Cat Eyes: Sirius (Marien's POV only)

Chapter 42: Unwavering

I took another sip.

"Has she seen us?" I asked with some embarrassment. "I mean... from your garden, here sleeping..."

I felt his smile through my hair.

"I don't know... For respect reasons, she must not have come here. Her room overlooks the first garden anyways."

I took another sip to stifle the embarrassment and sighed.

"Well... it relieves me." I held the cup with one hand, and with the other one, I slid my index finger down his chest. "How I longed to have you."

I felt his smile again. He cocked his face and kissed me on the forehead. I continued sipping as my fingertips ran over his skin. The wounds marks were about to disappear. However, the wound on my arm would take longer: humans' average and mediocre time.

I was about to finish the liquid; it had given me heat. He took my hand and brought it up to his lips.

"You must sleep," he whispered against the back of my hand.

"Sleep with me."

I finished the liquid, and he made me lie down again to lay on his side next to me, wrapping the quilt around and pulling me against his chest. I felt like a butterfly cocoon. I also felt warm but was immensely happy to sleep, delighting in his glorious scent. 

***

When I woke up, I felt hot. I had sweated a lot and was almost soaked. I didn't like that feeling, but there was something else: I no longer felt bad. I could swear I was healed. There must have been something in those herbs besides warming my body to the temperature of the liquid. 

Sirius was still holding me against his chest and was fast asleep. I felt terrible for being so inconsiderate. I hadn't asked how many days they had had him without food or sleeping. Although, on second thought, perhaps he wouldn't know.

I didn't want to wake him up. I moved a few inches apart and stared at his face, so peaceful and young, infinitely mine.

I spent about twenty minutes watching him. Maybe, I was unsure, letting the afternoon begin to end, thinking about so many things, especially what I wanted to do from now on. I wanted to live calmly with him, forgetting about the problems. 

Now that the evolved people were seen with different eyes, the hope of achieving that was growing in me. It only remained to make sure that Orion didn't look for him anymore and finish fixing things with his society to be in a kind of truce.

Sirius frowned, pulling me out of my thoughts. He tensed and started to growl low in his throat—another nightmare. My heart contracted. Was it that from now on, he would no longer sleep peacefully?

I managed to get my arm out of my wrap and caressed his face, but he kept growling and began to gasp for breath. I pulled out my other arm, hugging him.

"My love, I'm here," I murmured in his ear.

He stopped growling and pulled me against his body, letting me know he was awake. I sighed and stroked his hair. It was official. We were two traumatized people. I kissed his forehead, and his piercing predator eyes rested on mine.

"Sorry, I woke you up."

I shook my head, smiling tenderly, and began to caress his face.

"I had already woken up. I was watching you sleep."

He offered me his beautiful, dreamy smile.

"Are you feeling better?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, thank you... I have sweated a lot, tho."