Steel

Chapter 12

I felt the bed crease underneath someone's weight as they sat next to me on the side of the bed. My eyes fluttered open and I craned my neck upwards as my vision adjusted to the bright morning light. 

"I made you coffee," Grey murmured softly, handing me a white ceramic mug as I pulled myself upright with a groan. My wing was still very tender, but I had slept surprisingly well last night (no doubt thanks to Grey). 

"Thank you," I breathed out, holding the mug close to my body as it warmed me up. 

"How're you feeling?" Grey asked softly, his brows bunching together in concern as his silvery eyes drifted over my injured wing. 

"Fine. It hurts, but I slept well for the first time in months," I chuckled, taking a sip of the dark coffee. 

"Me too," he replied gently, eyes flicking back and forth between mine. "I'm sorry this happened to you. It's my fault."

"You didn't make her chuck those boulders at me. You didn't force her to hate me. She did that all on her own," I shrugged, wincing a little at the motion. 

"I should've never betrayed you like that, though. Even if I didn't know it would hurt you physically, I knew it would hurt you emotionally. I knew if you found out- if it had worked and had severed this soulmate bond- that you'd be upset," he confessed gently, his eyes searching mine for any resentment, but found none. 

"Grey, you were afraid. You didn't want to hurt me," I sighed, taking another sip. 

"No, but I knew it would if you found out and that didn't scare me off. And even though I didn't necessarily want to hurt you, I wanted to know you still cared. I knew that if you got pissed off, you still cared," he clenched his jaw slightly. 

"Grey. I get it. There were several moments that I'd wished I could go off and fuck someone else too. You felt like I had taken a choice away from you and I know a part of you resented me for it. Yeah, it sucked and it hurt, but I don't entirely blame you for it either," I lowered the mug into my lap and looked up at him. He reached forward, tucking a lock of my hair behind my ear. 

"I never resented you. I wanted to. I told myself I did. I told you I did. But I didn't- I couldn't. Even if you had taken a choice away from me, you'd saved your soul in the process, and I couldn't hate you for that. I couldn't hate you for saving the thing I value most in this world," he explained softly. 

"You know, had I known that Pledging my soul to you would bond us together for eternity, I never would've done that without asking you. I would never have taken that choice from you, even if it meant losing my soul," I frowned slightly. 

"I know. I know you didn't mean for it to end this way. You were always just as timid about commitment as I was," he chuckled dryly, taking one of my hands in his larger, calloused one. 

"Can I ask why you didn't-why you didn't sleep with anyone else? Even after I did?" He asked gently, eyes searching mine. 

"Well, first of all, I didn't know if it would have had the same reaction on me as you had, and I didn't want my skin burning off again," I snickered, "-but for me, if it wasn't you, I didn't want anyone. I don't want anyone else touching me."

His lips curled slightly in a satisfied smirk, and he ran his thumb over the back of my hand. "For what it's worth, that makes me happy," he murmured, pulling my hand up and gently pressing his lips to my knuckles. "Would you feel up to going and watching the training practice today? We don't have to, but I know you've been going there everyday at least twice a day if not more," he suggested, lowering our hands back down to the bed. 

"How did you know that?" I narrowed my eyes at him slightly, my lips curling in an amused smile. 

"I asked Barachiel to look out for you when I wasn't there. He told me whenever you were there and how you were doing," Grey admitted with a little grin.