The Oath of an Oxblood

34

"You must be exhausted," Ember noted. I nodded. Both of us had stayed up late until we faced the inevitable issue. I was only one person. "You've been running or injured since early this morning," Ember noted.

"Yeah. Well, we don't have much of a choice, do we?" I asked. "Unless, could you ask that healer to keep a track of your...condition for a few hours while I get a bit of rest?"

Ember bit his lip. His leg was bobbing up and down anxiously. "My condition...I've only shared it with a few people. All the Slates except for him were called away. I don't...I don't trust him," he confessed.

"Well," I said. "I guess a night won't kill me," I said optimistically, dread already setting in at the thought of staying awake all night.

I was exhausted. Sleep had been begging for my attention since I healed that boy. Now, the goal had moved ahead several hours. Tomorrow we would be going to the wedding, which meant I would be Ember's personal shadow.

Ember set his head in his hands. He swore. "You need sleep," he said, his dark eyes frustrated.

"You need to stay alive," I said. "And if the other Slate can't do that, then I will stay awake," I committed.

"Then, I'll stay awake with you," Ember resolved.

"You would be a colossal idiot," I said.

He shook his head. "I'll get the other Slate," he said. I grabbed his arm as he passed.

"Please don't," I said softly. "I'll be okay."

He shook his head. "You need to sleep. No matter what it takes," he said earnestly.

I tightened my grip on his arm and he glanced down at me. "A night isn't worth someone exploiting you. There is a reason you have kept this a secret and I trust you."

He pulled his arm from my grip. "Then trust my decision," he said softly, heading toward the door.

I bit my lip. "Ember?"

He turned to face me. My eyes roved over his familiar face. I remember when I first saw him—when I thought he was taking Romina. Roach. It all seemed so far away.

"Do you remember that second night?" I asked. He narrowed his eyes in confusion. "The one where I fell asleep?" He shook his head. "My first nightmare?"

His eyes lit up in recognition. "Yeah, I do."

My body was screaming for sleep, but I couldn't let Ember put himself at risk. "You survived the whole night. And slept really well," I added. "You made a comment that I only fell asleep for a little bit, but that's not true," I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"When you fell asleep, I was on a page in that book. When I woke up, I was on that same page."

"You read that slowly?" he joked.

"I slept the whole night," I confessed.

Silence. He tilted his head. "You are telling me that you healed me while you slept?" he asked.

I nodded. "Maybe."

He examined me with a furrowed brow.

"Please," I said. "We have to try. If I fall asleep and you fall asleep, your screams will wake up both up. We will go from there, but we have to try."

He nodded. "Fine. If it doesn't work, I will invite the Slate into the secret and you will sleep for as long as you need," he threatened.

I smiled, relieved that he was trying my idea. "I've never been threatened with sleep before."

He smiled and then looked at his bed. It was lifted high off the ground, which meant that sitting on the ground would be uncomfortable. "One condition," he said.

"What?"

"You have to be comfortable, too."

I realized what he meant. "Ember," I started.

"Please. We can bind our ankle and sleep on other ends of the bed, but you need to sleep. We can pile blankets between us, whatever you are comfortable with."

I glanced around. "There is a chair," I said, weakly. A yawn overtook me, and my eyes watered in anticipation of sweet rest. My stomach felt empty with exhaustion. Not a good sign.

He narrowed his eyes. "No. I've sat in that chair. It is designed for people to not fall asleep. We can bring in another bed and slide it next to mine," he suggested.

"No," I said. "That would be even stranger."

He shrugged. "Will this work?"

I was too tired to resist. "Okay."

He visibly relaxed. Without changing, he pulled extra blankets and made a fort between us, except near our feet. "Get in," he urged.

I blinked a few times and climbed under the blankets. Warmth enveloped me and I almost fell asleep right then. I forced myself to keep awake. Ember grabbed a ribbon from his drawer and quickly climbed under the covers himself. I could barely tell there was someone on the same mattress.

"Naomi?" Ember asked. I didn't realize I had dozed off until I saw Ember's eyes peeking over at me. "Are you comfortable?" he asked.

I nodded and felt that he had tied our ankles (or my ankle to his shin) together. My foot was tucked under his leg. I healed him softly and he smiled.

"I'm sorry," he said. "You feel stiff."

"It's strange sleeping in the same bed as a man," I muttered, closing my eyes and willing sleep to take me away. I could feel his leg hairs against my foot.

"Are you ever going to trust me?" he asked.

I yawned. "If I trust you," I started sleepily, "then I'll become part of your family. How can I do that without losing my own?"

I didn't hear his response as I fell asleep.