Page 79 of Light As A Feather
“I guess it’s Sol’s turn then, I’ll go grab her.” When they don’t object, I follow through.
Sol’s staring into the fire again, the orange flames making her glow like a beacon. She’d consider herself more of a dying star. If she is, she’s a supernova. I can only hope I pass over to the other side permanently before her because she’s everything.
“They’re ready for you,” I say quietly. She still jumps at the disruption.
“Thorne,” she gasps. “I didn’t hear you come in. Sorry…”
“I didn’t mean to startle you. They sent me to get you if you’re ready.”
There’s a moment of hesitation, but she just nods. Before she gets far, I grab for her hand and tug her toward me.
“You told me everything, right? He didn’t do anything else to you, did he?”
Her eyes widen. “No. No, of course not.” She’s taken aback by the insinuation, but I hadn’t thought to question it earlier, and I needed to know. There wouldn’t be peace if I didn’t ask.
“I told you everything.” She cups my cheek, stroking my scar with her thumb, and I lean into it, so ready for it to just be the two of us. For us to finally have some peace. To be like the old days when we were just two people spending simple, rainy days listening to records on repeat, or traipsing through the redwoods under the afternoon sun.
But I guess things were never really all that simple for her; I was just naive, oblivious to so much of her suffering. How many of those nights did she spend frozen in fear next to me or trembling under Ivan’s touch?
Holding her closer, I revel in the miracle that it truly is her here in my arms. That she’s made it this far—no thanks to me. She’s been so strong, my cursed little nightingale, forced to fly away, now trapped here with a broken wing.
As much as I want peace, I want to make him pay a bit more.
“We’re close to cracking this. I can feel it,” I say against Sol’s hair. “He’s getting sloppy, acting desperately. It’s almost over.”
She looks up at me, and it’s not hopeful per se, but there’s something close to it lingering just beneath the surface, and that’s good enough.
“I’ll see you in a bit.” Standing on her tippy toes, Sol kisses me too quickly and leaves me behind, craving more of her like always. If I’m being honest,I could never get enough.
As soon as the door shuts behind her, I’m seized by an incurable restlessness, one that forces me to pace and gnaw at the skin of my thumb until it’s mangled.
Thankfully, the door opens, and I think I might at least be able to enjoy the peace of her sleeping beside me for a little bit, but out step Ozzie and Jayden.
“What’s going on?”
“Bathroom run,” Ozzie states flatly.
“Oh, all right.” Eyeing the singular cuff around his wrist, I fight the urge to cast suspicion on him. None of this is his fault, after all. He has human needs just like the rest of us. Besides, Mendez is a big guy.
Desperate for any kind of distraction as this night drags on, I pull out my phone and let myself zone out to the next episode of my show—I need to see what my favorite gay vampires are up to. I’m once again thankful for Hale harassing me until I finally gave it a shot. She was right, it’s definitely up my alley. She never lets me hear the end of it.
I’m watching the bonus content when Sol sits next to me, resting her head on my shoulder and letting out a deep yawn.
“I think we should call it a night,” I say as the group starts to file in. “There’s plenty of room for you all to crash here.” Looking at my phone, I check the expected time for sunrise. “We can geta few hours, just to refresh, and get up with the sun to go grab the knife.”
“Sounds like a plan, but umm,” Hale raises her arms and dramatically swings from side to side. “Where the hell are Jayden and Mendez? We assumed they were out here with you to make her more comfortable.”
“Wait, they didn’t go back in there with you?”
Zoey shakes their head, their eyes widening as we all come to the same realization.
“Fuck,” I gasp as I jump up from the couch and blaze a trail to the bathroom. Pounding against the thick wood with my fist, I call out, “Jayden, are you guys in there? Open up.”
No response. Trying the handle, I meet some resistance, like there’s a weight against the door, but with the added weight of Zoey by my side, we manage to push it open.
“Ouch, shit,” Ozzie groans from the other side.
“Mendez, what the hell? Is it just you in there?” Zoey shouts through the small opening.
