Page 147 of You Only Love Twice
She was ruined. Emotionally. Physically. Sexually. There wasn't even enough energy within her to feel more than a mild ache when she thought of Malloryn, which was exactly what she'd wanted.
But she couldn't avoid it forever.
With the light of day would come the reality of the situation. She wished she could close her eyes and when she woke, this would all seem like some horrible dream.
But wishes were for little girls who hadn't been sold to a school of assassins.
Because that little girl learned long ago there was no point in believing in things that would never come true.
The only thing different about this time was she wasn't alone. And maybe that would be enough to get her through tomorrow and the harsh reality of all that had occurred.
"Stay with me like this?" she whispered, curling her fingers through Obsidian's.
"Always."
And Gemma surrendered to the warm darkness and the safe cocoon of Obsidian's arms.
* * *
"I have to go back,"Gemma whispered, sitting in the arched window of their secret tower with a glass of blood, watching the world go by.
Watching people come in and out of the safe house.
Ava. Kincaid. Byrnes. Ingrid. Jack. And Charlie.
But never Malloryn.
The wait was killing her. She needed to know what had happened to him. And though she could stay here forever in Obsidian's arms if she pretended there wasn't an entire world out there, how long could she play pretend?
COR needed her. She needed them. Obsidian filled one half of her heart, and while she could survive with him alone, there was a part of her that needed more to be truly content.
Memories flashed through her head: Byrnes complaining about her penchant for blud-wein; teasing Charlie about how to seduce a certain girl on their long flight to Brighton last month; "borrowing" Jack's new prototype of a blast-shield for a mission; begging Kincaid to resurrect it so she could replace it before Jack noticed it was destroyed; and getting hilariously foxed on Malloryn's secret stash of sherry with Ingrid and Ava, and not realizing Ava had barely ever imbibed before.
And now she knew what they faced, she couldn't leave them to face it alone.
"Ingrid and Ava will be worried," she said, knotting her hands. "And poor Charlie…. He’s such a sugarplum. I wouldn’t want him to feel guilty—"
"A sugarplum?"
"He’s my perfect, sweet Charlie," she replied, "and if anything ever happened to him I’d never forgive myself."
"And the queen?"
"Regardless of what the queen desires," she whispered, "I have a duty to those I love to return."
Obsidian slid onto the ledge of the open window and kissed the back of her shoulder. "As you wish."
Chapter 27
Malloryn rapped at the door to his wife's bedchambers.
Wife. It still felt strange, though the ceremony had been a simple one, a swift half hour stolen the day following their attempted wedding, and he'd barely seen her since. Vows had been exchanged, papers signed, and Adele handed into the carriage that would take her to Malloryn House while he checked his pocket watch and made his way to the safe house.
Indeed, the last time he'd laid eyes upon Adele, he'd been between her thighs with her blood on his lips and—
He was not going to think of that now.
The queen had finally sent him home, insisting he see to himself as she didn't want to see him "limping around chambers" for at least a week.
