Werewolves and Wendigos

Thirteen

All at once, it crashed into me like a lightning bolt. How much I had grown to care about Cora, and that she meant so, so much to me. Every time that I looked at her, I fell for her all over again.

"What?" Cora asked looking up at me. I hadn't noticed that I was a thousand miles away. A deep thinker, I am.

"I was just.....thinking." I replied quietly.

"About?" she said, resting her head over my heart. "Mmmm.....I'll never get tired of that sound. You have such an intense heartbeat." I smiled a little bit before I responded.

"You." I whispered.

"That's not a surprise." She replied, and I knew she was smiling. I took a deep breath, looking back up at the stars. It was like someone had thrown a bajillion diamonds on top of a black carpet.

"What else?" she asked. I rubbed her back between her shoulders.

"The first time we kissed. In the warehouse." I replied.

"That was....nice." she said. I stopped rubbing her back, lifted her chin so I could look at her, and then I said it.

"Cora.....I love you." My favorite pair of dark brown eyes seemed to get a little softer, and for maybe the first time, I didn't see a fearless warrior chick, but a human girl.

"You do?" her voice was shaking, but her smile made my world spin a little faster.

"I love you a whole lot, baby." I said softly.

"I love you too." She whispered, and I saw a tear rolling down her cheek. I took my hand off her hip and wiped it away.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I brushed her hair behind her ear.

"That's the first time you've ever said that to me." Cora replied, looking away. I breathed in deep, and she turned her gaze back to me.

"I guess that.....I just finally realized it today. I hated watching what Strivon and Jackson did."

"Is that why you broke Jackson's leg and almost crushed his throat?" I had to laugh before I responded.

"You broke it first." I whispered. She smiled and rested her head on my shoulder, and I let myself think about her some more. I thought about her laugh, her soft skin, and those dark brown eyes that always seemed to mesmerize me. I fell asleep listening to her steady breathing, feeling closer to Cora than I had in a long, long time.