Page 78 of Taste of Fate

Remembering Amy made me want to snap my eyes open and jump out of bed but after everything, including the mind-blowing sex that wore me out, I had absolutely no energy left.

But what I did have was a mate who would take care of things. I trusted and knew that he would.

So I let sleep come without a fight.

Chapter 29

Tavia

Iwoke up in the same place I fell asleep, nestled against Cyan’s chest. My surroundings however felt different, and I sat up to get my bearings.

The first thing I noticed was Amy’s cot, where she lay peacefully as if she were sleeping. I leaned in close, inspecting her for any signs of life, but saw none. She remained as pale as before, and her skin felt cold when I placed the back of my palm on her forehead.

Grief rose up like a tidal wave, threatening to drown me. With a hard swallow, I reminded myself that she still needed time. I wasn’t sure how close we were to the three-day limit, but there still had to be time left.

I turned to Cyan, who slept next to me on an air mattress. It was a comfortable set-up actually, with a fitted sheet over the mattress, plus blankets and pillows piled on top. He must have set it up with Robin while I was conked out, and then carried me down to the cellar to be with Amy as I requested, all while dawn had been fast approaching.

His care and thoughtfulness lifted the heaviness in my chest, at least for now. I leaned down to kiss his forehead before standing and stretching my arms over my head.

The physical exhaustion was gone, and my injured leg felt as good as new, if a little stiff. My grief and anxiety over Amy hung over me like the weight of an ocean, but there was a calmness alongside those feelings now. Whatever happened, at least I would have Cyan to lean on.

If Amy didn’t wake up in another day or two, it would take a long time to process that, but at least I wasn’t alone.

And if she did wake up, well, that would present its own set of challenges. But I’d have the love of my life and my best friend with me.

I walked around the cellar to both kill time and stretch my legs. Someone, probably Robin, had nailed some dark fabric over the light cracks between the boards in the cellar door. The tiny slivers of sunlight weren’t likely to harm Cyan badly but it was thoughtful of her anyway.

After making sure I blocked any light with my body, I moved one of the makeshift curtains to peek outside and get a sense of what time of day it was. People milled about, but the clean-up effort looked almost done. The shadows were long and the light looked golden, which meant it had to be late afternoon. I’d slept most of the day away.

If I still had my phone, I’d know exactly what time it was. Maybe even call the council room and get a status report if anyone was in there. But I’d lost it in the struggle last night. And even if there was a chance no one heard what Cyan and I were up to in the wee hours of the morning, no one was likely to talk to me.

I’d made my home with the vampires, and was eager to get back to friendly, fanged smiles over the dirty looks from fellow humans.

Over the next few hours, I passed the time by organizing and cleaning the shelves in the cellar. When dusk fell, I heard Cyan stirring as he woke up, and set down my rag and duster.

“Morning, sunshine,” I greeted.

His baffled, sleepy expression made me laugh as I lowered onto the mattress next to him.

“Evening, starlight,” he returned with a lazy smile. “How long have you been up?”

“A couple of hours. I’ve just been puttering around until sundown.”

“Have you eaten?” He nodded at a lunchbox-sized cooler against the wall. “Robin brought that down for you.”

I hadn’t and was honestly starving. Cyan chuckled as I pounced on the cooler and brought it with me to the mattress. “Did she help with this bed too?”

“With some convincing she did.” I felt him kiss the back of my head as I dug through Robin’s neatly packaged morsels. “She was going to give us two separate beds until I insisted we have one.”

I looked over my shoulder, shooting him a playful glare. “You better not have intimidated her.”

“Not at all. She intimidates me.” His eyes flashed with mirth. “But I wasn’t going to be separated from you for any reason.”

My inner swooning was buried under my hunger as I wolfed down the sandwich, grapes, almonds, and water in the lunch box.

“How is Amy?” Cyan asked when I finished inhaling my food.

“She looks the same to me,” I said.

---