well in my eyes. “I’ll… I’ll…”
“Nothing is going to happen to me,” he interrupts, noticing my increasingly frantic state.
“Oak,” I whisper.
He wastes no time in crashing his lips to mine as he slips his calloused hand behind my neck, gently bringing my face even closer to his. Fragile state or not, he’s using this moment to say goodbye. His tongue sweeps through my mouth, and despite the pain, I kiss him deeper.
A low guttural growl escapes from his chest that vibrates into mine, and his fingers tangle in my hair as he curls his hands into a fist.
