Page 128 of Kingdom of Chaos
I’ve finally admitted to myself that I have real feelings for Talon, but that may not be enough, and I don’t want to do anything I’ll regret later.
We return to my room and I get back into bed, sudden nerves making me hyperaware of every creak and rustle as I wait for Talon to join me.
Talon doesn’t say anything at first. He just stands there for a few seconds, his figure hardly visible in the low light, before he crosses the room in a few quiet steps. He pulls back the covers on the far side of the bed and slides in beside me without hesitation, like he’s done it a thousand times. Like this is where he’s meant to be.
I shift to face him, my body still tense with everything I’m holding on to. But when his arm slips around my waist and draws me in—slow, unassuming, warm—I let myself go. Just a little.
He settles on his back and encourages me to rest my head on his shoulder. His body is solid and comforting against mine, thesteady rhythm of his breathing centering me in a way I didn’t know I needed.
“Is this okay?” he murmurs near my temple.
I nod into his chest, not trusting my voice.More than okay.
For a long time, neither of us speaks. But just like I feared, my thoughts start to drift from Ensley and Becks, to the dark cloud hanging over tomorrow, and finally to Talon and how I’m still conflicted about so many things I wish I wasn’t.
And yet, beneath all that noise is one undeniable truth: I don’t want to let this feeling go.
“Talon,” I whisper, breaking the silence, “should we talk? About us, I mean.”
“Shhh.” His breath stirs the fine hairs at my temple, sending a soft shiver down my spine. “We will. When this is all over, there’ll be time for that. But right now, this doesn’t have to mean anything more than what it is. For now, it’s okay to just be.”
His words settle the storm inside me, give me permission to sink fully into his embrace without analyzing what it means or where it might lead. Just here. Just this.
He shifts slightly, then lifts his arm and begins rubbing slow, steady circles on my back, each one pulling me deeper into quiet, into calm.
We just lie there, wrapped in silence and each other. And maybe I don’t fall asleep right away. But for the first time in hours, the storm in my mind settles. And eventually, sleep finds me.
Thirty-Five
Crunch.
An obnoxious noise yanks me from sleep, and when my eyes pop open I come face-to-face with Imogen. She’s perched in a nearby armchair, legs casually propped on the edge of the bed, way too close to my face. A shiny red apple, already missing a bite, rests in her hand as she chews and stares at me like she’s been waiting.
She swallows, then grins. “One day and you’re already crawling into bed together. I’m impressed.”
She takes another bite, somehow managing to grin around the chew.
“It’s not what—” I start, but I’m cut off by a low groan from behind me.
Talon grumbles incoherently, then slings a bare arm around my waist and tugs me back against his chest.
Imogen raises a brow, smug. “You were saying?” she says, nodding at the arm currently wrapped around me like a vise.
I roll my eyes, more annoyed she’s disturbed my peace than embarrassed.
That was the best sleep I’ve had since we entered the human world. All I want to do is soak in Talon’s warmth and burrow back under the covers.
I’m about to tell her to shove off when the reason she was gone last night hits me.
Kerrim. Ensley.
She was supposed to try to find her.
Drowsiness vanishes, replaced by a spike of adrenaline. I bolt upright, Talon’s arm slipping away as he startles awake beside me.
“Ensley?” I ask, and the grin slips from Imogen’s face. She shakes her head, and it feels like a ball of lead drops into my stomach.
The bed dips as Talon slides out behind me.
