Page 48 of Sweet Poison

THE GIFT OF HER

Madden

“She found me in the dark and I haven’t

had a single bad day since.” – M

“Fucking great,” I grunt, slapping at my neck. It’s like the blood-sucking fuckers have taken a personal vendetta against me. I scan the trees, their trunks wrapped in creeping vines, feeling out of control. Everything looks the same.

We’re lost.

The forest is eerily quiet, the distant murmurs of her team completely gone. I glance at my phone—no signal. Checking the time, I see it’s well past twilight, and the sky above is darker than I realized. I should’ve been paying more attention, but I found myself held in a trance while the little fairy next to me talked my ear off about things that matter to her.

I try to remember the path we took, but the trees look different now, cloaked in the darkness. Night is falling quickly,and soon we’ll be covered in darkness making it harder to find our way back. Shit.

“Willow,” I say, glancing up at the sky, trying to remember what I once read about stars guiding you when you’re lost, “I think we’ve been out here too long. We should really find a way?—”

I stop mid-sentence when I see her lookup, her expression faltering as she notices the thickening dark around us. She hadn’t noticed?

“What time is it?” she asks, her voice trembling slightly. She checks her watch, but the dim light makes it hard to read.

I pull out my phone, but of course, there’s still no signal, and the battery is draining fast.

Willow’s face falls as she surveys our surroundings. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t realize...” She looks embarrassed and afraid. Seeing her like this stir something inside, a need to comfort her.

“Hey, hey,” I say, trying to reassure her, “we’ll find our way back. I got this.”

She nods, her hands trembling slightly as she closes her notebook, pulls out her phone and turns on the flashlight feature.

Making sure she’s safely behind me, I begin to guide us with the help of the phone’s light. I try to remember any distinct features of the path we took but it’s futile. I wasn’t paying attention and because of that we’re fucking lost. Looking down I think about retracing our steps by following our footprints but I can't see them and all of a sudden Willow’s phone turns off and with it our only source of light.

“Shit,” I grit my teeth, turning around to hand her phone back.

“I’m sorry.” The words come out as a barely audible whisper, her breath shaky. “I have a power bank, but I left it with the restof my equipment. I really didn't think we’d be out here this late and that I would lose track of time.”

As if on cue, rain begins to fall, drenching us quickly. Just our luck. Dammit.

“Stop saying sorry,” I say, frustration lacing my voice. I don’t like that she feels the need to apologize for being fucking human. Even in the dark, I can see her shoulders are hunched, and I feel her shivering.

She is going to get sick if we don’t find shelter, or make our way back to the team. “I–I’m just sorry I got us into this mess. If I’d just kept my mouth shut, I wouldn’t have gotten so distracted…” Her voice trails off, and I can see her shivering more noticeably as the rain soaks through her thin shirt.

“Stop, Willow,” I call softly, stepping closer. “It’s not your fault. I distracted you, so if you’re looking for someone to blame, blame me. Now here.” Without waiting for her to respond, I pull off my shirt, the cool night air hitting my skin. The shirt is damp from the rain, but it’s still warmer than her wet clothes. I hold it out to her, trying to ignore the discomfort of the cold air against my naked skin.

“No. Please. You don’t have to?—”

“It’s fine,” I interrupt, forcing my tone to soften.

Carefully, I pull the shirt off her shoulders, my fingers brushing against her skin as I ease it down her arms. The rain has left her clothes clinging to her like a second skin, and I try to be as gentle as possible to avoid hurting her in any way. At times I forget how tiny she is.

Wanting to help, she starts to pull her arms free of the sleeves, but I stop her. “Hold still,” I say, my voice calm as I slip the shirt all the way down, positioning it carefully so it drapes properly over her. As soon as she’s covered, I feel her shiver less as I adjust the shirt around her. “There,” I say, smoothing it down over her shoulders. “Better?”

The moonlight reflects off her face, allowing me to see her bit clearer. Willow looks up at me, her expression soft. Her gentle blue eyes linger on mine for a moment, and I catch a hint of something deeper in her gaze—something more than just gratitude. I can’t quite put a name to it, but it sends a flutter through me.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

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