Page 72 of Oracles Always Win

“WhatdidIdraw this time?”

“We’lldeal with it in the morning,”Isaid.Mypriority was making sure he was comfortable.Then, once he was safe and warm in bed again,I’ddocument the message from theEternalMagic.

Iglanced up at the sky.Thestars were sparkling overhead with no clouds in sight.Good.Thatmade it easier.Ifrain had been close,Iwould have needed a different plan.

Jakewinced as he stepped on the gravel.Withoutasking permission,Iswept him into my arms and carried him into the motorhome.Itwas a little tricky getting him through the narrow doorway, butIrefused to let him down.

“Ican walk, you know,” he muttered.

Iignored him.Besides, he wasn’t struggling to be set down, soIfigured he was weaker than he wanted to admit.

Itook him to the bathroom first.Ifound a new toothbrush and a fresh cloth for him.Thebathroom was too small for two grown men, even when one was as small asJake, butIsqueezed in there with him anyway.Formy next motorhome,I’dhave to find one with enough room for both of us.Thenagain, wouldIeven need another motorhome?

“Doyou want a shower?”

Heshook his head. “Later…I’mgoing to crash soon, andIdon’t want to do that in the bathroom.Please, go do something else.Ican take care of myself.”

“Youdon’t have to,”Iwhispered. “Youaren’t alone anymore, my prince.”

Termsof endearment weren’t usually my thing, but this one rolled off my tongue beforeIcould catch it.

Jake’smouth twisted in an amused grin. “Yourprince?”

“Yes, because you rule over me.”Igrinned back at him asIbrushed my lips over his sweaty forehead. “Letme help you;Iam your servant.”

“You’reoddly sappy all of a sudden.”Hegrinned sleepily as he nudged me gently toward the door. “ButI’vegot this, really.”

SinceJakeseemed alert enough for the moment,Ireluctantly let him have the bathroom to himself.Iwasn’t going far though.Justin case.

Ipoked my head outside to find my team with their phones out, taking photos of the imageJakehad drawn.Thedrawing filled the side of the bus from the door to the back bumper, so there was a lot to document.

Iwas still pissed aboutIsaaccommenting onJake’sunderwear, but when it came to their jobs,Itrusted my team to do good work.Anoise from the bathroom drew me back inside.Iwas waiting in the hallway whenJakelurched out of the small room.Isteered him toward my bed.

“Don’tworry,” he said with a yawn.Hisbreath smelled fresh and clean. “IthinkIgot most of the dirt off my hands and feet.”

“I’mnot worried,”Ireassured him.AtleastIwasn’t worried about that, at any rate.

Hecrawled into bed, andIpulled the covers up over him again.

“Youcoming?”

Ithought about saying no, but the look onJake’sface told me he needed me right now.Thevision he’d portrayed wasn’t going anywhere.Itcould wait, butJakecouldn’t.Isettled in bed beside him, and he snuggled close.

Withinminutes, he was asleep again.

Chapter Twenty-Five

GAGE

Iwanted to stay in bed withJake—Iloved having him in my arms—butIcouldn’t rest untilIchecked on my team again.So, onceIwas sure he was sleeping deeply,Ipried myself away.WhenIstepped out of the motorhome, my team paused what they were doing, waiting for my instructions.But, first,Ineeded to see the drawing again.

Jakehad moved so quickly while creating it,Ihadn’t seen or understood everything at the time.Istepped away from the motorhome untilIcould take in the whole image.Fora sketch done using fingertips through dirt and ash, the drawing was surprisingly detailed.

“Arethose the wolf pack lands?”Iasked, not recognizing the settlementJakehad drawn.

“Yeah.It’sthe same placeBabettetook me,”Jeremysaid with a shudder.

Adrianwrapped his arms around his mate.