All of it.
He forced his hand to relax and did it miraculously before he snapped her ribs.
“Fuck,” he whispered.
“What was that?” she whispered back, her entire body stiff.
“Sorry, pussycat,” he muttered.
“What was that?” she bit out.
He stroked the skin he’d no doubt just marked, saying, “You shouldn’t talk about bein’ with other guys.”
Her eyes got big.
Then she whispered, “You feel it too.”
“Just don’t do that again.”
“Oh my God, we’re so fucked,” she kept whispering. “We’re both gonna be clingy.”
“This has to be something else,” he kept muttering.
“What?” she cried, no longer whispering at all.
But it came to him.
“Added abilities.”
“What?” she repeated.
Abel focused on her. “I told you about my dreams. When I told you about all this saving the world shit, I told you that your dreams might be like ones Leah had and we had to be careful. I told you Sonia dreamed too.”
“I remember.”
“What I forgot to tell you is that Gregor said The Three had added abilities, like me being gifted in battle. But that was a for instance. As in, there were others. We just haven’t gotten around to hearing them yet.”
“Keep going,” she urged.
“So, you came to Serpentine Bay because you sensed me there. I sensed you in danger. You sensed the same with me. I don’t know, maybe we’re attuned to each other somehow. We lose that, like you not knowin’ where I am, and it causes pain. If I’m not with you and you know where I am, do you feel it come back?”
She shook her head.
“So we just need to be careful about letting each other know where we’re going.”
“That doesn’t explain the hyper-jealousy and how I feel when you pull away from me, mentally or emotionally,” she pointed out.
“The hyper-jealousy, yeah. Though, if we’re connected as in connected, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think that even the consideration of us connecting with someone else might strain that. But when I drift away in my thoughts, shutting you out, that jibes with you not knowing where I am.”
“That is actually a stretch, Abel,” she remarked dubiously.
“I’m not sure it is,” he returned.
She continued to look dubious so he explained.
“When you and me were talkin’ about whether we should leave our families behind or not, you had your quiet moment, I had mine. You gave me mine; I gave you yours. You knew where my head was at; I knew where yours was at. Did you get that feelin’ of me pullin’ away then?”
The dubiousness started lifting when she answered, “No.”
He nodded. “Right. No. Because you knew where my head was at, which makes sense with the rest.”
“It kinda does,” she whispered.
“So maybe this shit is more and it’ll develop as we’re together,” Abel continued. “We’ll get a lock on it, figure it out, maybe even learn to control it. But dreams that tell the future, me bein’ good at fighting, it seems whatever the fates have chosen to give us, if we figure out how to use them, they’re weapons. And if this shit gets any more extreme, me knowing you’re in danger and the same with me for you is a good thing.”
“That’s the damned truth,” she mumbled.
“So we tell each other where we’re gonna be if we’re gonna be apart, I have a care with not shutting you out of my thoughts, and you don’t ever mention bein’ with other guys again.”
“Same with you with women,” she shot back, and he grinned.
“Learned that lesson already, pussycat. Think that toothbrush marked me.”
“Bullshit,” she retorted but did it fighting a smile.
The mood shifting, he curved both arms around her and rolled to his back, pulling her on top of him.
“Now we can get back to celebrating,” he announced.
“Or we can check in on Chen and Jabber, then go back to planning our efforts to save the world,” she offered an alternate, not near as tempting suggestion.
It was also one they weren’t doing.
“We haven’t even been gone an hour.”
“And I haven’t had but two sips of coffee and no breakfast.”
“I’ve had two breakfasts and you didn’t have to do any work the last time.” He slid his hand into her hair and pulled her face closer to his. “Just gotta lay on your back for me to eat you.”
She squirmed but said, “Saving the world is kinda important.”
“And just lay on your back when I fuck you,” he continued like she didn’t speak.
“Abel,” she snapped, but it was breathy.
“Though, thinkin’ of bangin’ you against the headboard…not sure about that. That iron might hurt.”
“Oh, just shut up and fuck me so we can get on with saving the world.”
He grinned.
She shook her head like he was a naughty boy she didn’t know what to do with.
So he rolled her and played the naughty boy who knew exactly what to do with her.
But he didn’t bang her against the headboard.
Because the iron might hurt and he had years of drawing from her before he could make her heal.
Years.
* * * * *
Callum
Late that evening, Callum walked into the bedroom he shared with Sonia and saw his queen sitting in bed wearing another fucking nightgown and rubbing lotion in her hands.