Page 6 of From the Ashes

Should I have kept my mouth shut about how I knew him? Would it have been better for everyone if I’d omitted the times he’d come to me when I was alone? I thought I was doing the right thing, but I’m beginning to wonder if I should have just kept my mouth shut.

“It’s okay, love. He just needs some time,” Bishop murmurs against the top of my head.

I allow my eyes to fall closed as I lean into his embrace.

Why does it seem like everything falls apart as soon as things start to fall together?

CHAPTER FIVE

BISHOP

Camilla fell asleep in my arms an hour ago, but I can’t bear the idea of moving her to take her to bed when she’s resting so peacefully.

Kovu went to check on Kaos a little while ago, and Crew has been on the phone trying to do as much damage control as possible without being there.

Right now, it’s not safe for any of us to be outside the compound. We have threats coming from every direction, and we’re no closer to shutting any of them down.

Every few minutes, Crew’s eyes flick to the sleeping body in my arms before he tugs in a strangled breath and gets back to work until the next time. Is he as afraid that she’s going to slip away as I am?

I never thought we’d find something we want more than we want this life, but the proof lets out a gentle snore that brings a small smile to my lips.

Will there ever be a time when our lives aren’t at stake? Will there ever be a time when I’m not terrified I’ll close my eyes and Camilla will be gone when I open them?

Crew tosses his phone onto the middle of the table and lets out a frustrated breath, dragging me from my thoughts. “I’ve done all I can for tonight, but there’s still plenty of fires to put out.”

If I were capable of a laugh, I’d probably crack one right now at the double meaning, but as it is, I’m barely holding onto my composure.

“You should take her to bed, she needs rest after her concussion,” he says, his mismatched gaze lingering on the woman who’s so easily made him fall to his knees.

“Says the man who was shot in the chest a week ago,” I challenge.

He half chuckles, half sighs as he drops his head into his hands. “We all need sleep. We can’t approach this with a clear mind unless we’re rested, but I’m worried.” He doesn’t elaborate, but I know what he’s not saying.

He’s worried about Kaos.

If it weren’t for Camilla’s multiple run-ins with him, I’d question whether he could possibly be involved in any of the problems we’ve had, but he threatened her. He knows she means something to us, and he purposely implied he tried to have her killed.

That’s not something I’m willing to overlook, even if he is family.

“Let’s go to bed,” I suggest, pushing myself to my feet without jostling Camilla in my arms. She doesn’t stir, but she does bury her face in my chest and lets out a happy sound that makes me smile despite myself. How is it that she can make me smile among all this chaos?

I lead the way toward the elevator, but when I’m about to stop, Crew pushes me onward until we reach his bedroom door.

My brows are in my hairline before I can stop them. He’s never let anyone else sleep in here with him. Not Bianca. Not any of the women we’ve had here. Not even one of us. This is his space, and I don’t even know that I’ve ever seen what’s on the other side of this door.

He shoves it open and enters in front of me. There’s a wall of shelves with all his prized timepieces in display boxes, a fact that makes me shake my head. His obsession with watches still blows my mind, but even I can admit they look nice all set out like that.

The room is decorated with dark wood and navy accents, and I can’t help but think about how much it truly is an expression of my father, but it’s not until I place Camilla down in the middle of his California king that it really solidifies in my mind.

We stare down at her for long seconds before I break away to strip out of my suit. My tie was off before we made it back to the compound, but it’s a fucking relief to get the rest of it off.

By the time I’m down to my fitted, black briefs, Crew is doing the same, and I move to our girl curled up on her side.

I carefully slip her heels from her feet, giving them a quick rub before moving on to the pins in her hair. She looked so fucking beautiful tonight, but she never looks better than when she’s bare-faced and comfortable. That’s how I fell in love with her.

“She’ll want to wash her makeup off,” Crew says quietly, coming around her other side to carefully unclip the hoop earrings she picked for tonight.

We work quietly in tandem, and I can’t help but think about just how right this feels. Everything with Camilla feels so fucking right.

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