Page 80 of Artemis' Bow
Dominic leaves, closing the door behind him. Jayden sets me down on the vanity and takes a step back, an expression of concern etched on his features. After a second he steps forward, grabs the collar of my shirt, and rips it down the middle.
“Jayden, what in Hades?” I gasp.
“Can you raise your arms without hurting your shoulder?” Jayden asks.
I tilt my head to the side, thinking carefully, then shake my head. “No, I can’t, but it honestly doesn’t hurt that bad. I can handle it.”
“No,” Jayden growls.
The shadows in his eyes grow and I grip his shirt, pulling him close to me. “Jayden, stay with me. Don’t lose control.”
He shakes his head as if to clear it and his eyes widen. “I think this double dose may be a problem.”
“Are the shadows harder to control?” I ask, concerned.
“There’s a rage inside anytime I think about you being hurt and a possessive need to keep you safe and protected. It was there before but it feels ten times stronger now.” Jayden rubs the back of his neck.
“We’ll figure it out, Jayden. We’re in this together, remember?” I kiss him hard.
“Yeah, together. Always.”
Jayden helps me undress and then removes his own clothes. I have to keep my gaze averted because all of that tanned skin and lean muscle on display isn’t just distracting, it’s dangerous. Jayden is methodical in his attention as he washes my hair and runs a loofah over my body. I shiver under his ministrations.
“No funny stuff, remember, baby? Just let me take care of you,” he whispers.
After I have been thoroughly washed, he turns off the water and steps out of the shower, reaching for the folded towels on the vanity, then runs one over my body in sensual movements before wrapping it around me.
Jayden turns me so my back is to him and brings a towel to my head, running it over my hair and drying it the best he can.
“Thank you.” I sigh. “You don’t have to do this, you know. The pain isn’t that bad.”
“Seriously? We’ve already been over this. I want to take care of you. Do you have any idea how terrifying it was watching that arrow hurtling toward you and being able to do nothing about it? That was by far one of the worst moments of my life.”
I turn into Jayden and wrap my arms around him, resting my head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I just knew we had to stop it before something terrible happened.”
“I know I can’t ask you not to put yourself in danger like that again with everything we’ve been tasked with. Just maybe shout a warning to us next time so someone doesn’t accidentally hit you with their magic, a sword, or a damn arrow. I can’t lose you.”
“All I can promise is that I’ll try not to get hurt again, but what we’re doing is dangerous. You know this, Jayden. And I don’t have the option to walk away and let someone else handle it. I have to handle it. There is no one else.” I press my forehead to his chest.
“I know, baby. They ask too much of you. Hopefully when all this is over, we can have a damn break.” He rubs his hands up and down my arms in a soothing gesture.
I take a deep breath and square my shoulders. This is okay. It’s going to be okay, and then once we win the war, I can rest and relax. I just have to get through all the bullshit first.
“One step at a time.” I turn to the pile of clothes and grimace. “Those need to be burned.”
“You need the coin Hermes gave you first, and then we can burn them,” Jayden says.
“Yeah, I need to get dressed and go explain this to Dominic.” I move to my clothes.
Jayden gingerly picks up my pants off the floor and reaches in the pocket, pulling the coin out and placing it on the vanity. I dress with minimal twinges of pain when I pull the shirt over my head.
“Should have brought a button-up or something so you didn’t have to raise your arms,” Jayden grumbles.
“It’s fine, it barely hurt. It’s almost completely healed. In a few hours I’m sure it will be pain free.”
I grab the coin from the vanity and glance down at the ruined clothes. My magic flares out and flames engulf the clothes at my feet.
“Shit, what the hell was that?” I ask, staring at my hands.
