Page 10 of Witch's Exile
4
SALMAC
Islid out of Deja and pulled her to my chest as I rolled onto my back. She sighed with contentment and held onto my biceps while our racing heartbeats returned to normal.
"Thank you for dinner. It was delicious," she whispered.
"Are you talking about the venison or what happened just now?" I teased.
"Why not both?" she giggled and planted a kiss on my sternum. "You satisfy me in so many ways."
"Good." I brushed my mouth against her forehead. "You know I live to make you happy, beautiful."
She lifted her head and looked at me, her golden eyes wide with worry.
"Do I makeyouhappy, Sal?"
The question took me by such surprise, a spark of anger lit up within me. How could she doubt the way I felt about her?
"Of course you do." I brushed a piece of dark hair out of her gorgeous face. "You're the reason why I know happiness exists."
She let out a sigh that seemed to take all the energy from her and lowered her head back to my chest without saying a word.
"What is it, beautiful?" I squeezed around her tighter, wishing I could do more. Making her feel better was not my strong suit. I couldn't talk to her on the same level as Ash or make her laugh like Raum. My biggest talent was killing to protect her, which seemed utterly useless in that moment.
And filling her belly with food, which I already did.
"I don't know," she admitted. "Just everything going on is making me feel like shit. Everyone's made me out to be this super powerful witch but I feel like I can't live up to that. I can't even sleep because of some stupid nightmares that make me feel like I'm haunted. And I haven't seen Raum in a week so now I'm wondering if he doesn't want to be with me anymore. "
"Stop that," I growled, my temper flaring up higher but not at her. "First of all, Raum is just being a little bitch. It's not you, it's his fucking ego. We'll talk to him and make the dumbass swallow his pride."
She made a noise into my chest that sounded like a giggle, which I took as a positive sign.
"Second of all, you are powerful," I continued. "But when it comes to magic, you're not perfect. You're still learning, babe, and you're doing just fine. Don't put all this pressure on yourself. Ash will push you because that's how he is, but you can still tell him to back off."
"It feels like there's no time for me to learn at my own pace." She slid a hand down to her belly. "If I don't remember Air magic as soon as possible, she'll kill me or the baby. And that's if the hunters don't find us first."
"That won't happen," I snarled. "Ash already set up an anchor to another safe house. We'll be out of here if we get even a whiff of hunters."
"And then what? We just keep running like a bunch of criminals?" she demanded. "What about when I'm full term? Or after the baby is born?"
"We'll figure it out." I wrapped my fingers around hers. "I promise, beautiful. We won't let anything happen to you."
"You and Ash keep saying that," she muttered. "Meanwhile I'm completely exhausted but terrified to go to sleep."
"Fuck."
I sat up abruptly and turned away from her, swinging my feet down to the floor. The urge to hit or kill something was overwhelming.
"Sal?" came her voice quietly from behind me.
"I'm sorry. I don't have the answers." My forearms rested on my knees while my hands clenched into fists. "And I fucking hate that I don't. I hate that the mother of my child feels like helpless prey and I can't protect you."
She said nothing for a moment, or if she did, I couldn't hear it over the blood pounding in my ears. When her soft hands came around my shoulders, the boiling aggression in me lowered to a simmer.
"I know you'll protect us, my lion." She pressed a gentle kiss behind my ear. "I'll never doubt you. Thank you for not doubting me."
I pulled her hand to my lips and kissed her palm. "I never have in seven thousand years and I'm not about to start now."
