Wings of the Wicked - By Courtney Allison Moulton Page 0,97

and we’d been through too much together not to have respect for each other. I’d disrespected him tonight by taking off, disrespected his loyalty and selflessness toward me, and still, even though he should have been furious with me, he wasn’t. He’d carried me when I was tired, cradled me to his chest when I was cold, and now he was buckling my seat belt even though I was perfectly capable of doing so myself. He wasn’t reminding me of how much I needed him. That wasn’t in his nature. Never, ever, in a million years would I find anyone who matched him in any way.

Will took me back to Nathaniel’s house instead of Nana’s. He opened the passenger door and began to carry me out, but I stopped him.

“I can walk,” I said, my teeth chattering as I climbed out of the car and into the bitter cold.

He didn’t contradict me, and he reached forward to take my hand and lead me toward the front door. His fingers threaded through mine as if nothing I’d said or done to him in the last several days had ever happened. Lauren appeared in the doorway, her hand over her mouth. She stepped aside so Will could lead me through, and once the heat of the cozy house melted my aching body, she scooped me into a tight hug.

“We were so worried about you,” she said into my hair. “I’m so happy Will found you.”

She pulled away and I watched Nathaniel step out of the kitchen, drying his hands with a towel. His expression was sympathetic and his small smile was genuine. “Hey, Ell. You hungry?”

I tucked my hair behind both ears and offered a forced smile. “Yeah.”

“Good.” His grin widened. “I made spaghetti and you’re just in time.”

Lauren took my coat and hung it in the closet. “He did something different with the sauce, so you have to tell him it’s delicious even if it tastes like motor oil and oregano.”

I laughed weakly. “Okay.”

“Come on,” Lauren said, and walked toward Nathaniel and the kitchen. “Let’s get some hot food into you.”

Everyone was kind to me during dinner, laughed at my pathetic jokes, and life seemed a little normal despite everything that had happened. I helped Lauren with the dishes as Nathaniel and Will cleared the table and put everything away. Once everything was cleaned up, I leaned over to rest my head on Will’s shoulder and yawned.

“You doing okay?” he asked as he bent his head to look into my face.

I gave him a little smile. “Just sleepy. It’s been a long day.”

“I’ll take you upstairs.”

“Good night, Ellie,” said Lauren.

“Good night. Thank you both.” I waved to her and Nathaniel, and followed Will out of the kitchen. He grabbed my duffel bag off the floor and carried it upstairs with him. When he led me into his room, I chewed nervously on my lip.

“You can sleep in here,” he offered, and dropped my things next to the nightstand.

“You don’t have to give up your bed for me.” My voice was small and quiet.

He shrugged. “Well, there’s a guest room, but it’s not made up and I’m not making you wait until you drop unconscious from exhaustion. Besides, you’ve slept here before.”

I blushed fiercely at the memory of sleeping in his bed. As if he noticed my embarrassment, his gaze fell. After several awkward seconds, he started to walk by me.

“I’ll let you change and get some sleep.”

“Will, wait.” I put a hand to his chest. I wanted to tell him that he could stay, that I wanted him to stay, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “Do you always feel pain when I do?”

His entire body stiffened, and he took his eyes away from mine. “I didn’t want you to know that.”

My heart slipped into my stomach. “But it’s true, isn’t it? I saw … back at the bowling alley. How have you hidden this from me all this time? Why?”

He looked at me again. “I don’t always feel it when you hurt physically. It hits me when you hurt in your heart more than anything.”

I battled a sob that climbed my throat. “I can’t believe how much pain I’ve caused you for so long.”

“Some things hurt more than what my body feels,” he said gently. “I don’t care that it hurts. I can take a lot.”

Squeezing my eyes shut, I folded myself into him, and he wrapped his arms around me. He kissed my hair, and that terrible