“Then why do you keep lying to me?”
His breath moved the hair by my ear, and I struggled not to shiver. What was it about Thomas that made me want to relax and trust him? Was it that he’d held me while I cried? Or maybe it was that he had a burden of responsibility like I did, and I desperately wanted someone to relate to me.
“Telling you I’m fine won’t always mean I’m fine. Sometimes it might mean I’m not fine but don’t want to talk to you,” I said.
Mary started giggling behind us.
“Wini says you might want to take notes, Thomas. This wisdom is universal for females of all races. She also says ‘It’s fine’ has several meanings. If you’ve done something for us and we say ‘It’s fine’ that means you should go away so we can just do it the right way ourselves.”
Thomas let out a long-suffering sigh.
“Must you share everything with Winifred?”
I tilted my head down as if I were staring into the pot so he wouldn’t catch my grin.
“She likes me keeping her up to date. I get cookies,” Mary said.
“I need to go back out. There’s another waiting to make his oath.” Thomas’ hands fell from my shoulders. The urge to turn around was there as I listened for the door.
I wished I could help him. I just didn’t know how.
During the night, a sound on the roof woke me. A single footstep, then silence. It saddened me that I’d been correct. They would try to destroy this place just to force me to leave.
In the moonlight, I could see Thomas. He sat with his back to the door, his head tilted back, and his eyes on the ceiling. From the set of his jaw, I was sure he was mentally scolding someone. From the sweat on his brow, I was equally certain that someone was resisting.
I sat up, drawing his attention. I slowly shook my head at him and held out my hand.
“Leave it,” I said.
He stayed where he was for a moment then stood and walked to me. His hand wrapped around mine, and I gave him a light, reassuring squeeze before I released him. I scooted over on the narrow bed and patted the mattress.
He studied me for several long moments. The disbelief in his expression made me grin; and with an arched brow, I patted the mattress again. He quickly claimed the space, lying on his back beside me. My heart gave an odd triple beat as I stared down at him. His eyes reflected in the light as he watched me.
He reached out, curled an arm around my waist, and gave me a gentle nudge. I gave into what I wanted and rested my head on his shoulder. His arm wrapped around me, anchoring me to his side. I laid my hand over his heart and snuggled in with a sigh. He felt so right; so safe.
In the dark, we both listened for any clue as to what the new members of his pack meant to do. The longer I lay against Thomas, the more I became aware of the way he smelled. Like outdoors, just after a rain. I normally wouldn’t have thought it a good smell; but lying on him, it made my head swim.
I adjusted my position, scooting a little higher so my nose touched the undamaged side of his neck. Moving my hand from his heart, I gently feathered my fingers over his chest. The feel of his smooth skin teased my senses. I desperately wanted to kiss his shoulder and moved my head slightly. The arm around my waist held me tighter, an indication of how much he liked me close to his neck. Had he been serious about wanting me to bite him? Would he actually like that?
Worry made me stop what I was doing. I curled my hand into a fist on his chest.
He didn’t say or do anything for several heartbeats. Then he sighed, and I felt him relax. His hold on my waist loosened a bit. He turned his head slightly and kissed my brow, a gentle reassuring touch.
His ease helped me relax, and without realizing it, I flattened my hand on his chest once more. When I started exploring his skin with my fingertips, his hold didn’t retighten.
“Are they still on the roof?” I asked. I could barely hear myself and hoped I kept quiet enough that any others nearby wouldn’t hear.
He nodded. He let go of my waist and brought a hand up to my hair. The feel of his fingers running through the strands lulled me. I stopped exploring and let my arm rest across his chest. The position pressed my lips against the skin over his collarbone. His fingers continued to travel the length of my hair.
He seemed completely at ease with our positions now. I kissed him like I’d wanted to and sighed. My mind started to drift, ready to let sleep pull it under.
As my breathing slowed, I wondered if this place would ever be a home.
Before I opened my eyes, I knew something was wrong. It wasn’t that I was alone in the bed; it was a weird niggling feeling that told me I really didn’t want to wake up right then.
I opened my eyes and almost screamed. Mary’s face hovered inches from mine. The fright of it had me flipping backwards out of bed.
She laughed.
“That wasn’t nice,” I said, sitting up.