Page 79 of Bound By Love
“We’ll dig up the city plans to ensure we don’t disturb anything the humans have done and get them ready for you. We’ll also have a map of the tunnels the demons and Savages created by then.”
It would be some time before they were ready for him to set the explosives, and Saber would gladly take all of it to spend with his mate. Saber started to turn away from the vehicle, but Ronan’s next words stopped him.
“Saber.” He looked back at his king. “Youdodeserve her.”
Before Saber could reply, Ronan put up his window and shifted the SUV into drive. A couple more vehicles drove past as they headed for the gate, but the third one stopped beside him.
From the passenger side, Brie leaned across Asher’s lap to talk to him out the window. “We can stay if you’d like.”
“No. I appreciate the offer, but I want to be alone with her.” When hurt flashed across Brie’s face, Saber rushed to continue. “I’ll call and see you soon, but I need time alone with her.”
“Understandable,” Asher said.
“Do you have enough blood here?” Brie asked.
“There’s plenty,” Saber assured her before meeting his brother-in-law’s eyes. “Take care of her.”
“Always,” Asher vowed.
Saber looked at his sister again. “I’ll be in touch soon, I promise.”
Brie smiled wanly. “I love you.”
Saber didn’t say anything; the words were foreign as they lodged in his throat. He tried to force them out, but they refused.
When he was younger, those three words always flowed freely in his home. Their father wasn’t the most expressive man, but from his warm hugs and laughter, as he slung his arm around their shoulders, his love was evident. The words came from him but not as often as his mother, who was free with her hugs, kisses, and love.
At the time, Saber was freer with the words too. Not a day went by without him telling his parents and Brie how much he loved them, but those days were centuries ago and the last time he uttered the words.
After his parents died, he’d believed love was a thing of his past and gone from his life. And it was gone until Brie walked back into it and he discovered Caro. Now, he loved again but was still too broken to express it.
“And I you,” he said as he smiled again and strode toward the barn.
Tires crunched over the drive as they left him and Caro behind. He climbed the steps to her apartment and slid the glass door open before carrying her inside.
Carefully, he set her on the bed and kissed her forehead. He checked to make sure she was comfortable before leaving the apartment. He sprinted down the driveway to ensure the gate had closed after the Alliance left and they were securely locked in.
When he reached the end, he stopped to stare at the steel gates blocking his way. A sense of loss and regret filled him; he should have told Brie what she needed to hear.
He did love her. He’d tried not to, but, like Caro, she’d worked her way into his heart and lodged herself there.
When he saw her again, he would say it. But as he vowed this to himself, he felt the words sticking in his throat. He wondered if he’d ever get them out again.
Cursing his inability, he turned away from the gates and raced back to the house. A few seconds later, he returned to Caro’s side.
She was still too pale, but her lips were no longer blue. He went to the fridge and removed some blood before sitting on the bed. He settled her head on his lap and cradled her there as he opened another blood bag and drank while offering her his wrist.
* * *
Three days later,Caro finally opened her eyes, and their beautiful, turquoise depths met his once more. He almost cried at the sight of them as he kissed her.
“You’re awake,” he breathed.
She smiled before closing her eyes again.
On the fifth day, she could stay awake for an hour at a time. He carried her into the bathroom and helped her bathe.
He’d cleaned her the best he could while she was healing, but a sponge bath was nothing compared to the one he made for her. She moaned as she sank into the warm water full of the eucalyptus-scented bubble bath he’d found beneath her sink.
