Cameron brushed his hand lightly over Neve\u2019s hair before he stretched and rose from his seat on the edge of the bed.\u00a0 Behind him, she murmured something and reached for him, more asleep than awake.\u00a0 He smiled and tucked their blankets a little higher.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay asleep a little longer,\u201d he murmured.\u00a0 \u201cIf anything really needs your attention, I\u2019ll come get you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t even open her eyes, just snuggled deeper into the covers and sighed softly.<\/p>\n
Cameron kissed her temple and started getting dressed.\u00a0 It was still fairly early, unless he missed his guess.\u00a0 Camp still seemed quiet\u2014not that it ever got that loud, not with the community being as small as it was.\u00a0 Maybe he\u2019d be able to catch up with Thom or Thordin, J.T. or Phelan before someone else waylaid them with something more important than his curiosity.<\/p>\n
I need to talk to Phelan about this damn sword.<\/i><\/p>\n
It hung scabbarded from a peg on the wall, its hilt gleaming dimly in the lamplight.\u00a0 It looked brand new and utterly ancient all at once, beautiful and mysterious and deadly.<\/p>\n
The sword was Excalibur, and he still couldn\u2019t quite fathom the circumstances that brought it to his hand.<\/p>\n
I never believed in fate.\u00a0 So why did it happen to me?<\/i><\/p>\n
It was a question he\u2019d asked himself over and over again since the day he\u2019d found out what it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could come back to bed,\u201d Neve murmured from her cocoon of blankets.\u00a0 Her eyes were shining crescents in the dim light, half hidden by shadows and the comforter she\u2019d half pulled over her head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s dragging you out into the cold?\u201d\u00a0 One of her hands inched from beneath the covers, reaching for him.<\/p>\n
He smiled and finished tugging on his pants before he went back over to her and took her hand, squeezing her fingers gently.\u00a0 \u201cOne of us has to show our faces so they know we\u2019re still alive, right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMm.\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes slid closed again.\u00a0 \u201cI guess so, maybe.\u00a0 Will you be long?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll come check on you after breakfast,\u201d Cameron said softly.\u00a0 \u201cWould you like me to bring you any?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTea,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe some bread or toast or something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m bringing you meat if she made some,\u201d Cameron said as he stepped away again to tug on a sweatshirt.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as it\u2019s not venison.\u201d\u00a0 Neve curled into a tighter ball, tugging the blankets higher up over her head.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know what it did to my stomach\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t bring you any venison,\u201d he promised.\u00a0 \u201cNot for a few weeks, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d\u00a0 She shivered and he tried not to wince.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you all right?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d she murmured.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m just tired, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStill?\u201d<\/p>\n
She snorted from underneath the blanket.\u00a0 \u201cCam, I worked magic when I sang those spirits home to their rest.\u00a0 Why do you think I was so adamant that Phelan find someone else to do it?\u201d<\/p>\n
He rocked back against his heels.\u00a0 \u201cI didn\u2019t realize\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one except for Phelan and I\u2014and maybe Thordin\u2014did.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed quietly.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll be all right.\u00a0 I\u2019ll just want to sleep for a few more days.\u00a0 That probably has more to do with how much I still hurt, though less than anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHas nothing to do with other things, huh?\u201d\u00a0 Cameron managed to smile at her as he snagged his jacket from near the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell,\u201d Neve said softly.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe a little.\u00a0 Probably a little.\u201d\u00a0 Her eyes came open again.\u00a0 \u201cTurn off the lamp when you leave?\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.\u00a0 \u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gave her one last kiss and turned down the lamp before he walked out the door.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cameron brushed his hand lightly over Neve\u2019s hair before he stretched and rose from his seat on the edge of the bed.\u00a0 Behind him, she murmured something and reached for him, more asleep than awake.\u00a0 He smiled and tucked their … Continue reading