“We aren’t afraid of you, Sable,” Archer says gently.
“No. I know.” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “It’s just… I think it would be harder for me to hurt you with an unexpected spell if you’re farther away.”
I exchange looks with the other men. It’s clear they all feel the same way I do. We don’t want to be without her. Not for a single night. But I trust Sable to know her boundaries, and if she says she feels weak and needs us to be away from her, I’m willing to cede to her judgment. It’s not so much out of my own self-preservation as it is to protect her—because if she accidentally hurt one of us, I know the guilt of it would wreck her.
Ridge nods. “All right. If that’s what you need. But you’ll take the bedroom.”
A look of relief smooths the planes of her face, and she closes her eyes for a brief moment. “Thank you.”
She gives us each a kiss goodnight, taking her time, doing it right. Maybe a little too right, since my lips are still tingling as she disappears down the dimly lit hallway. A moment later, the bedroom door clicks shut.
The living room is filled with nervous energy as the four of us decide where to sleep. Dare and Ridge shift and each curl up on a cushion on the couch, while Archer’s blond wolf drags a rug to the living room doorway and curls up. Not the most comfortable-looking spot, but he likely picked it so he can have better access to Sable if something goes wrong.
I’m still in human form, deciding maybe I’ll sleep on the mat just inside the front door. It’ll place me within line of sight to the bedroom, as well as making sure no one can sneak up on the house without me knowing about it. Sable might have learned that we have three days until the threat comes, but I still don’t want to take any chances. Just in case.
But before I shift, I glance down the hallway. I can practically feel Sable’s fear floating out of the bedroom.
I know what she asked for, and I understand why she did. She wants to keep us safe from her powers, which I get. I appreciate it. But she doesn’t need to be alone until she’s actually asleep. Not now, with so much weighing on her. She’s so good at keeping her chin up that it’s easy to forget her entire life has been torn apart and rebuilt around us. The thought of her curled up all alone, feeling as if she has no one, makes my feet turn of their own accord.
I walk softly past the other shifters, who barely glance at me before closing their eyes and letting me go. Maybe they sense her fear too, and despite how easily we all let her make the decision to sleep alone tonight, they know she shouldn’t be on her own right now.
It’s a strange feeling, this trust they’ve put in me to go take care of her.
The bedroom is cool, dimly lit by the small lamp on Archer’s bedside table. Sable’s propped up against the pillows, wide awake and holding the book of spells that the mountain witch gave her.
When our eyes meet, I know I’ve made the right decision. The fear in her blue gaze tugs at me. I realize she’s not afraid for herself—she’s afraid for everyone else around her. Even with a closed door between her and the rest of us, she’s still so worried she’ll hurt us.
She’s just so fucking good. She cares about other people more than she cares about herself, and it’s such a foreign concept to me that a person this honest and full of light could even exist on this planet.
I cross the room in three strides and pull her into my arms, holding her tight.
22
Sable
Of course it’s Trystan who goes against my wishes and barges into the bedroom like he owns the place.
But I can’t even be mad. The sight of him looming in the doorway, his shoulders so broad he barely fits, is a welcome one. Then he’s on the bed, his arms warm and real around me. I clutch his t-shirt and lean into him, breathing in his scent, taking strength in his presence.
Since I returned from my latest trip into Cleo’s mind, I’ve been working constantly to keep up a barrier inside my own head so that the coven leader can’t track me down. I don’t know how much she saw or felt, but I can’t risk her making her way into my head. God forbid she realize there’s a connection between us.
What if she could control me through the bond? Make me kill my mates? Make me destroy the East Pack’s village?
But I don’t know how long I can keep up these barriers. I don’t have any practice with them, and my magic is tenuous and uncooperative at best. I feel raw and on edge. I’ve been sitting here paging through Gwen’s book, wishing she were here to guide me, even if it means having to trust a stranger.
I feel so lost.
Trystan’s presence helps. Heat seeps from his skin, chasing away the chill I haven’t been able to shake. I nuzzle the warm skin of his neck and feel an aching desire for more. More skin on skin. More warmth.
As if he can read my mind, he takes the spell book from my hands and sets it on the bedside table. Then he grips my chin between his thumb and forefinger and lifts my face to his for a kiss.
It’s soft and slow at first. Just a promise that he’s here, that he’ll take care of me, that nobody can hurt me while he’s holding
