Page 61 of Ensnared
“Yeah, I’ll empty half my closet, okay?” Jack says. “I don’t need that much room anyway.”
“Or you can have your own room,” Aiden retorts. “If you want to. We have plenty of space.”
I burst into tears again. I can’t help it. Their fierce protectiveness and determination to keep me safe is too much on top of what has been a long, exhausting day.
“Aw, come on,” Ty says as he wraps an arm around my shoulders. “You need rest. Everything will look better once you’ve had some sleep.”
I let myself be led away, squeezing Princess Penny to my chest. Somewhere along the way to the Lodge, Aiden disappears, going off on some mysterious errand of his own before I can thank him for finding my dog. I’m trying my hardest to figure out who could be responsible for the break-in, but my brain stops cooperating by the time Ty bundles me into Jack’s bedroom. Jack follows close behind with my backpack and a bag of kibble for Princess.
I try to remove my hiking boots, clumsily pulling at them with my left hand, but all strength leaves my body in one last tired rush. I flop back on the covers and close my eyes, safe in the knowledge that Ty and Jack are watching over me.
Twenty-One
Skye
“Hey. Skye? Wake up.”
Someone is shaking my foot, none too gently. I pull my knees up, rolling into a ball, and nuzzle deeper into the pillow. It smells divine. There’s no way I’m getting up yet.
There’s a deep, annoyed sigh. Then my warm pillow moves from under me, and my cheek meets the soft, but cooler flannel of Jack’s sheets. With a groan, I lift my head.
“What?” I grumble, squinting.
It takes me a second to focus on Aiden. The light is coming in from the hallway, but it’s still dark outside the window of Jack’s bedroom. I realize that I’d been sleeping half on top of Ty, my head on his biceps. He sits up, rolling his shoulders; his arm is probably numb.
He’s glaring at Aiden, too. “Not cool, man.”
Aiden couldn’t be more indifferent to our morning mood. “Get dressed,” he orders me. “We’re going out.”
I scratch my skin at the edge of my cast. I’ve never broken a bone before, so this confined, itchy discomfort is new to me. “Uh, no. It’s…” I glance at Jack’s alarm clock. “Shit, it’s not even six, Aiden. What the hell?”
He puts his hands to his hips, a picture of impatience. “I put together all the ingredients for the spell. We can make it work.”
I sit up straighter. “You did? When?” I peer at him more closely. “Did you get any sleep last night?”
His eyes are shadowed with purple circles, and he hasn’t shaved.
He runs his fingers through his blond hair. “Not really. Couldn’t calm down.”
Ty groans and collapses back against the pillows, his left arm flopping out over Jack’s naked back. “And you couldn’t wait another couple of hours?”
Jack grumbles and turns on his side, still fast asleep. I know he’s not naked under the covers, but the possibility is tempting. I’m stripped down to my panties and thermal t-shirt, probably courtesy of Jack and Ty. I’m grateful that they took my jeans off after I’d passed out yesterday.
“I already put the herbs to steep,” Aiden announces. “You need to drink the tea while it’s hot according to the instructions.”
“What are you talking about?” Ty yawns and covers his mouth with his hand. “What spell?”
I’m finally awake enough to get excited about the idea of mending my own bones. “Alice sent it to me. It’s a healing spell, and Aiden has offered to help.”
Jack rolls to his back, his gray eyes fuzzy with sleep. “What? Are you crazy?”
“Oh, now you’re awake,” Aiden grumbles.
I put my hand on Jack’s shoulder. “I don’t even know if it’ll work. I won’t take the power from Aiden again. He just meant—”
“That’s exactly what you’ll do,” Aiden interrupts. “We agreed.”
I scoot to the edge of the bed and start pulling on my skinny jeans, one-handed, which is way harder than you’d think. “No, we didn’t. I’m not putting you in danger again. I’m glad you got started on the herbs, but I can take it from here.”
