Page 152 of Black Bird

Sarah raised her brows, realizing what she meant. “Oh …” She nodded.

“If she wants to go, she can take my truck. I’ll get him to drive me home tomorrow afternoon sometime. Besides, I don’t think the pigeon, or the cat, would be very pleased to ride bitch on Athan’s bike.”

They snickered, and the smell of coffee brewing started to fill up the kitchen. Athan stirred on the couch and turned his head toward them. “Can I get some of that?” He rubbed his eyes and stretched.

“He’s a pretty bastard in the morning, ain’t he? Do you not just fucking hate him?” Rhaena smirked, turning back toward the sink. Sarah chuckled.

“I heard that.”

Sarah laughed with Rhaena but couldn’t help the nagging feeling that he may have heard more than that. Deep down, she hoped he didn’t. The idea of marriage was something that Sarah may have once entertained, but after the bullshit with Brent … she wasn’t sure how she’d react if Athan ever did ask her. What they had was still very new, and she understood that if he did, it definitely wouldn’t be right now. Why get married anyway, when having a bond with an immortal being that linked their very souls seemed more intimate a thing than any wedding ceremony?

Come back … the cabin misses you.

She looked up to find him staring at her from the couch and smirking. Sarah rolled her eyes at him.

Sorry … just a lot on my mind.

He sat up and swiveled himself around, putting his feet on the floor. His hair hung down over his brow and the way he looked at her through his lashes was smoldering.

How can we remedy that?

She thought of about thirty different ways right then and there, pressing her thighs together and taking in a deep breath. Sarah turned her back toward him and started opening the wrong cabinet to find some mugs.

Get outta my head, Platelet Pete.

She could hear him chuckle from the living room, and Rhaena cleared her throat. She set some mugs down in front of Sarah and looked between them both.

“Do you two think it isn’t obvious that you can talk to each other that way? Don’t get me wrong … I’m super jealous. But if you could refrain from sexting telepathically in front of me … that would just be delightful.”

Athan snorted, and Sarah busted out laughing.

“Isthatwhat they’re doing?” Wren sprang up to sit, her red and blonde hair sticking out in every direction, like her cat had made himself at home in it. “Oh, fucking—I wanna go home. I’m done with y’all.”

“Your head looks like it’s on fire,” Athan teased, tossing a pillow from the couch and knocking Wren in the face with it.

“I hate all of you.” Wren stuck her middle finger up and moved it around herself so everyone could see it. “I call shower first.”

“I had mine already.” Rhaena didn’t wait for the coffee to finish before dragging the pot out and filling up her mug. “There’s enough hot water for one of you.”

Sarah eyed Athan as he stood. “Go ahead, Wren. I’m gonna wait until later.” Sarah gave him a seductive smirk, and he returned it with one of his own.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Rhaena grumbled under her breath, padding out of the kitchen and into her bedroom.

Packing up to leave hadn’t taken long, but by the time they’d finally gotten on the road headed home, the sun was disappearing behind the trees, and the bite of winter was getting more harsh by the minute. Athan felt Sarah clinging tighter around his waist on the ride back and knew that this time … it wasn’t just because of the cold. A lot had changed since they’d first traveled this road, and it would continue to do so. The cover of night would be a welcome disguise when they made it back into all-seeing Boston. They’d laid down some decent plans to go about putting the Feds in their place, but it didn’t stop him from wishing that they didn’t have to do it this way. It felt like offering her up like bait in a trap. She was his only reason for breathing now, and willingly putting her into this position was eating at him more than he’d expected it to.

Wren had followed behind them in Rhaena’s truck with Poe and Denver, along with the rest of their shit. She kept close proximity, just in case, and when they finally made it to their building, they parked on the far side … a level up, where no one really ever went because there was no elevator in the parking structure. He parked the bike and helped Sarah off, then started shouldering most of the baggage and reached for Wren’s when she stopped him.

“You can leave mine. I think I’m gonna go home.”

He drew his brows, and Sarah did the same. “What? Why?” Sarah asked, setting down Poe’s cage.

“Well, one … I miss my own bed. I’m tired of sleeping on a couch. And two, I haven’t spoken to my parents, and I missed Thanksgiving. I’m gonna come up and grab my phone and then I think tomorrow morning, if you don’t need me … I’ll probably go up to Andover for a couple days.”

“Maybe that’s a smart move, anyway.” Athan nodded, meeting Sarah’s concerned stare. “At least she’ll be out of Boston.”

“You gonna stay at your place alone?” Sarah asked, stepping forward.

“Well, yeah. I live there alone, stupid.” She laughed. “I think I can survive one night without eyes and ears watching everything I do. I had cops watching me the day I shot that son-of-a-bitch, didn’t I? I’ll be fine, Sarah.”

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