Page 61 of Crucified By the Dark
Trev smiled at Wolf, and Jeremy understood why he was in charge. Trev seemed unflappable, and he had a way about him that made you want to agree.
“Time to rest, soldier. We have a lot to do tomorrow, so you better rest up.”
“Yeah, maybe I just need to rest,” Wolf said as Duke jumped up on the bed and laid down with his head on Wolf’s chest. “Thanks for coming, all.”
Morry leaned over and hugged him again. “Don’t worry. We’re not going anywhere, and we’ll figure this all out.”
“Can I just interject here and say you look like a pile of crap, and it’s wonderful to finally have you not looking like a fucking god for a little while. Now I can take back the top spot on the hot tier,” Arek boasted and puffed out his chest.
“I didn’t miss you, and you never had the top tier,” Wolf said, but the corner of his mouth curled up.
“What? Don’t say such mean things. They sound truthful coming from you,” Arek said, and Jeremy chuckled. Okay, Arek did know how to lighten a mood.
“Get out, all of you. I need to think,” Wolf said and settled back, his eyes fixed on the ceiling.
“And rest,” they all chimed together like a choir.
“Yes, and rest,” Wolf agreed, but Jeremy had a feeling that Wolf wouldn’t stay down long.
They stepped out into the hall, and Trev closed the door before he turned to the rest of them. “I didn’t expect him to be missing that much time.”
“Do you think he’ll get it back,” Morry asked, crossing her arms over her chest as her eyes filled with worry.
“I don’t know, but if anyone were going to, it would be Wolf. I don’t think we should press him for answers, though. It could make the amnesia worse. For now, let’s just hope it all comes back to him.”
Morry narrowed her eyes at Trev. “What do you know that I don’t?”
“Tomorrow. It’s too late to be getting into any of this right now. Trust me. It is nothing that can be solved right now.”
Morry chewed on her lower lip, but Trev’s steely, cool stare won out. “Fine. I’ll show you to where you’ll be sleeping.”
“Very well,” Trev said.
The three rooms were side by side, and just like Morry, they pulled the Hummers up so the vehicles were as close as they could get to the rooms without parking them inside.
As they walked slowly to Morry’s room, he couldn’t help but think about everything that had happened in such a short time. Jeremy slipped his hand into Morry’s. Her fingers tightened around his, and his heart swelled to twice the size. He glanced down at her from the corner of his eye, taking in her profile, which was bathed in moonlight. There were just some moments that, for no reason at all, took your breath away, and this was one of those moments for him. She took his breath away.
Morry was drained by the time she walked into the bedroom. She’d run the gauntlet of emotions today. Starting out nervous and terrified to face her father. Then relieved it had gone so well. Which was quickly followed by shocked of the attack and thankful when her boys showed up. And finally, excited Wolf was awake, and most of her family was together. The images of what happened out there in the desert were weighing on her. She’d put on her warrior's face to do what was needed, even though she didn’t want to. Some of those guys would be new recruits or had no idea why they were attacking the Legions. At the end of the day they were all a threat, but it didn’t make taking their lives any easier.
That was the fucking crap thing about life. It forced you to do shit you didn’t want to do when you were at your lowest point. It was almost as if God was showing you that no matter how much crap was flung in your face, you could and would find a way to put one foot in front of the other. If you didn’t, you were left behind because the big blue ball kept on turning.
As soon as the door closed, she turned and pushed Jeremy up against it. The shocked expression only lasted a moment before his lips found hers. He said he loved her. He told her, and the thought froze in her brain like it was hit with liquid nitrogen. She barely accepted that she had feelings for him—was sleeping with him. The leap to love was a terrifying cliff that had never ended well. The guys she dated in high school never worked out. Then there was Andrew, who was still making her life hell, and TK, who’d fucking proposed and died in her arms a few hours later. Her life’s track record of love was filled with potholes and land mines.
Yet, as his lips moved against hers and his hands gripped her waist, she felt like this was exactly where she was meant to be. To say that out loud, though? That was too much and too soon for her to handle right now.
She pressed her body against his, and he groaned into her mouth. She pushed down all the worry and tension from the day. The shit out in the desert, Wolf’s accident, her son, and Maeve. It was all still there, but he made her feel like it wouldn’t eat her alive from the inside out.
Breaking the kiss, she couldn’t help staring into his eyes. He ran his thumb over her lips, and she sighed at the gentle contact.
“I wish I could make you feel better, make you laugh and relax like your friends do,” he said. “I just want to be able to do for you what you’ve always done for me.”
“Please tell me you’re joking,” she said, smiling at his confused expression.
“No, why would I joke about that? I saw how relaxed you were and how happy you are to have your friends around, and—”
Morry placed her finger on his lips, stopping him from saying another word.
“Jeremy, you do more than anyone else could. Yes, it’s great to reminisce with the guys. They are my friends and family, and we went through something that only we can ever truly understand. Each of us lost someone we loved and watched countless others die in horrific ways. When we get together, it lets the buildup off our chest, like a kettle needing to let out steam. And yes, we try to remember the good times so that the bad doesn’t constantly cloud everything we do.” Reaching up, she slipped her fingers behind Jeremy’s neck, loving that he pulled her closer.
