Page 137 of Bones
“You just about killed yourself to heal everybody in the hold from that sickness, even people Iknowyou hate, people who havehurtyou. We were fuckingabductingyou and you still healed me. You saved my life, and you did it ’cause you’re agoodperson who cares about people. So no, I don’t think you murdered your brother, Bones. I think it was a horrible accident, and I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
“Stop it,” I snapped at him, jerking my head free.
“Stop what? Stop tryin’ to show you how everyone else sees you? Cause no, I’m not gonna stop doin’ that.” He smiled.
I closed my eyes and more tears rolled down my cheeks.
“C’mon. Let’s try and get a few more hours of sleep, ok?”
When he tugged me, I went with him, sliding back into the bedroll and his arms. The wolves started howling again, but they sounded farther away. I could hear Trey's heart beating in his chest and it soothed me. He believed me. He was the first person to believe me about what happened that awful day. I felt foolish now for thinking he wouldn't. Trey had never wavered, despite everything.
“You’re a river. You don’t break, you bend.”
Well if I was a roaring river, shifting and unpredictable, Trey was the very mountain below us, steady and constant.
* * *
When I woke up in the morning, frost coated Trey’s long eyelashes and my nose felt numb with cold, but entangled together inside the bedroll we were toasty warm. Our fire had died to glowing coals, but we needed to get moving anyway. His eyes blinked open, and I watched him focus on my face and smile that sweet, warm smile.
“You’re still here,” he murmured.
I slid my hands up his chest to twine around his neck, watching his pupils expand in surprise. When I stretched up to kiss him, his arms tightened around me, his lips meeting mine. Kissing him was addictive. I didn't want to stop. Gods, I was so fucked.
I forced myself to pull away after a few minutes. “C’mon, we better get moving,” I whispered.
We packed up our small campsite and buried our fire in the snow in case anybody tracked us here. I knew they would be tracking us eventually. I just hoped we’d be able to get far enough away. When we started walking again, Trey reached out and grabbed my hand with a grin. I raised an eyebrow at him as we walked hand in hand.
“So, you and me, we’re a thing now, right?” he asked.
“Depends. What’s ‘a thing’ mean?”
“Means you’re mine and I’m yours. We don’t make love with anybody else.”
“Make love,” I repeated, amused, but I couldn’t deny that was exactly what he’d done last night.
He gave me a playful glare. “It also means I get to take care of you. No more ‘I’m fine’ shit.”
“What if Iamfine?”
“Ok, smartass, you can say you’re fine if you’re actually fine. I mean no lying. It means that I get all of you and you get all of me. The good and the bad. It means I’ll always have your back. No matter what.”
Blooms filled my chest again. “Do I get to kiss you whenever I want?”
He grinned, delighted. “You sure do.”
“I’ll think about it.”
His outraged face made me burst out laughing, and he lit up. “Gods, I love your laugh.” He pulled me close, eyes dancing as I tripped over both our snowshoes.
“I guess if we’re gonna be a thing, you get to hear me laugh.” I grinned.
“It’d be an honor, darlin’.”
When he kissed me, the warmth that ran through me felt as pure and golden as my healing powers.
21
Despite making, or more accurately falling, a good distance yesterday, the hike to the outpost would still take all day. My leg muscles were sore and my back ached, but I pushed through it.
