Hera
Lying in Deacon’s bed felt strange. I hadn’t seen him beyond a quick moment since our last fight, and as it turned out, that was far too long.
And…I couldn’t deny that I needed information from him.
Still, even if I didn’t, I’d realized that this tension I felt from our last fight wore on me and I’d wanted to let it go.
I’d asked him earlier if I could see him, but he’d said he had to work. I had no idea if he’d told me the truth or if he’d just blown me off, but sometimes the only way to get through to stubborn people like Deacon was with a surprise attack.
In this case, that meant breaking into his room and crawling into his bed to wait for him, since he’d eventuallyhave to return.
Of course, what had struck me as a great idea didn’t seem so wonderful as the hours dragged on. Before I knew it, my eyes had fluttered closed. He hadn’t been kidding about working late when the clock struck midnight.
I lost the fight eventually, and dozed off, surrounded by Deacon’s scent.
* * * *
Deacon
I hurt.Everywhere.Going one-on-one with an enraged werewolf had proven one hell of a challenge, even for me. Even muzzled and with gloves on t0 keep fangs and claws in check, they weren’t pushovers.
I rarely had to deal with that—werewolves weren’t level 1 shades—but occasionally they got an especially troublesome shades in intake and would ask for help from us in level 1.
I didn’t mind chipping in—I never had to see the shade again, which made things simpler. Things got messy when guards got too close to the residents, and I had enough complications in my life without adding anything to them.
I walked into my bedroom as I pulled my shirt over my head, ready to crawl into bed and close my eyes. A hot shower would have soothed my sore muscles, but my exhaustion won out. I’d managed not to get any blood on me, so I’d take that as a win.
Except, when I tossed my shirt into the laundry hamper in my open closet, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Speaking of complications…
Hera slept in my bed, her eyes closed, her breathing easy and regular. She looked so peaceful when she slept, more like the girl I’d met in that parking lot, the one I’d saved.
It was strange how much had changed over the past months. She’d arrived at Larkwood so afraid, so unsure, but she’d grown into herself. She’d started trusting herself and standing on her own two feet. The other side of that was that she’d turned more jaded, more suspicious of those around her.
That all drifted away when she slept, though. It made me wonder if she’d ever be so open with me when awake and aware, or if, the moment she woke, she’d distance herself from me.
It wasn’t just her that had changed, either. Somehow, she’d altered all of Larkwood. Each person she interacted with shifted, as if the very academy had changed with her presence. Wade had seemed less distant, Brax a little softer, Knox more determined and even Kit had seemed a little more…human. Hell, even I felt different.
I wasn’t sure I liked it, to be honest.
Change wasn’t often a good thing, because it was unpredictable.
Hera shifted as if she sensed me, rolling toward me, her arms wrapping around my pillow and clutching it to her chest. It also twisted the blanket, which exposed her thigh.
And made it clear she’d crawled into my bed naked.
Any exhaustion I’d felt fled at the sight of the pale skin she flashed me from her toes to her hip. I rubbed my hand over my face, trying to control myself.
Talk about a losing battle.How could I expect myself to stay in control when I had Hera naked andvulnerable in my bed? When she’d come here on her own? I wanted to wake her up with me against her, wanted to claim her lips in a kiss to say what I didn’t have a clue how to say, to feel her melt against me as I slid into the heat and tightness of her body.I wanted to feel close to her again, to feel that sense of home she gave me.
It was so much easier to physically communicate with her. When we tried to talk, when we tried to spend any time actually conversing, Hera and I only ended up fighting. We misunderstood each other, took everything we said and did as some sort of challenge.
I didn’t enjoy fighting, but we struggled to do much else.
After another moment, I finished stripping down. If she’d come here naked, I’d return the favor. I crawled into the bed carefully, not wanting to startle her. It didn’t seem I needed to worry about that since as soon as I got into the bed, she shifted toward me.
She released the pillow and curled around me instead, nuzzling against my chest, her eyes still closed.