Page 121 of The Evernight Court

“He’s out there,” I whispered without really meaning to, and Grey put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me to his side.

“Yes, there’s a chance he is. Probably wounded, too,” he said. The thought of Valentine bleeding under a bunch of rocks made my stomach twist uncomfortably.

“I wanna go check.” All those rocks had fallen on him, but it hadn’t been too long ago. I hadn’t slept nearly as much as I thought after he drank my blood, as Grey informed me—barely a few hours. Which meant there was a good chance that we’d still find Valentine right where we left him.

“We will,” Grey said. “And then we can leave. Storm has been resting. He’s well fed. He can take us back within the hour.”

That sounded so damn good.

I wrapped my arms around his waist and sighed. “I can’t believe this place exists.”

“The sirens choose not to tell anyone about it, and it’s for the best. Not only are these animals deadly, but Syra’s body is inside this mountain.” And he pointed at the ground.

We were on the side of the huge pile of rocks—what he calleda mountain—at the mouth of a cave Grey had found to keep himself safe and away from these mutated animals. They were so hungry, so bloodthirsty, they’d go after anyone in their path, and I’d witnessed it firsthand when Storm dropped me in this place.

Chills ran down my back at the reminder of those eyes and those teeth. “Was that cave where I found you the entrance to it?” I asked Grey.

“One of two. The rocks blocked the main one, so I took us out through the other that’s right below us.” Again, he pointed at the ground, at the steep rocks underneath the narrow space we stood on in front of his cave. You couldn’t possibly climb without falling. The only way up or down safely was by flying.

“You were so wounded,” I whispered, touching his naked chest underneath the jacket he wore. “You were covered in blood, Grey. I remember you in that cave. You…you were about to collapse.”

I’d been so fucking terrified of losing him again, but now he looked fine. Only hours later, he was wide awake and moving and talking—perfectly fine.

Grey kissed the top of my head. “I was about to die, actually. The magic of the curse stopped taking from me, but I had no more blood left in my body. You saved me.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as a voice in my head whispered,what if I hadn’t gotten here in time?

But I had. I was right here, and so was Grey. “I’d give you every drop in my veins any day of the week,” I said, kissing hischest, so damn thankful that Storm had brought us here when he did.

He chuckled. “I know, baby. I almost took too much. You’re so goddamn delicious, you have no idea. All of you—inside and out.” And he pulled my head up to kiss me.

I surrendered to him instantly—how could I not when he tasted like that?

But something else occurred to me a moment later, something Valentine said.

“I heard you two talking earlier,” I said in a whisper because it still shocked me that I’djustgotten here. That I hadn’t seen Grey in weeks. That I’d thought he was dead, and I’d been trying to actuallyacceptit and move on.

How ridiculous that idea was to me now.

“I heard what Valentine said about the blood.Myblood.” About it being the reason why Grey was still alive.

“It makes sense, actually,” Grey said, not worried in the least. “Remember back at the castle when I said that your blood tastes different?”

I nodded. “Yes.” I’d woken up to him at his desk going through books, trying to figure it out.

“I think that’s why. I’ve spent twenty-one days here on the Eighth Isle, when I should have been dead by the tenth. Or I should have been weak enough that the beasts would have torn me apart. Instead, I fought and killed them until today.” He kissed the top of my head. “Valentine was right.”

But that couldn’t be, could it? “He said it was because you love me.”

Which was silly. And made butterflies erupt in my stomach. And completelyabsurd.

“It is,” Grey simply said.

I looked up at him, not sure if he was messing with me. “Right,” I muttered, and forced myself to roll my eyes, but my cheeks were still flushed.

Grey gave me that lopsided smile because he could see through me just fine.

“Yes,right, baby. I love you,” he said—again, so simply—and my heart tripped all over itself. “I’ve loved you since the day I laid eyes on you. It just took me a little while to understand it.” Then he kissed my forehead.

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