“Hey?Is that really all you have to say? I thought you were—” I shake my head, unable to even speak the words. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Seth sucks in a ragged breath that has me clutching him tighter. “I’m so sorry, Sunshine. I tried to stop Bane from waking up. I never wanted him to hurt you. I failed you.”
“You could never fail me, Seth.You came back to me.I missed you so fucking much.”
“You don’t have to say that, Sunshine. I know you don’t mean it.” He turns his head away from me and leaves me gaping at his handsome profile.
“Seth, look at me. I didn’t mean what I said. Please believe me. I would have said anything to keep you safe, and that’s the only thing true that happened in that dell. You are everything to me, and the last place I want to be is away from you. It’s been killing me to think that I might never get the chance to tell you how much I love you. That I will always love you. And I will never stop loving you. I will never leave you. I know sometimes that you’ll have to leave me, but I will always be here waiting for you to come back to me. Please say you believe me.”
“I believe you, Sunshine. And I’m glad to hear it. It would have made growing old together really fucking awkward if you didn’t want to be with me.” A laugh bursts out of me. It’s such a Seth thing to say. The perfect mix of romantic and unhinged. I kiss him then because it’s been too long, and he groans like he feels the same. “So you and Zeke, huh?”
I hit his chest. “Don’t tell me you’re jealous. You said you were fine with it.”
Seth hums. “Yes, well, you just remember, I’m a lot more fucking fun than he is.”
“He’s not so bad.” When Seth scowls at me like a jealous boyfriend, it takes an effort to be a good girlfriend and hide my amusement from him. I’m just so fucking happy to see him.
Seth’s smile breaks free like he read my mind, and then he hops to his feet with awhoop. He holds out a hand to help me up, and with my palm still in his, Seth lifts my hand and twirls me around, and I’m laughing again as I let him. He lets me go and then dances away while singing “My Girl” by the Temptations.
He hops onto the slab like it’s his stage, and when he hops back off, Seth shoves his fingers through his hair to get it out of his face. His forehead and cheekbones are on display again, making him look more like Seth.
He’s back.
He’s really fucking back.
“I’m surprised you forgave me so easily. To be honest, I thought I’d have to grovel a little more.”
Seth hooks a finger in one of my belt loops and pulls me onto his lap as he takes a seat on the slab. I fight off a shiver when he runs his nose along my collarbone where my shirt is torn. “I’m crazy about you, Sunshine. You never have to grovel to get me on my knees. I don’t want you to either. I’m yours. My heart is yours. You can break it a thousand times and I’ll just piece it back together for you to do it again.”
“I have no intention of breaking you, Seth.”
“You probably have a lot of questions,” I say when I catch him looking around again.
“Actually, I only have one. Why are we in a cave? Don’t get me wrong. It’s a nice cave, except for the fact that it’s a cave. It doesn’t really seem like you.”
I tell Seth about Meera and her pups, Bane waking up hours later like a delayed fuse, the storm, and waking up here. I tell him about my encounter with Bane, which seems to disturb him even more, and then Bane’s warning not to go back to the cabin.
“Did he say why?” Seth asks once I’m done.
“Only that I wasn’t safe there.”
“Hmm.”
“Any idea why?”
“No.” Seth sighs as he slides his hands into his pockets. “None. I’ve kind of been preoccupied keeping the son of a bitch from getting out.” He eyes me then. “Are you sure he didn’t hurt you?”
“I’m sure. Bane is, um…not what I expected.”
“Oh yeah? How was he?”
“Well, for one, he kept saying I was his, and then he saved my life. More than once. I really don’t think he wants to hurt me.”
“Bane is dangerous, Aurelia. If he’s fixated on you, it’s just one more reason to be afraid.”
“Maybe, but… I don’t know.” Just then, my stomach growls, so Seth and I search the cave for my boots, which Bane hid behind some rocks, and then we leave the cave to hunt for food.
I show him the narrow passage I found, and we squeeze through.
