Page 126 of Bend

We head back toward the house, the air colder now, clouds sitting heavy over the trees. A few drops of rain start hitting my face before we make it inside.

Draygon opens the front door and waits for me to step through first.

The place is even nicer inside.

Old wood floors. Dark beams across the ceiling. Stone walls in places, big windows looking out over the trees, and enough little hallways branching off everywhere that I’m definitely going to get lost at least once.

Draygon steps in beside me.

“Come on. I’ll show you the room I grabbed for you.”

Before I can answer, he takes my hand.

Just does it.

Like it’s the most normal thing in the world.

His fingers lace through mine and he starts toward the stairs, pulling me with him.

I look down at our hands for half a second.

Okay then.

The staircase curves up through the middle of the house, old wood under our feet, framed paintings lining the walls. Everything smells faintly like rain, old stone and whatever wood they’ve got burning somewhere deeper in the house.

We pass the first landing, then keep going to the second floor.

There’s a long hallway up here with rooms on both sides, tall windows at the far end showing nothing but gray sky and trees bending slightly in the wind.

Draygon slows near one of the doors.

“Revel’s there,” he says, nodding toward the room on one side. “Mine’s on the other.”

I look at him.

He doesn’t even pretend that was accidental.

Then he opens the door between them.

“This one’s yours.”

I step inside.

My bags are already sitting on the bed where he left them earlier.

The room is huge. Old wooden floors, a big bed pushed against one wall, thick curtains framing tall windows, and a small fireplace across from it. Through the glass, I can see the trees stretching down toward the water.

“Okay,” I say, looking around. “You did good.”

Draygon follows, closes it behind him, and turns the lock. The click cuts through the room, suddenly making everything feel real.

For a moment, neither of us moves.

Then he crosses the space between us.

His hand slides around the back of my neck before his mouth comes down on mine. The kiss isn’t careful. It carries every text, every near miss, and every look he’s given me since the night we met in that bar.

My fingers fist in the front of his jacket as he guides me backward until my shoulders meet the wall beside the door. His body settles close without crushing me, solid and warm enough to make the rest of the room disappear.