Firefight in Darkness (34 page)

“Hey.” She stepped in and closed the door at her back, biting back a grin as he lifted his head to look at her.

“Hey, back.” He smiled and set his book aside, motioning for her to sit beside him on the bed. She did so, and instinctively curled against him, wrapping her arm over his chest.

“How did you sleep?” She brushed her cheek over his shirt and sighed, enjoying listening to his heart beat strong beneath her ear.

“Just fine. I had all these pretty ladies tending to my battle wounds.”

She smacked him on the arm halfheartedly, looking up to grin at him. “You better not have liked it.”

He chuckled, holding her closer. “They ain’t got nothing on you, darlin’.”

“Damn right.”

They lay together in silence for a few moments, both content to just enjoy this moment of rest. After everything they had been through, it was a blessing to the both of them to know they were safe.

“Thea came to see me a little while ago.” Jax began, stroking his hand through her hair softly. “She read the diary while you were sleeping. I’m sure she’ll get around to talking with you herself about it, but she feels bad. Make sure you forgive her, Blythe, like she forgave me. She’s tough because she has to be, because all of you depend on her to be the leader. But even leaders screw up.”

Blythe sighed. “I know. I’ll forgive her. But I’m going to make sure she helps me get Bristol’s story out to everyone. I don’t want another bad word said about my grandmother ever again.”

“She also told me that she’s sending Brogan out to look for Dante.”

“What?” Blythe sat up now, staring down at him dubiously. “Why?”

“He’s just going to check around Richmond, see if Dante left town or not. She thinks I need bed rest.” He grimaced, annoyed already at being fussed over. He was fine enough to do his job.

“Okay, well as long as she’s going to let us pick back up again once the Furies get another lead.”

“You still want to tag along?” His lips curved slightly as he reached out to tug playfully on her hair.

“Of course I do.” She batted his hand away, looking imperiously at him. “No one knows him better than we do, Jax. And now that not only did he fail at making me his wife, but-“

“Hold up, make you his wife?” Jax growled, his eyes flashing angrily.

Blythe huffed out a breath, waving the thought away. “Yeah, he had it in his head that if he got me to see the truth behind what happened to Bristol, that I would see him as worthy of living on Euphora and being a Fire Dryad. He figured I would be his ticket in, and then he would exact his revenge after he’d duped me. But then he was pissed because he knew you and I were together, sort of, and he said I was tainted and a slut and therefore no longer worthy of his love. Hmmph, as if I wanted his love to begin with, the incestual creep.”

“And he told you all of this last night when you went, by yourself, to confront him in the alley?” He hadn’t yet asked for an explanation on why she had left him sleeping to charge right into the mouth of the treacherous snake, but now was as good a time as any.

To her credit, she managed to look innocent even though the guilt was swimming in her gut, poking at her indignantly. “I had a hunch that he would want me to go alone, that he would be taken off guard if I did and that I could get the upper hand on him. And so I went with my gut. I’m sorry I didn’t include you, but if we had waited till the morning like you had wanted, he would have gone to Euphora with my mother and all those demons without us knowing, and the battle would have waged without us. So, ultimately, I made the right decision.”

He glanced down at her arms, where bruises bloomed brown and blue from where she’d not only slammed against concrete, but from where the rope had clenched against her skin. “He hurt you.”

She rolled her eyes, though the pain in his voice hurt her. “I’m fine, Jax. He hurt you a lot worse than he hurt me, and you’re insisting that you’re fine.”

She started to stand, but his hand jolted out and held her back, the green in his eyes sharp enough to cut glass.

“Do you know what I went through when I woke up and realized you were gone? It took me all of about three seconds to know exactly where you went, especially since you’d taken my gun.”

Now she really had to bite back the shame, even as her pride reared up to take over. “Look, I know you are angry with me, but it’s all over now, so-“

“I wasn’t just angry, Blythe.” He said evenly, his mouth set in a grim line. “I was scared. Scared that I was going to be too late, that I’d find you dead in that damn alley. And I would only have myself to blame.”

She shivered at the look in his eyes. “If I had let him kill me, it would be my fault, and my fault alone, cowboy.”

“No, it wouldn’t, because Thea told me to protect you. I knew you wanted to go there that night, and I should have known you’d try something drastic. But I didn’t. I was so sure I was right that I didn’t even think.”

“Well, it’s all over now.” She managed, trying to smile. “Can we call a truce?”

“Can I say one more thing?” He let out a long breath, fighting to calm himself. When she nodded slowly, he reached out to cup her face in his hand. “I love you.”

She let out a husky laugh as her eyes filled, her face split in a wide grin. “Do you, now?”

He grinned back at her, leaning in to kiss her hard and fast on the lips. “Lord knows you’re crazy, stubborn, temperamental, arrogant and blunt, but, damnit, it works for me somehow.”

“You’re a stubborn ass too, ya know.” She giggled as he pulled her in for another kiss, her arms circling around his neck. “Does this mean I can come visit you in El Paso? See Cooper and your mom?”

He paused, tilting his head back to look her in the eye. “You’re always welcome there…”

“But?” She finished, seeing the doubt in his eyes. “What is it?”

“Thea mentioned it to me earlier, and at first I didn’t even consider it, thinking it was crazy.” He began, shaking his head as he spoke. “I have a life down in Texas, my home, my family…but I have you, up here.”

“Thea told you that you could live here, didn’t she?”

When he nodded, she had to bite back a grin. “Well, then maybe once things are officially back to normal, we can trade off. A couple weeks there, a couple weeks here…whaddya think?”

“I’m thinking I’m gonna love seeing you on my front porch with my dog, watching the sunset…”

She smiled and kissed him again, the image clear as day in her mind. “Just promise me you’ll wear that damn hat, cowboy. It suits you almost as well as I do.”

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