Page 26 of Ravage

I nod slowly, hand reaching out to the vacant spot. It's still a little bit warm, the flimsy mattress flattened slightly in the shape of a body. It's a wonder we don't all have spinal problems with the quality of the beds here.

"He said to give you something when you woke up."

"Oh?" I reply, curious. "What is that?"

Turning around to face Theo, I smile as his hand brushes my cheek, our chests touching. He leans forward, giving me a soft kiss.

I kiss him back, feeling the utmost relief that I can. For a moment in time, I believed I'd never get to touch them again.

"That," he mutters, pulling back from the kiss.

Dropping my head forward, I rest my forehead against his chest, letting his arms tighten around me.

"Is it nearly breakfast?" I ask quietly. "I haven't eaten since before they took me."

"Nearly," he replies, sounding concerned. "About half an hour. Grey said he'd be back to get us soon. They just needed to take care of some things first."

"I can only imagine what," I grumble. "Today is going to be a dumpster fire."

Theo cups my head, gently prying me back to look at him. "Listen to me. I'm not going to let anyone touch you again. You're not being let out of our sights. I don't know whatWhittingham has planned, but I am damn sure that Damon will be on the warpath today."

"I know he will be," I say, agreeing. "He didn't have to come get me, but he did."

"Of course he had to. There was never any question about it."

It dawns on me at this moment that perhaps Theo doesn't know the full story between me and Damon, and what happened between us. I know I was hesitant to tell Grey initially because of his friendship with Damon and jealousy issues, but Theo has never given me a reason to be afraid of that. If anything, he's probably the one person I can confide this information to, who will look at it in a different light.

"He kissed me," I tell him. "Before I was taken."

My eyes scan over his face, but as expected, there's nothing but calm acknowledgment.

"I'm not surprised," Theo answers—but it's a surprise to me.

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

Theo raises an eyebrow. "It's obvious he likes you, Aves. I can see it from a mile away."

"No, he doesn't. We tolerate each other."

"At first, sure. But not recently."

I push myself up, leaning on my elbow. "What do you mean?" I ask again more urgently.

Theo smiles at me, amused at my stupidity. "You really can't see it?"

"No?"

He runs his hand over the curve of my body. "He wants you—wants this. I'm just not convinced that he's admitted it to himself yet."

"He doesn't want me. I'm fairly certain he only kissed me to shut me up," I argue.

"It's a great method to silence you, but you should have seen them when you were missing," Theo says. "Grey was ready tothrow hands with him. But Damon, he pulled together a team and made a plan. He was the mastermind behind everything."

I don't know what to do with this information, falling silent. Theo walks his fingers along the side of my body.

"No one can blame him. You have that effect on all of us."

I smile. "Even you?"

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