Page 56 of Shadowed Bond

I don’t know what to say, so I kiss her forehead. It’s quick. Barely anything. But she stills like I’ve just handed her something precious, and then her arm tightens around me.

Goddess.

This woman.

I close my eyes for a second, letting myself feel it.

Her warmth.

Her scent.

The bond.

The fact that she’s here and breathing and in my arms and not lying pale in a hospital bed with poison in her veins while I stood there uselessly wanting to tear the world apart.

“I was scared,” I mutter before I can stop myself.

She goes still.

Fuck.

There it is.

Too much.

I keep my eyes closed, because it’s easier that way. “When you collapsed. When you wouldn’t wake. I fucking hated it.”

His Love Language

Charlotte

Ilook up at him. I can tell how hard it is for him to express himself, and as much as teasing him might make me smile, his words hit somewhere deep inside of me.

He cares.

“I know, I mean it’s why you were there when I woke up…” I say quietly, tracing circles on his chest. This man’s pecs are incredible. I don’t make it harder for him; instead, I press myself fully against him, closing any minuscule gaps.

It feels far too right, lying here beneath the warm covers with Ares beside me, his body moulded against mine. The room is quiet except for the rain tapping against the window, and it feels perfect.

I am not sure either of us knows what to do with that.

His touch is unnervingly gentle in comparison to the frown on his face, but I’m beginning to realise it’s just part of who he is, and when I rest my head against his chest, his other hand caresses my waist comfortingly. The only problem is it awakens that desire again, and if I wasn’t so weak I might have initiated again, but the last thing I want is for me to faint while we’re having sex and everyone learning of it.

I smile, brushing my hand down his abs, making him tense, his hand on my waist tightening slightly. His gaze drops to my mouth for half a second, then lifts again, and there is something almost awkward in the way he looks away, as if he can face monsters, gods and collapsing tunnels but not intimacy like this.

“You need food,” he says, as if talking about food makes things easier to process.

“Is food the only thing that you have on your mind?” I ask.

“Not anymore,” he murmurs, and then he gives me this small, almost smile, and Goddess help me, I think I like it more than his smirk. It grows slightly, but I don’t know what to say, not when he’s looking at me like that.

Then there’s a knock on the door, and we both turn towards it, Ares sending a wave of water its way, blocking it from being opened, and I realise he never locked it.

“Ma’am, Alpha, I’ve brought food for the two of you on Luna Delsanra’s orders,” a member of staff says. Ares and I exchange looks, and he nods in approval before letting go of me, about to get up. Then he pauses and, turning, rests his elbow on the bed before leaning down, placing a soft kiss on my forehead and then he gets up.

Damn, those man buns look as good as they felt… He pulls on his pants before grabbing his shirt and tossing it at me. I catch it, watching him walk to the door before he opens it wide enough to grab the tray, but not wide enough that whoever is on the other side can peer inside.

I pull the shirt on as he grabs the tray and kicks the door shut behind him. “Please lock it this time,” I say with amusement. He simply gives me a look, comes over, places the tray down in front of me, and then he actually goes to lock it.