Jagged Embrace

Chapter 50 - Maeve

Note: This is steamy so if you're not a fan skip this chapter until next week! Also don't forget the content warnings from before!

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Maeve's eyelids opened, but everything was still blurry. Will's heat was radiating on her back as she blinked and looked at Ander's bed. He wasn't there. She untangled herself from Will and stumbled into the bathroom. Why was she so dizzy? Splashing cold water on her face did nothing to remove the grogginess or lethargy she felt.

Her stomach growled. Searching for something to eat, she scanned the table, but the idea of having to prepare anything was too much of a chore. She was relieved when she spotted the two bananas still on the table. Maeve took one and sat, eating slowly. Every tiny movement was like trying to move through molasses. It reminded her of just after the shades had attacked her.

She eyed the bed. That's what she really craved, but she also wanted to stay awake for when Ander got back from running. It was still very early, but Ander liked to run before the sun was up sometimes. After a few minutes and another bout of dizziness, she decided against it and crawled back into bed with Will.

Will stirred when she scooted back against him and she froze. At this point, she knew better than to do anything until he realized it was her. Both he and Ander reacted before they woke, and if they didn't know who or what it was near them, it always seemed to immediately go to violence. To her surprise, he drew her against him and took a deep breath. He understood it was her. Unsure what to do with the new development, she remained stiff. His head popped up from behind her.

"You okay?" he asked her with bloodshot eyes.

She turned to lie on her back and stared at his face. He was exhausted and appeared younger. Young, the way Ander did sometimes when he was honest with her. She peered at him and raised her hand to his temple, surprised by his vulnerability. He was tired and worried. Maeve sucked in her breath. The events of the last couple of days flooded her conscious mind. Her anger spiked for a second before it was replaced with concern for him. Something was wrong.

"I'm fine. Just still tired from the soul damage, I guess. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just really tired." His voice was rough. It sounded like he'd been up all night.

"I'm sorry I did it again."

She was still upset with how he'd treated Ander, but she'd done the exact same things she told him she wouldn't. She started a fight with him on the eve of a mission.

A crease formed between his brows before he shook his head. "I don't care about that." He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "I care about you." His titanium eyes held the same tenderness they had when he'd put her in bed.

Maeve's heart thundered in her chest and her throat grew thick. She couldn't respond, pinned down by the power of his tender emotion. Will had never been so open to her before. It excited her, but also made her wary.

"I just want to hold you," he said before his lips touched hers in a feathery kiss.

Will pulled her against him as they settled back into their typical spooning position. Even though they'd laid together like it over a dozen times, it seemed different. Despite the last week and the arguing, something had changed between them. Something had changed in him. Maeve felt Will fall asleep. It was then that she noticed he had worn a shirt to bed, a long sleeve one at that.

Maybe it was why he'd turned the air conditioner down so low. He never wore shirts to bed. She wanted to know why, but continued to lie perfectly still and refused to allow her curiosity to cause another argument, not when he'd gazed at her that way. When she finally drifted off, she dreamed about them. Both of them.