It took me a few minutes to catch my breath as Keoni stood there patiently, holding my hand to his chest.
"I'm okay," I murmured as soon as I could speak, and Keoni hummed.
"Nightmare?"
I nodded, and he leaned down to press a kiss on my forehead. I reached up to pull him close, and it was only then that I remembered I wasn't wearing my prosthetic.
I sucked in a breath, freezing in place as I dropped my left arm. Had Keoni seen it already? He must've when he walked over, right?
Keoni pressed another kiss to my forehead, then whispered, "It's okay. I didn't look. I know you're not ready, and I would never force your hand."
God, why was he so good? And what was I so afraid of? He'd just made a pun with zero intention to do so, and I was pretty sure he'd die of horrified embarrassment if I pointed it out.
Keoni wasn't the type of person who'd be unnerved. He wouldn't care.
Swallowing hard, I decided to trust in Keoni and ignore my hang-ups.
"It's—it's fine," I said as I pulled Keoni closer and wrapped both arms around him. It was a bit of a cop-out, but it was something, right?
Keoni hugged me back, his arms tight around me as I tucked my head under his, glad I'd changed the height of our bed. I'd done it so Keoni could easily climb on and off, but this was a nice perk.
"Do you want to talk about it? Your nightmare?"
I opened my mouth to decline, but the words that left my lips were, "He tried to fix my arm."
Keoni was silent for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "The sorcerer?"
I nodded against his throat, breathing in his warm, sleepy scent as I tried not to remember the vivid nightmare. "He used magic, but he wasn't a healer, so I got an infection, and then the healer he called amputated more of my arm to save my life."
Keoni sucked in a breath, his arms tightening around me hard enough to hurt. Not that I minded. It felt good. Protective.
"That bastard. Are you sure he's dead?"
"Yes." I'd made sure of it.
"And the healer?"
"She was his friend. I... I killed her too," I confessed. I'd killed everyone closely associated with that man, and I'd neverregretted it, but I wondered if it would make Keoni see me differently.
The people at the Sanctuary had a certain image of me, a false image that I'd never tried to correct. What would Keoni think when he realized that?
Keoni
Zephyr seemed to be waiting for something. Judgment, maybe? Did he think I thought less of him now?
"Good," I said, making my voice strong and firm so he'd know I meant it. "I'm not much of a fighter, but I would've helped you take them all down if you hadn't. Fucking bastards."
Zephyr leaned back, and I could just about see his eyes in the dark room, though not well enough to read him. "Really?"
"They hurt you, Zephyr. When you were akid. They deserved what they got."
Zephyr was silent for a while, and I held him close, wishing I could take all his pain away.
A rapid-fire knock at the door pulled us apart, though I kept my arms around him as I called, "Who is it?" At the same time Zephyr waved his hand, unlocking the door.
Rei came in without a word, shutting the door behind her as she hopped onto the bed and hurried over to Zephyr.
"Are you okay?"
