Violet Detours (BOOK 2) : Badly, Madly, Deeply

FIRE ON FIRE

Gusion woke up at the knocking of the door and squinted through the darkness.

Judging by the deafening silence from all around him, it was still the sleeping hour of Zen City.

Ever since they raided Bakers territories, the crimes of the place had lessened, as if the lesser criminals had seen their attack as a revolt to eliminate all kinds of evil, starting from the top.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Came the knockings again.

Gusion slid off his bed and went to open the door.

"Guin——!" His question got cut off as she threw herself against him, her arms clinging around his neck.

Her sudden additional weight sent him staggering back and they ended up sitting on the floor.

"What's wrong?" He asked, panic flooding through him as he heard her sniffle, her shoulder shaking as she sobbed against the nook of his neck.

He traveled his arm around her, making sure she wasn't physically hurting. "Are you alright?"

She didn't answer. But she was crying silently, making him anxious.

"Guin, if you could just tell me what's wrong?" He asked gently, holding her at arm's length so he could tilt her head to look at him.

Her tears glistened against the makeshift moonlight from outside. "What's wrong, my Guin?" He asked, brushing the newly escaped tears dry with his thumb.

"I dreamt——I dreamt the arrow  got to you before I did..." She said between sobs.

Gusion let out a sigh of relief.

He was so worried her wound might be hurting a lot, or if the healing didn't work out as they expected.

"I dreamt...of you dying...and I could do nothing about it."

"Ssshhh." He soothed, cupping her face with his palm and leaning down to press their foreheads together. "I'm alright. I'm here. You saved me."

She closed her eye and reached up for his face, absorbing his presence fully, as if she was making sure he was really there.

He tilted his head to press his lips against hers. Her lips were warm, so warm it washed out all the worries he was having about a lot of things.

Then he kissed her forehead before pulling her to his chest, making him wish he could keep her there forever so that no one coild ever harm her again.

She let out a sigh, her tense body relaxing into his as he soothed her hair.

"Come on, you should go back to sleep." He said and lifted her into his arms.

He carried her to the bed, where he layed her down gently and pulled the blanket over her.

She lied on her side under the covers, her eyes droopy with sleep but she was trying to keep them open to look at him.

Gusion's heart suddenly went racing with his breath, but he lied next to Guinevere and let her lie on his shoulder.

"I'll keep you away from nightmares." He said and gave a peck on her forehead.

"I love you." She muttered sleepily then drifted off to sleep.

With another warmth pressed against his own body, Guinevere's calming scent filling the air that he breathed, Gusion felt like he was being lulled to sleep by fairies.

It didn't take him longer to follow Guinevere into the realm of dreams.