Page 48 of Burn for the Dragon
Hawke touched the back of her elbow. “We need to get inside,” he told her.
Everly nodded, noting the sun’s rays just beginning to lighten the edge of the horizon with orange. She realized she was freezing and immediately felt bad for making Hawke stand outside with no shirt on. With one last look at the fresh mound of dirt, she followed him into The Caves.
He escorted her to her new room and watched as she went inside and turned on the light by the bed. Now that they were back, she expected him to leave right away as he always did. Her brother was gone and no longer a threat. She fully expected to be next, one way or another.
But he didn’t leave. Instead, he followed her inside and shut the door. When she looked up, she found him standing there, staring.
“How is your back?” she asked. “I can look at it if you want. Do you need more blood? Or…or…” She came to a stuttering halt. Tears filled her eyes for the eight-hundredth time that night. “I killed him. Didn’t I?” Her knees gave out and she sank onto the bed.
Hawke moved then, rushing over only to stand awkwardly in front of her. After a moment, he kneeled so their eyes were level with each other. Placing his hands on either side of her hips, he was careful not to touch her. And that made her feel even worse.
“No,” he said. “You did not kill your brother.” His chin lifted. “I killed him. I had to, honey. There was no other choice. You were hurt, and I had to.”
She saw the words, but it took a few seconds for them to penetrate. “You killed my brother.” The words felt thick on her tongue. “You.”
Hawke sat back on his heels, his face expressionless, but his eyes held hers, begging for understanding. “Yes.”
She thought that over. “I’m not sure how I feel about this.” Her hands felt like ice and she tucked them between her thighs. “I’m not sure how I should feel about this.” She searched his face, looking for malice or satisfaction or something that would make it easy on her. But there was none of that. Only a deep sorrow around his dark eyes, and conviction to the set of his jaw that he’d done what he believed was right.
His bare chest rose and fell. “You can hate me if it will make it easier on you,” he told her. “But it had to happen, Everly. He was too far gone. And I couldn’t let you be the one responsible. I couldn’t let you live with that.” He paused. “More than any of that, I couldn’t stand there and allow him to hurt you, so I did what I felt I had to do.”
“I don’t really remember much except feeling so much rage when he came after you. After us. And then there was a lot of pain.” She shrugged. “Then I woke up and it was all over.”
“That’s all you remember?”
She nodded.
“Would you like to know what happened?”
She did, but not right now. She couldn’t handle anything else right now. “Not today,” she said. “I just want to get a shower and go to sleep.”
He pushed himself to his feet. “Yeah, sure. I’ll go.” Her heart lurched in her chest, but he didn’t leave right away. “Everly, you saved me tonight. I just…I want you to know that. You were beautiful, and brave, and fearless. And you saved my life. Thank you.”
With a gentle touch of his fingertips on her cheek, he turned and walked toward the door, and she saw the angry wounds on his back. Everly stood and caught his hand before he could go. “I wish you would let me help you with your burns.”
His eyes closed for a brief moment before he smiled at her. “It’ll heal, thanks to you. I just need a shower.”
“You can shower here,” she offered. The words had flown from her mouth without thought. Unsure where this need was coming from, she took a small step back, but she didn’t release his hand. However, after evaluating things, she stepped closer again. She needed him tonight. She needed him always.
Hawke gently pulled his hand from hers. “Everly?—”
She stopped him before he could say it. “I know. We’re not supposed to be together. Dragons and vampires don’t mix and blah, blah, bullshit.” Everly looked down at her bare feet and his muddy shoes. Then she raised her chin. “If you feel anything for me at all, please stay with me tonight. Just for tonight. And whatever happens tomorrow happens.”
His mouth twisted in disgust. But not for her. For himself. “How can you ask me this knowing I just killed your only family?”
She gave him a small smile. “You’re an honorable male, Hawke. He was my brother, yes. But he was also dangerous. He tried to kill you. He tried to kill me. Twice.” She held up two fingers, then paused, hating to admit this part but knowing it was true. “And he was beyond help. I know that now. It wasn’t his fault, but it was true. Much as I wish it could’ve been different. I may have saved you tonight, but you saved me, too. If you hadn’t shown up, my stupid ass would probably have burned with the lab.”
Taking her face between his hands, his eyes searched her own in disbelief. “Can you forgive me, Everly? Maybe not right now. But someday?”
“Yeah. I can.” And she realized it was completely true. “Someday.” She covered his hands with hers. “So, stay with me.”
Chapter 24
Hawke’s chest tightened until he could barely breathe. “I would like that,” he told Everly. “I would like that very much.”
“I can see a ‘but’ coming.” She stepped into his body, rising up on her toes until he felt her soft breasts against his chest, and he moaned. He couldn’t help it. Her clear gray eyes searched his as her hands roamed up his arms, careful not to touch the back of his shoulders. “If this is my last night here, I want to spend it with you.”
“No ‘but’”, he told her. And he was surprised that he meant it. Consumed by his hunger for her, her words didn’t at first penetrate. And when they did, it was like a shot of ice to his rising libido. “Are you going somewhere?” He answered for her before she could say anything. “You can’t leave.” Me, he wanted to say. You can’t leave me.
