Page 60 of The Beast of Ashwood Manor

I helped him out of his shirt first, and then his trousers.

“I’m tired tonight, Cale,” he said. “No, exhausted. I just want to sleep.”

I climbed into the bed and patted it. “That’s all I want right now, to feel you beside me.”

Gil blinked at me, groaning as he laid beside me. He took me into his arms, holding me close as we faced each other.

“I’m sorry for not coming back sooner,” he told me.

“It’s all right,” I said, kissing him softly. “I waited for you. I’ll do it again.”

“I’m going to keep you safe.”

“And the others.”

“Always.” Gil kissed my nose before he closed his eyes.

His surrounding warmth was what I’d been craving all day, and I held him tighter, pressing my cheek against his chest, feeling the hair against my skin.

“Surely you didn’t miss me that much,” Gil muttered, sounding almost asleep.

I smiled. “I missed you so much I ached.”

“Mm,” Gil hummed. His hand pulled up my shirt, and he ran his nails lightly over my back.

The feeling sent shivers over my skin, and I relished the satisfaction of it. But then his hand slowed and eventually stopped. Gil’s breathing grew heavy as he fell asleep.

I looked up at him, tracing my eyes over every part of his face, memorizing it, as if one day I’d be parted from him and would have to remember.

I smiled painfully as the conversation with Annie and Natalie came back to me about the fifteenth year of the curse coming. If we didn’t manage to break it by then, what would become of us all? Gil could only promise to keep us all safe for as long as the barrier was up. Not even he could possibly fight off the creatures coming out of Ashwood with it down.

I have to get him to show me his inner beast. Starting tomorrow.

I jerked awake from a dream, the panic still within my mind from it. I looked over to see the space beside me on the bed empty. Again. Light streamed into the room, and only Dyna laid beside me. It seemed Gil would never trust me enough to stay in my bed all night. But it was fine, as long as he kept visiting me.

Sighing, I scratched Dyna’s ear, and she looked up at me lazily and meowed. “I had an awful dream,” I told her, “that something bad happened to Gil. I went into the forest, and he tried to save me, but something took him. I tried to go after him, but these thorns surrounded me.”

Dyna meowed again and rubbed her head against my hand.

Smiling, I nuzzled her face. “I’m glad it was only a dream. I don’t ever want to go into that forest, and I hope Gil stays safe in there.”

I got up and went downstairs to help with breakfast. Mary was there today in place of Royce again, and a pang went through me as I saw her.

“Morning, Mary,” I started.

“Good morning, Cale,” she replied.

I stood beside her as she cooked the pork. “I’m very sorry for how I acted last night. It was wrong of me to say that. I didn’t mean it. You’re a good friend to me.”

She looked over and smiled warmly. “It’s fine, Cale. You were upset, and we all say things we don’t mean when we’re upset.”

“Still, I don’t want to be that ugly to you again.”

Turning, she hugged me, and I embraced her, feeling the forgiveness within her affectionate gesture. “Are you going to help me with breakfast or not?” she asked, pulling away.

“Of course.” I chuckled.

After helping in the kitchen, I ate breakfast away from everyone else, as they all seemed more tense after yesterday’s incident, and I couldn’t bear hearing them push me into this whole love thing anymore.

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