Page 62 of Ghosts of the Dead

His chest is a furnace at my back with his arm draped over my waist and his fingers splayed warm over my stomach beneath my shirt. His breathing is slow and sleepy, and I don’t want to wake him. He’s so sweet when he sleeps. Especially when he’s not fighting for his life.

I close my eyes and just let myself be, for once, in this broken world. This is the first time since Summer was taken that I’ve woken up without fear sitting heavy on my chest, worried they would come for me next.

Across the dying embers, Caspian sleeps with his back against a concrete wall. Luna traded me for him overnight, curling against his side with her head resting on his thigh. One of his hands rests in her fur, as if he’s been petting her before falling asleep. It’s strange seeing them both so comfortable with another. They’re good for each other. The sight makes me smile. Maybe they both needed someone to trust again.

My gaze drifts upward to where Jace sleeps on top of the car. One arm is flung over his eyes and the other dangles offthe edge with the scrap of fabric we’d found hanging from his fingers. Even in his sleep, his body looks tense, ready to spring into action at the first sign of trouble. Though, it’s nice to see him sleeping for once.

The world is still broken. My sister’s still missing. But here, in this moment, I’m not running or fighting for my life. I’m here, cocooned in warmth and safety among these three men who’ve somehow become my protectors, and maybe even something more.

Mars shifts behind me, and I feel the soft brush of his lips at the curve of my shoulder before I even register he’s awake. “Morning,” he whispers, his voice still rough with sleep.

“Hey,” I smile.

Neither of us says anything for a second, then he breaks the calm silence. “You okay?”

I nod against his arm that’s doubling as my pillow.

His fingers brush against the bare skin of my stomach. “I mean it. If you’re not…”

“I am,” I cut in with a soft smile. “Thank you for your concern, but I really am.” I turn in his arms to face him. His jet-black hair is tousled and sleep-mussed. There’s a bruise on his jaw I hadn’t noticed before. Probably from whatever happened between him and Jace last night. His eyes, his pitch-black eyes, are so soft when they look at me.

He brushes his thumb slowly across my cheek. “You sure?”

Without thinking, I kiss the center of his palm. The way his thumb brushes my cheek after makes my heart stutter. “Yes. Last night was…good.”

His mouth lifts into a crooked smile. “Good?”

I raise a brow. “You want a rating?”

His grin spreads. “Only if I’m getting five stars.”

I don’t get a chance to answer. In one smooth motion, Mars tightens his hold around me and shifts us both so I’mstraddling his waist and lying flat against his chest. I can feel his heart thudding beneath my palm, our mouths close enough that our breath mingles in the cool morning air.

The sudden movement pulls a giggle from my throat. The sound surprises me. It almost doesn’t feel like mine.

“Five stars,” I confirm, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth. “What about me? Do I get a rating?” Heat creeps up my neck. “Wait, no, don’t answer that. I mean…never mind.”

Mars’s eyes soften as he tucks a strand of purple hair behind my ear. “Sweetheart, I’d give you every star in the night sky if I could.”

My laugh catches in my throat. The way he looks at me in that moment warms me all over and makes my chest ache in a different way. The sheer sincerity of his words is almost too much to handle.

From across the camp, Luna lifts her head, ears twitching at the sound I made. Her ears twitch again before she settles back against Caspian with a contented sigh.

I lean in and kiss Mars before sitting up and brushing my hair back from my eyes. Morning light softens the sharp edges of the world, but it’s still hell.

At least this time, I’m not alone in it. Not anymore.

We find a pharmacy mid-morning,much to my relief. Jace had been up before dawn, already poring over the clues we found, ready to continue the search with or without me. He’d worked himself into such a frustration that he passed out on the car before the sun came up, but the moment he woke again, he was ready to get moving. Now that we’ve found proof Summer was alive, he seems almost as desperate to find her as I am, but in a more controlled, tactical way that’s unmistakably Jace.

The pharmacy sign hangs crooked, half its letters missing. Most of the windows have been smashed in, and the front door swings in the breeze like it’s waving to us. A rusted welcome to disappointment.

Mars offers to go in first, but I shake my head. “I’ve got it.”

After Jace and Mars fought, they’d gone back to the bunker together to make sure we didn’t miss anything. They’d found medication bottles with a faded pharmacy label. The name was barely legible, but it matched this location. It could be nothing, but right now, it’s all we have, so here we are.

The place is mostly stripped. Shelves are bare and prescription bottles scatter across the floor. It’s almost as empty as the shell of a small storefront we’ve been camping out in. I push past the dust and twisted metal, stepping over debris as quietly as I can.

Jace moves with me, sticking close to my side. His eyes constantly sweep our surroundings, his hand never straying far from his pistol. He hasn’t said much since his fight with Mars, the one that left them both matching bruises, but I appreciate his unwavering commitment to his promise. I fully believe we’ll find her, and that’s all because of these guys and their refusal to give up, even when I have.

---