Page 90 of Bones
“Hey, Bones, wake up.”
I cracked my eyes open. I’d fallen asleep in the exam chair, attempting to catch up on my medical notes. Trey stood beside the chair, shaking me.
“Come outside,” he said, his eyes alight with excitement. “I wanna show you something.”
I mumbled an ok and let him help me to my feet. He pulled me over to the door and then paused, looking down at me.
“Ok, close your eyes.”
“What?” I asked, deadpan.
“C’mon, Bones. It’ll be worth it, I swear. We’re gonna get on Violet and I’ll tell you when we get there.”
I grumbled but closed my eyes, hoping I didn't fall asleep on my fucking feet. Trey curled his hand around mine and pulled me through the door. The cold night air hit my face, but it wasn't the painful cold of the past few weeks. In the last couple of days, the weather had warmed up enough that most of the snow had melted, leaving just enough left to crunch beneath my boots. I heard Violet nicker at the sight of me, the sound comforting. When we reached her, Trey placed my hands on her warm side to orient me.
“Ready? he asked. “I’ll give you a boost.”
I let him lift my foot and place it on his knee and used him as a step to haul myself up onto Vi’s back. The familiar move was easy to do, even with my eyes closed. He swung up behind me, his arms going around me to reach for the reins.
“I might fall asleep,” I mumbled.
He laughed softly. “That’s ok. I’ll wake you up when we get there.”
It struck me that a couple of months ago I never would have trusted him like this. Now I didn't even think twice. I'd passed out from healing so many times during this sickness, often waking up to Trey carrying me back or sitting behind me on Violet so I didn't fall off or tucking me into my bed at the clinic. He'd had so many opportunities to hurt me, and he hadn't even once. And I could be confident about that because Apple watched him like a hawk when I was unconscious.
So I let myself lean back into him, my head resting on his shoulder. His arms tightened on my waist, reassuring me he wouldn’t let me fall off. The warmth of his body soothed me, and I melted into him, letting myself drift off again.
“Bones, we’re here.”
I startled awake again. Gods, I was so?—
“Look up.”
Trey still sat behind me on the horse. As I blinked at the surroundings, I realized we were on one of the smaller ridges outside the hold. My heart started beating faster. We wereoutsidethe walls.
“Bones, look up,” Trey repeated.
I lifted my eyes and sucked in a gasp, all thoughts of escape vanishing from my mind.
In the night sky, ribbons of green and purple lights weredancing.
I watched them move gracefully across the sky, my mouth agape. Trey chuckled behind me, but I didn’t care. This wasmagic.It had to be.
“They’re called the Northern Lights,” Trey said.
“How?” I asked, my eyes never leaving the sky.
“Dunno,” he admitted. “I just know that’s what they’re called.”
We sat in silence for a few minutes just watching. My eyes drank in the dancing lights like I couldn’t get enough of them. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Do you think it’s magic?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer for a moment. “You know, a few months ago I would’ve said no. But now that I met you, I think anything’s possible.”
My cheeks heated but in a pleasant kind of way. Everything about him felt warm and steady, from his chest against my back to his arms around my waist to his hands resting on top of my thighs. As the lights began to fade from the sky, the emotion that welled in my chest threatened to drown me. I couldn't deny my feelings for him were firmly rooted in my heart. I took a shaky breath.
“You ok?” Trey asked, sounding concerned.
