Page 45 of Memories Like Fangs
“I know he does. He’s hurting right now. I’m sure he’s feeling guilty, scared, angry, and worried. Fuck, that’s only the tip of the iceberg on how I feel. He needed a scapegoat, something to take things out on. I needed something to punch, too. I get it. We aren’t that different, and we’re on the same side.”
Thompson switched back to English then as he nodded in agreement. “We both know that. I promise. We’ll get through this.”
I nodded. “Thanks, Thompson.”
“Oh, hey, call me Teddy,” He smiled before heading to the cot next to Everett. He kissed him on the forehead before laying in his own cot. I wasn’t a fan of men. Most days, I barely tolerated my male cousins. But, this one? He wasn’t too bad.Definitely the golden retriever cinnamon roll to Mr. Angry Birdman, but they worked together, completed each other.
I bet that’s how me and Byrd look, too.
The hours crawled into the double digits. I watched Talli trade places with Journee. Then, Journee and Izzy switched off for Maisie and Teddy to take over. Almost everyone else had long gone to lay down on the cots, including the witches when they weren’t working. Only Cole and I were left standing, and he waspractically falling asleep beside me. Still, there was no falter, no flicker. The only weakness at all was the cracks I was starting to feel within me. I was itching to punch something tofeelagain, even if all I felt was anger. My fists were cramping from how hard they were clenched and shaking. Weariness settled in my bones. Restless, I paced like a wolf stuck too long in a cage, wearing a trench in front of the table. I was losing my mind. My eyes were watering from watching the same spot for hours. My rage burned ever so hot and so long it had turned into a kind of stillness inside me.
As Talli and Izzy returned for a second round around the twenty-hour mark, Cole yawned loudly and prolonged. “Okay, Quinn, I’m calling it. You need to rest.”
“I’m fine.”
“No, you have been awake for over 24 hours. You need to sleep.”
“I said I’m fine, Cole.”
“You’re no good to her if you collapse from exhaustion, Q.”
“I’m no good to her asleep either.”
“Your head needs to be sharp. Burnout helps no one, especially not your girl. You need to go to sleep.”
How was I supposed to sleep without her warmth beside me? What magic could allow me to rest without the tether of our bond humming in my chest? How could such a thing be possible? I wanted to snap at him, to tear the words from his mouth and throw them right back at him.I don’t need rest. I need Byrd. I need to find her.
I didn’twantto rest.
I wanted my mate.
But, his raised eyebrows and the look in his eyes said he’d heard my every thought already. And, he wasn’t about to give me much of an option.
I sighed, shaking my head. Maybe it was the exhaustion or the concern clearly evident in his eyes, but I couldn’t lie to him. I had to be honest. “Ican’t, Cole. What if they find Byrd while I’m knocked out?”
“What if a giant cyclops appears in the Archive and kills everyone in this room?” Cole snorted. “That’s what it would take for no one to wake your ass up to go and meet your girl.”
I looked into his steady, infuriatingly practical, and stupid blue eyes. I fucking hated how right he was. I hated more how my knees shook from the strain of walking for so long, how my feet felt like there were blisters on my blisters from being on them for ages, how the storm in my head had blurred into static at this point. I hated that I was about to sleep without Byrd and without knowing how she was doing.
“C’mon, Quinn-Quinn! You can sleep next to me!” Cole said, stretching toward the ceiling until he was up on his tip-toes before he practically skipped toward the cot beside Simone. He wore a goofy smile on his face the whole way that made me want to use my shaking fists to knock it off. He patted the cot on the other side of his.
I rolled my eyes. “I hate you.”
“You love me.”
“Fuck off.”
“Aw, good night to you, too, cuz!” Cole nestled into the bed.
I shook my head as I sat on the cot. Even just sitting, I could feel how soft and comforting it was under me. I felt its magic, not just asking me, butforcingme to sleep. I took off my boots, and I placed my blade under my pillow, trying so hard not to think about how the weight should be doubled. I laid back on the cot, thinking I would just lie down for a minute. I was expecting to toss, turn, and burn up time waiting once again. But, my body gave out before my will did. The trick-of-the-gods kind ofsleep swallowed me whole, dragging me under fast, dark, and absolute.
Dreamless.
Heavy.
Deep
Silent.
