Lupi 04 - Night Season

to encourage you, but your denial worked out well for me this time.”
    â€œYou’re going to be okay, right? You can heal whatever the poison did to you?”
    â€œAlready healed that, or I wouldn’t have woken up. Got some heart damage now, but—”
    She squeaked.
    He tugged her hair again. “That’s what happens when oxygen flows back into heart cells when they’ve done without for too long…five minutes, according to recent studies. It looks as if the cellular surveillance system can’t tell the difference between cancer cells and cells being reperfused with oxygen, so the mitochondria trigger apoptosis—”
    â€œTMI, Cullen.”
    â€œI’ll heal the damage in a couple days. What I don’t understand is why my heart started beating again after it quit.”
    â€œI was doing chest compressions.”
    â€œYou were praying.”
    â€œWell, yeah. But I was doing chest compressions, too. Got to give God something to work with.”
    â€œIt was the Lady you called on at the end.”
    She remembered. Bring him back. “Your Lady doesn’t do the miracle gig—or so you keep telling me.”
    â€œNo, I keep telling you she isn’t in the god business. She does sometimes respond to requests from a Rhej. Not often, but sometimes.”
    â€œI’m not a Rhej. I’m not even apprenticed to a Rhej.”
    â€œTake it up with the Lady. She seems to think you’re hers.” His voice was drowsy, fading.
    â€œIt was the chest compressions that did it.” And maybe the Lady. Maybe Cynna wasn’t hers, but Cullen was.
    â€œSure.”
    She needed to let him sleep. Needed some sleep herself, and God knew she was tired enough. But she didn’t want to move.
    Didn’t want to think, either, but all the talk had kicked her brain into gear again, and it was presenting her with some facts. When she’d thought he was dying…dying, hell. He’d been clinically dead. There hadn’t been room inside her for more than one big denial, and she’d spent it all on disbelieving in his death.
    Cynna couldn’t tell herself reassuring lies anymore. He mattered. He mattered all the way down, reaching places inside her no one had ever touched. Not even Rule. She was going to have to find a way to get over her notions about fidelity, because she wasn’t getting over him.
    Outside, a low chanting began. “You who know Mershwin,” Cynna’s charm whispered. “You who know our fallen comrade, gather him close…”
    â€œWhat’s that?” Cullen said.
    She pulled the translator charm out, letting it lie outside her sweater. The whispery voice ceased. Somehow it felt intrusive or rude or something to eavesdrop. “Funerals. In addition to the tritons, two of the guard were killed.” She sighed. “We’d better get some sleep.”
    â€œCynna.” He curled his fingers around her arm. “When you tried to kick Theera’s ass—or whatever you were aiming at…” His grin made a brief, weary appearance. “I didn’t block you because of the glamour, or because I didn’t want you to punch her out. I didn’t want her punching back. Sidhe can punch pretty hard.”
    His words settled into her gradually the way a dog circles a spot before curling up to sleep. Her smile rose from that settled-in place. “Okay. Good.” She hesitated a second, then did what she wanted to do, and kissed him lightly before repeating, “Get some sleep.”
    â€œI’d sleep better with you beside me.”
    So would she, Cynna realized. And was almost too tired to find that scary. “You see a full-size bed here?”
    â€œMove the cushions to the floor.”
    She thought about that, or tried to. But her brain had turned to mush, and if he wanted to feel her close while he slept, why not? She hated the skinny little benches, anyway.
    A few minutes later the cushions were lined up on the floor and Cynna was settling onto them. Cullen was already stretched out. With a flick of her hand and a murmured word she shut off the lights. The darkness was full and cozy, like a blanket in winter.
    His breathing was even and soft, but he wasn’t asleep. When she lay down, he lifted his arm and snuggled her close. Fantasy number three, she thought, her eyes closing. She used to fantasize about sleeping with someone all the time…not about the