Page 52 of Medusa

Her eyes drifted closed, lulled to sleep by Jaden’s rhythmic breathing.

CHAPTER15

Jaden woke abruptly,all his senses on alert. He assessed his injuries; he seemed to be in no more pain.

A loud snore broke into his contemplation and he looked over at Maddie, sound asleep on the couch perpendicular to his own. Her body was twisted around and her mouth was open.

He chuckled, the snore not what he was expecting from her. It was, however, what had woken him.

She shuffled around into a fetal position and her mouth closed, the snores stopping.

Jaden got to his feet and stretched, the blanket falling from his body to pool on the couch. He felt better than he had in days, and was feeling residual energy from the boost of healing he’d been dosed with. Quietly, he moved around the small house, first visiting the toilet and then entering the kitchen.

The illuminated clock on the stove told him it was three in the morning.

He poked around in the fridge, pulling out some leftover Chinese takeout and eating it cold. He hoped Maddie wouldn’t mind. If she did, he could buy her the same meal again.

Wandering around her house in the early morning was like a flashback to their first night together, although this time, Jaden had no intention of leaving.

He returned to the living room and squatted down beside her on the couch. Her hair was falling over her face, and he tucked it behind her ear.

“Maddie,” he whispered.

“Hmmm?” she murmured, not opening her eyes, but turning her head into his hand.

“You’ll be more comfortable in your bed. Do you want me to carry you?”

“Carry?” she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

“I can carry you to bed,” Jaden repeated, amused.

Maddie blinked slowly, her pupils focusing on him with difficulty. Abruptly, she sat up.

“What are you doing up? Are you feeling better?”

Jaden rocked backward on his heels to avoid their heads colliding.

“I’m feeling rested and much,muchbetter. I’ve got a lot of pent-up energy that I need to burn, so I was going to go for a flight.”

“No, you can’t!” Maddie cried. “Hera said no shifting for twenty-four hours.”

Jaden frowned. “Dammit. I forgot about that. I can’t exactly go for a run dressed like this.”

Maddie smirked. “I see nodressinginvolved.” Her gaze skimmed over his body, almost burning like a brand, and Jaden had to take a breath as all the blood in his body rushed south.

Maddie noticed, and her grin widened. “I might have a better idea more suited to your current attire, if you’re up for it.”

“I think we need to have a conversation before we do anything else,” Jaden said. He sat on the couch he’d been sleeping on; if he stayed near her, he’d touch her, and then they wouldn’t betalking.

Maddie sat up, rubbing her eyes. “What conversation?”

The words caught in Jaden’s throat. He sucked in another breath.

“I’m sorry I made you feel like you weren’t important to me. It has been a long time since I let anyone close to me. I… I was defensive and lashed out. You are… You are everything.” He looked down at his hands, lacing the fingers together.

“When Typhon called you Ruby, claimed you as his, I wanted to rip his throat out. But more importantly, I wanted to protect you from him. What kept me sane was that he wouldn’t go looking for you until he was finished with me. I don’t know why I believed him when he said that, but I did. And I was right to. You were safe from him until you found me.” He raised his head, meeting her sympathetic gaze.

“You saved me, even when you weren’t there. Maddie, I love you so much that I’m terrified. I feel like my heart is outside my body; my heart is you.”

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