Page 66 of Splintered Shadow
Right. That sounded sensible. Responsible. She was grateful that Vekele took the lead. She didn’t have to think, only follow orders. Unfortunately, that left plenty of space in her head for memories of the shouts and screams to play on repeat.
Sarah took the pack and climbed out of the ship. In the fresh air, she still smelled the smoke. It clung to her.
“This is shock,” she said, stumbling on shaking legs.
People died right in front of her. Kenth fell to the floor. Her blood still coated Sarah’s skin.
Ghost leaned into her, the touch grounding her. She stroked his fur, soft as silk and wispy as fog. He was hurt, most likely bruised ribs, having caught a kick meant for her. The kit had a medical scanner. Sarah fumbled with the device, managing to turn it on but unable to do more than that.
Frustrated, she threw it to the ground. Ghost rested with his head on his paws, unconcerned. Through their bond, she sensed he was tired, and his ribs ached, but he was unbothered by the pain.
She sat on the damp grass next to Ghost, stroking his soft fur. She didn’t like being unable to take proper care of him. Ghost got hurt protecting her and she should be able to make him more comfortable. Or take him to a vet at the very least.
Night sounds surrounded them. A cool breeze brought fresh scents of trees and vegetation. It had rained recently, and the air held onto a chill. A familiar stone temple loomed in the distance.
“Looks like we brought you home,” she said. Slowly, too slowly, the tension drained. The shouts and cries of pain faded. The scent of recent rain replaced the stench of blood. She dumped the kit onto the ground but couldn’t make herself do much of anything.
Vekele took the cloth from her hand. He knelt in his customary spot off to the right, putting her in his field of vision. With his black wings out, he looked like a dark angel.
Without saying a word, he cleaned off the gore on her. Tenderly, he worked the cloth around her fingers, getting dried flakes of blood out from underneath her fingernails. The cloth carefully wiped her face. He lifted her hair to get the back of her neck. His touch was firm but gentle, warm, and alive.
When the cloth was dirty, he snapped it twice, and the dirt dissolved. That was a neat trick, and she’d want to know more, but not right then. All she wanted was to feel his hands on her.
As the cloth made another pass on her face, she grabbed his wrist. “You’re being sweet, but I don’t want you to be sweet right now,” she said.
“Tell me what you need.” His wings flexed, and his lips curled back in a smug grin. He absolutely knew what she needed.
Sarah grabbed him by the fabric of his shirt and leaned forward. Her mouth slammed against his. In an instant, his arms wrapped around her, holding her to him. His lips yielded to hers, opening and allowing her tongue to sweep inside. For a man unfamiliar with kissing, he was a quick study. He was a pro-level kisser. Topnotch.
“I need you to be naked. Right now,” she said.
“Sarah, you could be injured.”
“I’m not.” She felt lots of ways—shaky, stressed, on the verge of an adrenaline crash, trapped in a nightmare—but none of those were due to an injury.
“I will not know for sure until I inspect you,” he said in his stubborn, princely voice. Protesting that she was fine would only drag out the process. He would not be deterred.
“Fine. Start here.” She tapped her lips.
His head tilted, trying to see her.
“Here.” She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her lips. “Better kiss me again and make sure I’m not injured there.”
He made a rumbling noise, half-amused and half-annoyed. The kiss was perfunctory.
“You did it wrong,” she said.
“Did I?” Definitely amused.
“You really got to get in there and check the whole situation out.”
“Show me,” he ordered.
Sarah moved closer, straddling his lap, and leaned closer for another kiss. This one started slowly, deepening and heating with each heartbeat. His hands settled on her hips, holding her in place.
His head dipped down to her neck. Teeth nipped at her ear lobe. He kissed a trail down to her shoulder.
“This is highly inefficient,” he said.
