\u201cStop being alarmist,\u201d Jacqueline said quietly.\u00a0 She settled against him, her head against his shoulder and hair tickling his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cWho else would be coming after us now?\u00a0 We\u2019ve risen to the challenge of all comers, Phelan.\u00a0 We\u2019ve earned our quiet.\u00a0 Everything\u2019s going to be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a comforting lie,\u201d he murmured, \u201cbut we both know that\u2019s exactly what it is\u2014a lie.\u00a0 It\u2019s the one we tell ourselves so we can sleep at night.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither of us appear to be sleeping right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he admitted.\u00a0 \u201cI guess we\u2019re not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo are you going to tell me what\u2019s actually bothering you, or are you just going to lay here in this bed and be vague and fret all night?\u00a0 All that does it make me worry, y\u2019know.\u00a0 Then I look like hell in the\u00a0 morning and Marin asks me if something\u2019s wrong and I have to tell her and that gets her involved\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
Phelan groaned.\u00a0 \u201cIs this what they call the dark side to a relationship?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly.\u00a0 I\u2019m not really sure.\u201d\u00a0 Her hand brushed along his healing side and he flinched slightly, reaching down to capture her fingers.\u00a0 She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m worried about you.\u00a0 I\u2019m always worried about you.\u00a0 I\u2019m not sure if I like it or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be.\u00a0 It\u2019s not your fault\u2014most of the time, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sighed and let go of her hand, wrapping his arms around her and holding on tight.\u00a0 \u201cThe Hecate isn\u2019t going to stop coming after me just because Leinth was willing to throw herself between us.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know why she wants what she wants, but once she\u2019s got her sights set on something, she doesn\u2019t back off until she\u2019s gotten it.\u00a0 I\u2019ve seen it before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long has she been after you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGods only know,\u201d Phelan said.\u00a0 \u201cI lost track of the years and who\u2019s been hunting.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had a lot of time and opportunity to piss people off, Jac.\u00a0 It\u2019s just another part of my existence.\u00a0 Can you\u2014?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHandle that?\u00a0 I wouldn\u2019t be here if I couldn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 She kissed his jaw gently.\u00a0 \u201cSleep, Phelan.\u00a0 She\u2019s not coming for you tonight\u2014and if she does, she\u2019s not going to make it any closer than the walls.\u00a0 We both know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s only a matter of time,\u201d he murmured sleepily.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust like everything else.\u201d\u00a0 She kissed his ear.\u00a0 \u201cSleep,\u201d she whispered.\u00a0 \u201cSleep, Phelan.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled softly and drifted off into dreams.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cStop being alarmist,\u201d Jacqueline said quietly.\u00a0 She settled against him, her head against his shoulder and hair tickling his cheek.\u00a0 \u201cWho else would be coming after us now?\u00a0 We\u2019ve risen to the challenge of all comers, Phelan.\u00a0 We\u2019ve earned our … Continue reading