Page 3 of Raven's Dawn
Nothing special, as far as decor went. A bed roughly the size of a queen in my world. There were a couple of dressers and a pretty painting of a forest on the wall. But the view? My gods, the view.
The window faced out of the queendom into the forest. Though sparse, the conifer trees were beautiful, the snow resting on top of them like something from a Christmas movie. Then paired with that orange sky. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get over that orange sky. It was like a summer sunset, but even more vivid. Almost like a painting strewn across the atmosphere.
What won me over, though, was the waterfall in the distance. I had to squint to see it with any clarity, but even from here, I could hear the gentle trickle of liquid. Dripping over each icicle that framed the pond below, it twinkled like diamonds in the light of the sun. All that water crashing at the bottom into white foam reminded me of Niagara Falls. I’d only seen it in photos, but I’d always wanted to.
Leaning against the window, appreciating that view, I sighed deeply. “Everything’s just so pretty here.”
“The fact that you think so is what’s gonna get us all killed, mo stoirín,” Graham said.
I frowned at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It wasn’t supposed to hurt your feelings.” He patted the bed beside him. “Just that this isn’t a vacation.”
“I know that.” I joined him on the bed, taking his hand in mine. “I’m just trying to make the best out of a bad situation.”
“That’s the thing, Rain.” Reclining against the pillows, he took a piece of my hair and twirled it around his finger. “Pretty soon, there won’t be any good.”
My frown deepened. “As long as we’ve all got each other, there’s gonna be something good.”
He smiled, but it was dim.
It reminded me of the way Mom used to smile at me when I’d visit her in the hospital. When I’d climb up into the bed beside her, and say, “This time, the medicine will work. You’ll get better.”
She’d smile at me, just the way Graham was smiling at me now, and she’d say, “Maybe, sweetheart. Maybe.”
“I just want you to be prepared,” he murmured, tucking some hair behind my ear. “Once we’re out there, once we’re out of the walls of the city… It won’t be the same. Nothing will be. You won’t be.”
While I saw the point he was making, that war did horrible things to the mind, I knew we’d make it through this. I’d already lived through some awful shit. I could live through worse.
“Oh, you’ll live.” His eyes brightened to a warm, emerald glow. “I’ll make sure of that. But I don’t want you to be disillusioned. You’re gonna see some fucked up shit. We’re gonna do some fucked up shit. And it’s gonna haunt us.”
Considered griping about him dipping into my thoughts, but decided it wasn’t worth the subject change. “Only if we let it.”
Graham snorted. “Oh, is that right? We can just choose to not let it affect us?”
Squeezing his hand, I shook my head. “That’s not what I meant.”
“And what did you mean?”
“We did something awful once.” I traced my thumb along the back of his. “We got through it because we talked about it. Because we had each other. And now we have each other, and Ezra, and Warren, and Jake.” I smiled wide. “Oh, and your gods. In the flesh. That might help.”
Realizing what I meant now, his face softened. I couldn’t call it a smile, but he didn’t look so offended now. “You know what might really help me?”
“What’s that?”
“If I can convince Laila to wipe whatever horrible things happen from my mind after this. You think she would?”
“If it comes to that, and you can’t live with the things we see and do, I’ll do it for you.”
This time, the smile was real. “That’s what I love about you, mo stoirín.”
“That’s all you love about me?” Leaning in, I pressed my lips to his. “Nothing else?”
“Oh, everything else,” he said, kissing me again. “There’s not a thing about you I’d change.”
With a grin, I climbed onto his lap, kissing him once more, slower, gentler. “I bet you’ll love me even more as these thighs get stronger.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but the squeal of hinges sounded. In the doorway, Warren stood.