Page 102 of Property of Crypt Keeper
“The cathedral collapsed.”
“I remember.”
“The laboratory is gone.”
I nodded.
“The Doctor escaped.”
That hurt. More than the stitches. Anger simmered beneath the surface of my skin.
“Rafael?” I asked, hoping that my brothers had taken him out.
“Gone,” she reluctantly replied.
Of course he was. “The research?”
“Hack destroyed most of it.”
“Most.”
Her expression hardened. “The Doctor left with enough.”
Enough. One word. With far too much meaning.
She stared into my eyes and I into hers. Silence settled comfortably between us. That was new. Once upon a time, we’d filled every silence with sarcasm.
Threats.
Arguments.
Now… it was as if neither of us found it necessary. She gave me that rare and gorgeous smile before she lowered her lips to mine. It wasn’t passionate. It was a momentary connection on a level I hadn’t known existed.
I tugged her down next to me. She huffed and tried to fight me, but she gave in. My fingers twined with hers.
We simply sat there.
Together.
Dexter gave me his blessing to return to my room as long as I promised to rest. He’d given me and Katalina a pointed stare. Though I’d given him a wicked grin in return, the walk to my room had exhausted me.
All I could do was collapse into my bed before my knees buckled.
I must’ve dozed off again, because I awoke with a start when the bedroom door creaked open.
Tiny footsteps padded across the floor.
Neither of us looked. We already knew. Zara climbed carefully onto the bed, still in her pajamas. With a sleepy-eyed stare that told me she’d just woken up, she looked at me. Then at Katalina.
Without asking permission, she crawled beneath the blanket and curled against my uninjured side. A moment later, she reached one small arm toward Katalina. An impatient little grabby hand in the air.
Katalina blinked. “What?”
Zara sighed dramatically before she patted the other side of the bed. “You go here.”
Like it was obvious.
Katalina looked at me. I looked back. Neither of us moved. Zara huffed.
