Page 63 of City of the Lost
Azren sighed. “Later.”
“Azren, I don’t have the ...”
Don’t have what? What would happen ... Oh. Hello, sleep.
* * *
Sleep wasa rolling sea that held me captive, tugging me under after each wave. Consciousness remained just outside of my grasp, but the world seeped into the soothing depths of slumber in dribs and drabs: the caress of a calloused finger on my cheek, the brush of lips on my forehead, and the clasp of cool fingers on my hand.
“We’re going to keep you safe,” Noir said. “She won’t get to you.”
Who? Who was going to get me?
The snap of Balen’s teeth followed by terror’s icy grip.
“Okay, you’re safe.” Tay’s delicious rumble. “I’ll kill her. I’ll kill her for you with my bare hands.”
Back under, back into the depths until the next rise.
“You’re going to be okay, kid,” Trevor said. “You’re a fighter, and you’re going to be fine.” A sniff. “Dammit, Wila. We almost lost you.” A wet nose nudged my face. “What would we do without you ...”
Darkness dragged me under.
Cool fingers traced my brow and trailed down my cheek.
“Mmm.” It felt good. Nice. But sleep still had a claim on my body, holding it under the surface, keeping me a prisoner, allowing me to simply peek through a hazy veil. Long fingers twined with mine, and a delicious prickle ran over the skin of my forearm. A soft gasp was followed by an ironic laugh.
“I have to go,” Valance said softly.
I frowned. “No.”
His thumb brushed my bottom lip. The fingers of the hand he was holding tingled. I needed to wake up properly, needed to see. This was important.
“Pink, who would have thought,” he said musingly. “But I’ll let you in on a little secret ... it’s always been my favorite of all the colors—the color of dawn, of twilight, and the color of your cheeks when you’re overcome with arousal. But I see why you hide it. I see why you don the persona. I understand, because we’re the same, you and me. I felt it the first time we met. I wish I could stay to explorethisfurther.”
His breath brushed my cheek, and I struggled to peel back my lids, to break from the sleep paralysis and look into his dazzling irises. I needed to watch his dragon pupils dilate and see myself reflected in the inky darkness.
His sigh was a protest. “All this time, I thought I was broken. All this time, I thought I was insane. The truth shall set you free, they say, but not for me. Never me. The truth is my shackle, and now I have to go, but I want you to know that I’m honored that it’s you, and I wish ... I wish that it didn’t have to be this way.”
My pulse fluttered in agitation. Go? No. He couldn’t go. He had to stay because ... because a door had opened up inside me, a door for him to step through. He needed to stay.Ineeded him to stay.
“Don’t come after me. Survive for the both of us,” he said.
“Please.” My eyes snapped open to inky darkness.
“It’s all right.” Azren’s breath tickled my ear.
The world slowly bled into focus, my back to his chest, and his arms around my waist holding me loosely, carefully.
“I’m here. Sleep.”
No. I needed to wake up. Valance ... There was something I had to do and it was related to ... My mind churned, trying to grasp the important action that was slipping away, but my body had other ideas. It relaxed against Azren and dove back into the sea of slumber.
* * *
“It’sgood to see some color in your cheeks,” Gilbert said, setting a tea tray on my bedside table.
I ran a hand over my face. “How long have I been asleep? Where is everyone? What time is it?”
