Page 168 of Fangs
“Of course,” he said. “Smith said there’s a cot?—"
“No,” I interrupted, “will you sleep in the bed? With me?”
His eyebrows raised, a tiny smirk appearing. “Do youwantyour brother to kill me?”
I did not want to worry about my brother right now. “Please, Lee?”
His amusement disappeared. He ran a hand through the hair escaping his bun, took a deep breath, and released it in a rush. “Guess you better start planning my funeral then.”
He sat in the chair and started taking off his boots. I was still wearing Mac’s jacket, but I had no plans to take it off. I scooted over as Lee climbed into bed beside me, also still fully dressed.
“What kind of flowers do you want?” I asked as he settled on his back, hands tucked behind his head.
He frowned at me, his brow furrowing in confusion. I stayed sitting, leaning on one hand. It was kind of nice being able to lookdownat someone for once.
“For your funeral,” I clarified.
He blinked in surprise, then grinned. “Forget-me-nots.”
“Myosotis asiatica?”
“Are you tryin’ to put a spell on me?” he asked, eyebrows raising.
“That’s their name. I use them as an astringent in poultices, and their oils can be used as an antidote to some poisons.”
“I’d love to tell you I knew that, but I just think they’re a pretty color.”
“They are a pretty color,” I agreed.
“Are you gonna sit there and lecture me about the medical properties of pretty flowers, or are you gonna come over here?”
A flutter of nerves came to life in my stomach, startling me, but I forced myself to lay beside him.You asked him to do this,I reminded myself, annoyed. I lay on my side, facing him, and he rolled over to his side to do the same. There was a whole foot of space between us, full of unspoken questions.
He lifted a hand and gently brushed my hair back, his fingers tracing a shape on my cheek, and his eyes narrowed in concentration.
“What are you tryin’ to find?” I asked.
“Cassiopeia,” he answered. “There, right here!” His fingers traced a jagged line from my nose to my cheek. “Found her.”
“Her?”
“According to an old myth from Before, she was a queen who angered the gods,” he murmured. His eyes met mine. “The gods put her in the sky as punishment and sentenced her daughter to be sacrificed to a monster.”
“What happened?”
“The princess was chained to a rock for a sea monster to devour, but a hero rescued her and killed the monster.”
His voice had a dark edge that made me instantly wary. I studied his face, trying to understand what he was feeling.
“So the gods from the Before weren’t much better, then,” I finally said.
He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Gods are just monsters by another name.”
I opened my mouth to ask another question, but he grabbed my waist and pulled me, sliding my body closer and wrapping me in his arms.
“You should get some sleep,” he murmured, his legs entangling with mine. “Those damn roosters will be crowin’ soon.”
I curled into him, selfishly enjoying the feeling of another body against mine. The scent of peppermint soap lingered on Mac’s jacket, and with my eyes closed, it almost felt like Mac was holding me. Butterflies filled my stomach, and I tried to rationalize them away.You just miss Mac and the crew, and you’re starved for touch. That’s all.
