Even though it’s only early afternoon, I feel so sapped of energy that I crawl into bed next to him, cursing him out the whole way. Only Torin would waste what little power he’dregained to bring back his mount like the selfish asshole he is. The ball of anxiety in my stomach is back worse than ever.
I swallow the lump in my throat while I tuck myself against Torin, cursing him until sleep takes me because I want himwellaware that I’m pissed. The only issue is that sleep takes a long time since my mind runs wild as I lie in the darkness, my fears chasing me the whole way.
Soft touches stir me from my dreams. I can’t even remember what I was dreaming about, but it made me feel uneasy and anxious. So when I wake up, I’m disoriented, especially because I can’t see when Kit is still asleep.
Something brushes against my cheek and I realize Kit must have kicked me awake, but when I feel it again, my hand hesitantly reaches out and gently touches what was brushing against me.
“Torin?”
Only silence fills the room, but I can still feel the soft touch of his thumb as it travels over my cheek, telling me that he’s awake.
“Kit, wake up,” I say as I jostle her. She’s none too pleased but opens her eyes so I can see that Torin has his eyes slightly open. When I check the time on my phone, I see that it’s a little after midnight. “Torin… dammit.” My hand tightens on his. “Why did you focus your magic on that thing instead of healing?”
“Because…” he whispers softly. I have to lean in to hear him better. “Because… I hate the subway.”
I stare at him and question how the hell I’ve spent the past six days of my life horribly concerned about him.
Then he smiles and tries to drag me closer, but he’s too weak to do so. And even though I want to curse him out, yell at him,and tell him how angry I am, all I end up doing is rolling in tighter. Kit is already back to sleep, so I can’t see his expression, but I can feel the soft brush of his fingers before they still.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Torin
When I wake this time, I feel slightly more alive, even if the ‘hole in the chest’ thing seems to be slowing me down a bit. I was quickly humbled in that fight as I discovered just how far my power had dwindled.
So then why do I feel more powerful now than before this whole ordeal?
I look down at Riley, who is tucked in my arms. His beautiful face is a peculiar shade of purple and yellow from the bruises spread over his cheek, eye, and forehead. He has stitches on his forehead, and I realize that I don’t know where else he was hurt.
All because I lacked any power to do anything about it.
When they dragged him through the Door, all I could think about was getting him back. In a fight against an opponent like the man on the horse, one knows that you never turn your back on them. You have to stay focused at all costs when every move made determines the outcome… but Riley was too much of a cost. The second he was dragged through the Door, all of my focus was ripped away from the man I was fighting and onto Riley, even knowing that the man could kill me.
Why am I so focused on this human? It goes against everything I am. Everything I believe in. I slowly reach over to push the neck of his shirt down to check for any other wounds when he opens his eyes. The illusion makes it hard for me to tell whether he’s actually seeing me or not, but a simple glance at Kit, who is chasing mice in her dreams, tells me he isn’t.
“Good morning,” I say.
He gently reaches out to me, and I smile when his fingers brush my cheek. Yes, this is the man I can’t look away from. The very man who?—
Riley wraps his hand around my neck and shakes me. “You ungrateful, selfish asshole of a man,” he snarls.
My euphoria is cut short.
“I really felt like this was going to be a cheek caress.”
“You don’t deserve any cheek caresses,” he snipes as Kit wakes up. She takes one look at her master and then seems to think this is nothing of concern and casually watches.
“Why? Do I deserve pity sex, at the very least? I saved your life,” I remind him.
He definitely doesn’t wear the expression of someone willing to have pity sex. “Yes, and when I saved yours, you squandered it!”
“I squandered it?” I ask before looking beyond him to where I can feel a familiar magic, and it hits me that it wasn’t just a dream… I really did bring Quill back. “Quill?” No… that can’t be right… can it? But I’m not wrong, I can feel him. “Quill!”
I leap from bed and rush over to the door before looking back and finding Riley sitting there looking upset about something. I hurry back to him and grab his hand. “Riley, come, you must meet Quill. You’re going to be blown away when you meet him.”
“I already met him,” Riley grumbles as I drag him after me. “Don’t you think you should be resting? You’re still not fully healed.”
“I feel fine,” I assure him, towing him downstairs to where Quill seems to have let himself into the palace. He perks up when he hears me on the stairs and rushes up to me. I tug Riley up to him before I wrap my arms around Quill, hands sinking into his mane. My hand is still attached to Riley’s, so he kind of gets dragged into the reunion.
