Echoed Lullabies (Lunar Chronicles x Reader)

Chapter 34

When I woke, I was still in that dreamlike, half-asleep phase. A gentle fog clouded my mind, but I didn't necessarily dislike the feeling. I was cozy. Comfortable. A gentle smile lingered on my lips.

I moved to stretch my hands above my head, but froze when I felt a weight pressing down upon me. My eyes snapped open. Any groggy contentedness evaporated.

There was a hand thrown over me.

Against my will, a curtain of warmth embraced me. With flaming cheeks I began sliding across the mat away from Thorne's arms.

I was nearly out of his reach when his arm looped around my waist and tugged me backwards so that my shoulder blades were flush against his chest. His head fell to the crook of my neck.

I froze up, unsure of what to do. As much as I tried, it was impossible to ignore his knee resting against the back of mine. His fingers splayed out over my side. The warmth of his breath on my shoulder.

My edges curled like a piece of paper held too close to a fire. Ignoring this new unwelcome feeling, I found myself thanking every star in the sky that he was still asleep. If he was awake I might have died of embarrassment.

I swallowed and furrowed my eyebrows, trying to gain some control of my thoughts. Another attempt at shimmying away caused him to release a puff of air against the shell of my ear.

"Stop moving," he murmured groggily.

"I—uh..." I faltered when his thumb began stroking the side of my ribs. I paid no attention to the way my blood ran hotter. "I need to check on Cress." The words tumbled out of me.

Thorne sighed, causing strands of hair to brush the side of my face. "Fine," he hummed, eyes still closed. He rolled to the other side of the mattress. It was surprisingly cold without him beside me.

I inhaled shakily. This was exactly the kind of situation I had wanted to avoid in the first place.

Hastily, I grabbed my holster and sped out of the tent.

* * *

Thorne didn't wake up until late afternoon. When he did, he found me by the fire pit with some of the others.

He settled on the mat beside me with a sigh. "What time is it?"

"A little after lunch," I replied. I didn't even glance in his direction, but he wouldn't have known that.

Thorne felt for the plate in my lap and his fingers grazed above my knee. I inhaled, but he either didn't hear me or he didn't care. He grabbed a piece of the dried meat off the wooden dish and stuck it in his mouth.

"I'm starting to get sick of all this addax," he commented, unbothered.

"Addax is easy to cook," Kwende said.

"Once we're in Khufra you'll be able to browse the market," Niels told him. He bit into the side of an apricot.

"I didn't mean any offense," Thorne said. "We're very grateful you are feeding us, of course."

At that moment, one of the tent flaps slid open. Out hobbled Cress.

"She rises!" yelled Kwende.

An unexplainable surge of relief rushed through me. I stood and crossed to her in a heartbeat.

"You're awake!" I exclaimed.

"Y-yeah, I—"

I pressed a hand to her forehead, then the back of her neck. "Your fever's gone down. We were so worried. Never scare us like that again."