Page 98 of Unbound

Fucking hell. I can’t even begin to figure out what in the hell I’m going to do with this woman. It’s going to be a full-time job keeping her alive, let alone out of jail.

But a worthwhile endeavor nonetheless.

“We’ll talk about it later.” I grab a bottle of water from the fridge because I was too busy to make sure she had enough today, and there’s no way she did it on her own. “Right now, it’s time for you to go to bed.”

Sybil doesn’t fight me, which is a testament to how tired she genuinely is. She was up late last night looking through everything Heidi sent, and I’m sure the adrenaline crash isn’t helping.

I stay silent as we move upstairs, not wanting to wake her mother. After leading Sybil into our room, I quietly close the door before flipping the switch that turns on the nightstand lamps. They’re less harsh than the overhead, and bathe the room in a soft glow.

I switch on the shower and peel away my clothes and hers before moving us under the spray. Getting both of us clean is a quick process. Sybil is practically asleep on her feet, so it’s a quick scrub and nothing more. I manage to get her into pajamas and brushing her teeth while I blow dry her long hair. When it’s still a little damp she waves me off. “It’s fine. I just want to go to sleep.”

I scrub my own teeth while she piles into the bed. By the time I join her, she’s out cold, breaths slow and even.

I shake my head. I guess one way to get her to sleep is to let her assault a couple dickheads a day.

Sliding under the covers beside her, I reach over to switch off the lights. My eyes land on the book she brought from the other room when she came to join me in here. I swallow hard, the tightness that always comes when I think of my mom settling in my chest.

But then I see something that eases it. Just a little.

About a quarter of the way in, a scrap of paper is wedged between the pages, marking a location.

Sybil’s reading the book.

The bed shifts next to me as she curls closer, her soft body winding around mine as she invades my space. Like she knows—even in sleep—I’m struggling.

Pressing a kiss to her forehead, I pull in a breath, inhaling her scent deep into my lungs.

Then I reach for the book and open it to the first page.

I wake up to a strange rumble. A vibration of sorts that seems to be coming from me.

My eyes open to snap around the room in search of the reason for the odd sound and sensation. I don’t have to look far.

“Really?” I stare at Biscuit, the cat’s face only a few inches from mine. “You couldn’t find somewhere else to sleep?”

I don’t remember passing out last night. I stayed awake far later than I should have, trying to catch up to where Sybil had reached in the book. I must have crashed mid-page, because it’s flattened across my chest directly behind where Paula’s cat is sleeping on my neck. Like some sort of living scarf.

Biscuit blinks at me, making no attempt to move.

“Who are you talking to?” Sybil’s sleepy voice grumbles from underneath the blankets. She’s curled up next to me, only the top of her blonde head peeking out from the sheets.

“Your mom’s cat.” I try to get one hand around the feline’s middle so I can move her to a different spot, but she’s not easy to get a hold of. “Why the fuck are you so hard to hang onto?” I finally manage to get her just behind her front legs, but when I lift Biscuit up, she just hangs there like dead weight, continuing to purr.

“I think she likes you.” Sybil peeks out, wiping at her eyes as a yawn slips free. “I don’t blame her. I’d sleep on your face too if I could get away with it.”

“You probably shouldn’t give me any ideas.” After depositing Biscuit at the end of the bed, I roll toward Sybil, pulling her against me. “I’m still mad at you about yesterday.”

“That’s fine. But I should probably warn you that I learned nothing besides that when you’re mad at me you’re going to fuck me within an inch of my life.” Sybil wiggles closer. “And that’s definitely not going to be much of a deterrent.”

I hope she’s kidding, but I honestly can’t tell. Even if she’s just teasing me, there’s not a cell in my body that believes Sybil wouldn’t do the exact same thing a million times over. I fucking hate knowing how easily she put herself in danger.

Unfortunately, I also fucking love how easily she jumped in to protect me. Like I matter to her at least a little bit as much as she matters to me.

Sybil tips her head back, blue eyes meeting mine as her chin rests against my chest. “But I’m sure if maybe you threatened to spank me next time, that would definitely make me think through those ramifications a little more seriously.”

I angle a brow. “What if I threatened to never spank you if you pull something like that again?”

Sybil pushes out her lower lip in a pout. “Well that doesn’t sound very good at all.”