Jaxon groans and tilts his head back to give me better access, even as his hands mold my hips. “Wait,” he gasps as I kiss the razor-sharp edge of his jaw. “What about Hudson?”
“Asleep,” I answer, my hands sliding underneath his shirt to stroke the warm skin of his stomach.
He groans and then rolls us until I’m stretched out underneath him. “Why didn’t you say so?” he asks, leaning on his elbows right above me.
“I tried. What do you think the whole ‘aurora borealis’ thing was all about?”
He looks confused. “What do you mean—” He breaks off as understanding dawns. “Wait a minute. That was your move?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it a move.” I frown at him, but he’s already shaking his head and laughing.
“I never would have guessed it. The aurora borealis as a move.” He gives me a nod of respect. “That’s smooth. I like it.”
“Obviously not that smooth,” I tell him, “since we’re talking about it instead of kissing under it.”
“Well, by all means, let’s get back to it, then. I’d hate to disappoint you.” He waves a hand and his curtains slide out of the way, showing the aurora borealis shimmering just beyond his window.
And then he’s kissing me and it feels so good. So right. His mouth moving on mine. His hair tickling my cheek. His hands slipping under my sweater and sliding against my skin.
I arch in to him, tangling our legs together as he skims his lips down my neck and across my collarbone. I tilt my head to the side, offering him my neck—offering him my vein—and his fangs scrape gently against my skin.
Anticipation slides down my spine. I’ve missed this so much. I move against him, tangle my hands in his hair, and—my phone alarm goes off, blaring obnoxiously in the silence.
Jaxon pulls away with a groan. “What is that for?”
“I’m supposed to FaceTime with Heather tonight.” I sit up and pull my phone out so I can swipe off the alarm. “Let me just text her and say I’ll call in a little—”
“It can’t be morning already,” Hudson complains with a groan.
“And fuck, just fuck. Hudson’s up.” I flop back down on the bed and stare up at the ceiling.
Jaxon takes one look at my face and does the same. “He always was a light sleeper. Even when we were kids.”
“Yeah, well, it comes from never knowing if your father was going to come into the room and try to kill you or your younger brother,” Hudson snipes back, his voice a little stiff as he must figure out what was going on while he slept.
“That’s awful,” I whisper, my opinion of Cyrus—and Delilah—sinking even lower, and honestly, I didn’t think that was possible.
I can feel Hudson shrug in my mind.
“What’s wrong?” Jaxon asks, rolling onto his side so he can get a better look at my face. “Are you nervous about tomorrow?”
I take the out, not willing to betray Hudson’s confidence. “I am, actually. What if it’s as bad as Eden’s grandmother says?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Jaxon answers with a confident smile. “I’ll protect you.”
“That’s not the point.” I sit up, annoyed by his sudden “I’m the guy; I’ve got this” attitude. “The point is we’re asking a lot of people we care about to risk their lives to help me. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
“I’m telling you, I’ve got this,” Jaxon says. “I can protect all of you. It’s what I do.”
“And I keep telling you that I don’t want someone to protect me. I want to stand on my own two feet, beside my mate, not behind him—” I break off as the FaceTime ring starts coming from my phone.
“What?” Jaxon asks, looking confused.
I don’t answer him. Instead, I hold my phone up and say, “I’ve got to take this. I haven’t talked to Heather in forever.” I drop an absent-minded kiss on the top of his head before walking through the alcove toward the stairs. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“I’ve gotta say, Grace,” Hudson tells me as I swipe to answer Heather’s call, “you never cease to surprise me.”
79
Talk About a
Trust Fall
The next morning, I fire off a couple of quicks texts to Heather as Macy and I hustle down the last hallway toward the tunnels.
Me: So good to FINALLY talk to you last night