The Human Hunter

Chapter 26

Quiet whispers brought Emma back to reality. Her body ached and something constricting was wrapped around her chest, right where Jake had sliced her. The softness beneath her reminded her that she had made it into one of the beds before passing out earlier, though she wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep.

Widow.

She tried to force her heavy eyelids open, needing to know that he was okay. They refused to budge, but she pushed aside her upset and instead tried to focus on what she could hear and feel. She was clearly still fully dressed besides her bra and shoes, so someone must have removed her shirt to wrap her injury, then put it back on. The mattress beneath her and the blankets tucked up under her chin were both obvious, too, so she moved on from them and onto more out-of-place things. Her head wasn't resting on a pillow, but something firm that felt like an arm.

Hope swelled in her chest, and again, she tried to open her eyes. A tiny bit of light managed to sneak through the fraction of space the lid vacated, but she wasn't given enough time to see anything before it dropped back down into place. Frustrated, she moved her head slightly and felt a soft puff of damp warmth against her forehead in response, then heard a familiar low rumble that tugged at her heart.

"Stop grumbling. She needs to rest, and you should be asleep, too. We will be leaving as soon as Goliath returns from taking Foster home," Legs said in a quiet, chiding tone.

Wait. What? He took Foster home? To the boy's house or to Goliath's place? Did he even have a place?

Confused about Foster, Emma clenched her teeth and tried to shake her head a little, hoping to get herself to wake up more. Her head barely moved, but the action did seem to draw attention because she soon felt a nuzzle against her cheek. The rumbling growl also raised in volume, drawing a sigh from Legs and a smile from her.

"Widow," Emma finally managed to whisper.

An arm that she hadn't realized was at her waist wrapped more firmly around her. Tugged against his chest, she couldn't help but giggle tiredly. It wasn't that the situation was funny. Far from it. The girly sound had just been a release of all of the worry and stress of not knowing when, or if, he would ever come back to her.

His warmth enveloped her and she eagerly scooted closer until their bodies were gently pressed together. After several quiet moments, she finally got her eyes to open. She had to blink several times to clear the remaining sleep, but when Widow's tired, smiling face came into view, she couldn't help but lean in and press a soft kiss to his lips.

"I'm so glad you came back to me," she said, hugging him a little tighter, but being careful of the injuries Legs had warned her about previously, as well as her own.

"He's hard to get rid of, trust me. He took a good amount of hits from Madam, then somehow lived through Brax and nearly drowning."

Emma's eyes widened at Legs's words. "Did Dad attack you?" she asked, suddenly remembering that Goliath had mentioned Brax before when they were escaping the colony. The information made her much more hesitant to squeeze him in her arms for fear that she might be hurting him. When Widow shook his head against the pillow it rested on, she gave a huge sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"Brax killed Madam, then walked over to me while I was playing dead. He actually told me to take care of you when he realized that I was still alive instead of attacking me," Widow said as he hugged her a little tighter. "I'm sure I have some broken ribs, and I know I have a good amount of gashes, but I'll be okay. Us kin tend to heal fast."

Emma nodded, then grinned and turned her face away when he nuzzled her nose repeatedly. Laughing quietly, she reached up and tugged at a few strands of his messy hair. "I'll be okay soon, too. Just some bruises and cuts from Jake. Maybe a few pulled muscles from my sloppy fall, too. The spiders helped me with him after a little while, and Faux hopefully finished him off with a bite before I fell through the opening in the floor."