Page 53 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

Chapter Forty-Eight

Sun poured in from the window across from the bed and onto Sabryn’s face, waking her.

She drew in a breath and shifted her leg against Kurt’s .

His arm tightened as he held her against his side and turned his head toward her.

She opened her eyes to look out the window and smiled to find herself snuggled next to him.

He yawned and kissed her forehead. “ Morning ,” he said sleepily.

“ Good morning,” she replied. Happiness swirled through her as sweet as honey.

She watched a bird fly past the window, their melodies filtering through the glass. Last night, she had never imagined she would have such a morning again. She wasn’t just alive. She was in bed with the only man she had ever loved.

Their victory had come at a high price, though.

Parker’s betrayal would have lasting consequences for both Kurt and his father.

Then , there was Diana’s death to process.

Kurt hadn’t spoken about it since delivering the devastating news to her.

When she tried to press, he had silenced her with a kiss and carried her to bed.

They would have to deal with it eventually, though.

Diana’s body was on Skye , and Reginald was coming to get her.

“ Can we spend the day in bed?” Kurt asked, his voice still husky from sleep. “ I believe we’ve earned it.”

“ We’ve more than earned it,” she said, caressing his abdomen.

He threaded his fingers into her hair. “ Do you feel different now that you’re the air pillar?”

“ In a way. The wind is easier to hear now.”

“ I’m sleeping with a badass,” he said, a smile in his voice.

She chuckled and tilted her head up to see his face. “ Is that what you think of me?”

“ It’s how I’ve always thought of you.”

Sabryn snuggled against him. “ Each skirmish is getting worse. There was a moment last night when I was sure we were going to lose. I’ve never tasted fear like that before.”

“ But we were victorious.”

“ We walked away. Which is, indeed, a win. But I won’t call us triumphant until we’ve ended all of this.”

He blew out a breath and tightened his arm around her. “ We’re one step closer to that. We have the air pillar now. We just need to find the water pillar.”

“ I’m worried about Kirsi .”

“ I didn’t see her last night, but I wasn’t looking, either. I woke on the boat and demanded to get to you. I only made it thanks to Balladyn . How the bloody hell do we get anything done without him?”

Sabryn laughed softly. “ I wonder if he rolls his eyes when we call for him.”

“ Does he ever smile?”

“ On occasion.”

Kurt grunted. “ I won’t believe it until I see it. I swear he only has one expression.”

They shared a chuckle. Her thoughts returned to Kirsi . “ I think I need to talk to Kirsi . She’s not ready.”

“ If someone told me the only way to win was to fight a monster and kill it, I don’t know if I would be, either.”

Sabryn grimaced. “ It’s information that needed to be shared, but I don’t think anyone has talked to her about it.”

“ Not even Callum ? You used to tell me how those two drifted together if they were ever in the same room.”

“ If Kirsi will talk to anyone, I think it would be Callum .”

Kurt adjusted the pillow behind his head. “ I’m not saying you shouldn’t check on her, though. Especially with her mum being ill.”

Sabryn almost used the mention of Kirsi’s mum to talk about Diana but chickened out at the last minute. “ How does it feel to be in the thick of things with us?”

“ Glorious . And bloody terrifying. You talked about being scared, but I don’t think anyone was more afraid than I was. Not at the battle, but at the possibility of you getting hurt.”

“ There will always be that possibility. We were both wounded. Everyone sustained injuries last night—some worse than others. Speaking of, I need to change the bandage on your back.”

He lightly ran his fingers up and down her arm. “ I don’t want to move yet.”

“ We could hide out in here for a few days,” she suggested.

“ I like that idea. Do you think we could place food orders with Carlyle ? He’s a brilliant cook. He could’ve been a chef.”

Sabryn smiled against his chest. “ We take full advantage of his love for cooking. Just be forewarned to check containers in the fridge to make sure you don’t accidentally grab one for the cats.”

“ Where are the cats? I thought I might get to see at least one of them.”

“ We haven’t exactly spent much time here the last few days. And your interest will wane when Basher and Moon get the zoomies at three in the morning and sound like a herd of wildebeests running down the halls.”

Kurt started laughing.

“ It’s not funny. One night, I didn’t shut my door all the way, and the two little assholes burst into my room as I was sleeping on my side and used my back like a springboard.”

He laughed even harder, which made her smile. This is what she had been missing since DC . A sunny morning lying in his arms, talking about nothing in particular. Just being together in the moment.

Kurt rolled her onto her back and looked down at her, his expression serious as he brushed his thumb across her cheek.

“ I love you,” she whispered, her chest swelling with the emotion. “ Even when I hated you, I loved you. Even when I was cursing you and wanting to hurt you, I still loved you.”

His pale blue orbs held a wealth of emotion as he gazed at her. “ And I love you. It isn’t a sane love. Or a staid one. It isn’t simple or rational. Nothing about what I feel for you has ever been. I hurt you before.”

“ That’s in the past, and I’ve forgiven you.” She smoothed back a lock of his hair that had fallen over his forehead.

“ It doesn’t change what I did. I want you to know I’ll never do anything like that again. I’m yours,” he continued. “ For eternity. You are my heart. My very soul. I will be by your side for however long you’ll have me.”

She cupped his face and pressed her lips to his. “ I like the sound of eternity.”

“ For eternity it is, then.” He kissed her: deeply, passionately, letting her taste his love and his promise.