Jagged Embrace

Chapter 74 - Maeve

Maeve cracked the bathroom door and peeked out. Ander sat on his bed with his laptop and Will was gone. The tension left her body as she padded to Ander and sat next to him. It wasn't until she settled with her head resting on his left shoulder that she was aware of her actions. He didn't pull away from her and continued to work.

She glanced at the screen, but it seemed blurry, so she didn't read it. After a few moments, her eyes closed. Sometime later, they fluttered open. Bright light peeked through the curtains, hit her eyes and made her squint. She was still propped up against Ander, with no clue how long she'd been there sleeping against him. Embarrassed, she pulled away and sat straight, rubbing her face.

He turned to study her. "That was not a long enough nap. You are still pale."

She cleared her throat. "I'm fine."

"No, you are still tired. Your skin is always two shades lighter when you need rest," he said softly.

Maeve pinched her lips. That was something her father had always said when she was younger. Hearing Ander say it made her feel odd. Part of her was painfully aware of how long it had been since she'd spoken to her father, or any member of her family. She looked down, her eyes burned. She'd never speak to any of them again.

"Would you like to lie down? I can move."

She shook her head. Did Ander notice that because he studied people? Or did he just pay more attention to her? She pulled her teeth over her bottom lip. The sadness of losing her family made her chest hurt.

"You shouldn't have added anything to my tattoo without asking," she blurted out. Damn it, she hadn't meant to bring it up like that, but she wanted a distraction from her sadness. "I would've agreed, if you'd told me, but you should still ask." She raised her face after blinking her tears away.

"I..." He faltered and lowered his chin.

"I understand why and that it's what you do. It's your job to take care of things, but..." she moved her hand to cup his cheek and chin and tilted his head to see him and almost couldn't finish. His sharp beauty cut through her defenses and caused her to question why she wanted to correct him. "Please ask next time, okay?"

"Yes," he replied, and held her gaze.

His coolness cascaded over her in gentle waves, her previous forlorn emotions evaporated. Her heart thundered in her chest and she bit her lip. She needed to look away, but didn't want to. She wanted to pull him closer to her. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently moved her away. Instantly, the sparks that had spread over her skin stopped. She snatched her hand back as coldness washed over her and caused her to shiver.

"I only meant to protect you. Both Will and I discussed the best way to achieve - we have not been able to..." He raked his hair back as he frowned.

"It's okay. You weren't supposed to do this, either of you. I'm pretty sure in the Soldiers of Night handbook there isn't a chapter about dragging some woman around that needs protection all the time."

"Handbook?" His lips tilted up in the corners.

"Sure, you know, when you're in the Soldiers of Night school or boot-camp?" Her tone was light and teasing.

He chuckled. "There is no such handbook, but you are correct. We do not have a plan in place for watching over someone that travels with us for any length of time."

"What do you normally do with someone like me?"

"There are safe houses someone would stay at until the situation could be dealt with."

"Why am I not in a safe house?"

Ander shifted and averted his eyes. "It was determined-"

"Don't do that. Look at me - don't hide." She craved touching him again, but was nervous because he'd rejected her.