Page 87 of The Guardian's Curse

“Shoshanna,” he said.

“Just lie with me,” she said quietly. “Thank you for helping me tonight.” Her hands slid to his, holding his left hand tightly. He could feel the tug of that thread again, and a strange tension around his pinky finger, as if he wore a tight ring.

“Of course,” he murmured. “I will do whatever I must to keep you safe.”

There was a thump, then a puzzled mrow? as the little black cat padded down the length of the bed. It tilted its head, then carefully climbed onto Alistair’s leg and walked up to lie atop his ribs. The cat’s tail flicked in his face. “Your cat objects to my presence, it seems.”

“It’s fine, little man,” Shoshanna said with a laugh. “You’re going to have to get used to him.”

A smile crossed his lips. “Will he?”

“Indeed,” she said. “Unless you object to being in bed with me.”

“And here I thought you were clever,” he said.

She chuckled and said, “Besides, he’s purring. That means he likes you. I know I do.”

“And I you,” he said. He swept back his hood and kissed the back of her neck. “When I sleep, I will dream of you.”

“Naked?”

“I was trying to be romantic, and you’re so crass,” he teased.

She laughed. “I apologize.”

“But now that you’ve said so, I’m sure nudity will be involved at some point,” he said. She laughed again, a full-bodied sound that broke through his gloom for a moment. “What does it mean for us? That we are soulmates. I thought it was a poetic notion, not a concrete reality.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe when this is done, I’ll be able to study it more. With you.” She wriggled her hips back against him, stoking a low flame. “I wonder if I...if I feel the way I do for you because of the bond, or if the bond began because of my feelings for you. Did it happen because we are in this situation, or did fate bring me to your door? Which came first?”

“The questions of a wise philosopher,” he said solemnly. He stroked her arm, then reluctantly pulled away. She gave him a quizzical look, but he began to rub her shoulders, squeezing out the knots of tension. A smile spread on her lips as she shifted to lie on her belly, resting her head on her folded arms. “Go to sleep. I’ll be here until you’re in the land of Nod, as they say.”

She sighed happily and said, “Alistair?”

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier,” she said. “I know you only want to protect me.”

“It’s all right,” he said.

“I just don’t want to go to sleep with that hanging between us,” she said.

“Consider the air cleared,” he said. “You can sleep easy, sweet little witch.”

As her eyes closed again, words of power tried to crawl from the safe silence of his mouth. He fought to keep them there, where they could do no harm. Even with her revelation, he feared that the mystical thread would dissolve if he was clumsy.

I love you. I would do anything for you.

And in his silence, she fell asleep. Her breathing slowed, and the tension flowed out of her as he rubbed her shoulders. When she was deeply asleep, he slowly stroked her back, occasionally toying with one of those silky curls. As fierce and intelligent as she was, she was so vulnerable and fragile.

He waited as late as possible to leave. His phone tweeted an alarm from across the house, but he ignored it, slowly extricating himself and pulling the blanket up to her shoulders. He laid a feather-light kiss on her cheek and murmured, “Good night, my love.”

What would he do if he woke to find her encased in stone like Lucia? He had to talk her out of this. She was so determined to fix every damned thing that she would doom herself. He would gladly live with his curse for all eternity if it meant she stayed safe.

“I will do whatever I must,” he said again quietly.

With the words lingering on his tongue, he hurried downstairs to sleep. The sun’s approach had him feeling achy and lethargic. He drew the curtains around his bed, plunging himself into deep darkness. “I love you,” he murmured, hoping the words would find their way into her dreams.

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