Phoenix Found (Brothers of Fire #5)

Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Perrin sat on the edge of the bed, naked, his hair wet from the shower. The bear shifter had followed him into the bathroom to make sure that he didn’t slip and crack his head.

He hadn’t. But his balance was off because of the missing toes, and his ankle ached from the still-healing fracture. His face was a mess, marred by a red and angry scar that pulled on his upper lip, so it seemed as though he was sneering.

At least he was alive, and he was only alive because Oliver had killed.

For a couple of heartbeats, he wished he was in his own rooms so he could pass out and not worry about anything or anyone else until tomorrow. There would be plenty to do tomorrow, and none of it good.

The guards were on the other side of the bedroom door, which at least gave him a few minutes of peace to gather his thoughts. But only a few because he heard Oliver enter. They were his, so he had every right to be there.

It was he who didn’t belong. Because of him, Oliver had been in danger .

Oliver slipped into the bedroom and shut the door, returning the room to near darkness. “How are you feeling?”

Like I almost died. “Better now.”

Which was true. The wounds were all closed, and the scars would fade faster than the memories. Ideally, he should stretch his face every day so the scar didn’t become hard and fixed in place. “And you?”

He didn’t remember much after having his face ripped open. He’d been vaguely aware of Lenoir arriving, of the doctor stitching his face, and of the car trip—which seemed like five minutes, though it had been closer to an hour. He knew he’d lost a lot of blood, which was one of the reasons he was so exhausted…that and the pain.

“I’m good, but I wasn’t injured.” Oliver walked around the bed to stand in front of him, starlight catching in his hair. “I’m sorry I killed your…relative.”

“My uncle… He deserved it.” They all did. “I’m not angry with you, but I am sorry my family put you in danger.”

Oliver sighed. “I have always been in danger. I just never realized, and I never did anything about it. Tonight, I did. Kaine thinks I saved you.” Oliver sounded a little proud of himself, which was better than freaking out about killing someone.

“You did.” Perrin extended his hand, and Oliver sat next to him. He pulled Oliver close and kissed the top of his head. “Thank you. If I’d been anywhere else but with you, I’d be dead.”

Oliver leaned against him. “You’re not scared of me?”

“No. You’re not going to incinerate me any more than I am going to eat you.”

Oliver gave a little laugh. “I’m kind of hoping that you will eat me…not tonight. I’m so tired.”

“Same.” But neither of them moved. After a couple of breaths, Perrin summoned up the guts to ask the obvious question. “Do you want to see the scar?”

It meant turning on a light, and Perrin wasn’t ready to be inspected.

Oliver drew in a breath. “Not tonight. I’m glad it’s only a scar now. It…it was awful.”

“I guessed that from the way my cheek flapped.”

Oliver shivered. “Ugh, gross. I’m going to brush my teeth.” He placed a kiss on Perrin’s cheek, then pulled away. “Get in bed. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

And he was.

Perrin curled up against him, basking in the warmth of Oliver’s body and hoping that he didn’t flinch come daylight.

But of course he didn’t. Oliver traced the scar with his fingertips and kissed where scar met lip as they lingered in bed, putting off dealing with anything until their stomachs demanded food.