Anger flickered across her face. “Why you? Why now? Why did you have to kiss me? Don’t answer that. I know it’s a dumb question, but I still want to throw it out there into the matrix. Why couldn’t you just walk away from it?”
He leaned in, his forehead brushing hers. “Because you don’t really want that. Because I don’t either. Because I’ve spent centuries alone, and I’m done pretending I prefer it that way.”
She pressed her free hand to his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart. “What if I screw this up? What if I can’t be what you need?”
And there it was. The real reason for her resistance. Roan could feel it, the insecurity rolling off her in violent waves. He cupped her cheek, thumb brushing away a tear she no doubt hadn’t realized had fallen. “You already are. You always have been. I don’t need perfect, I need real. I need you, Maddie. All of you—the good, the stubborn, the terrified. Especially the terrified.”
She was shaking now, tears slipping down her cheeks, the dam finally breaking. “I don’t know how to do this.”
He pulled her close, pressing his lips to her hair. “You’ve already said that. You can say it a million times if you need to. I’m not going anywhere. And I will tell you just as many times, we will figure it out together.”
For a long moment, they just breathed—her fear and anger, his patience and longing, tangled together. Then, finally, she lifted her head, eyes blazing. “You’re infuriating, you know that?”
He grinned, a flash of teeth. “You like me that way.”
She laughed—a wild, desperate sound, but it was real, and it was hers. Roan leaned in, their lips barely touching, breath mingling. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he repeated the words he told her the first time it happened. But this time, he didn’t give her time to tell him no. He closed the distance between them in an instant. The kiss was hungry, full of all the fights and all the longing they’d never let themselves feel. It was a promise and a challenge and a surrender, all at once.
When they broke apart, Maddie was flushed, her hair a mess, her eyes shining. “If you tell anyone I cried, I’ll throw you out the window.”
Roan laughed, genuine and deep, the sound rumbling through her. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Madeline.” He put the car back in drive and returned to the road.
“Ugh,” she groaned. “Quit calling me that.”
“No.” Roan had a feeling he would be using that word a lot with her.
They pulled into Nox’s driveway, the large, beautiful house ablaze with late afternoon light. Maddie leaned across the console, catching Roan’s mouth in another kiss—softer this time, but no less fierce. He wasn’t complaining. She could kiss him anytime she wanted. It made him feel claimed, and that was just fine with him.
Suddenly, the passenger door flew open, and there was Katy, mouth gaping. “Oh my god,” she said, eyes wide as dinner plates. “I leave you two alone for five days and you’re making out in the driveway like hormonal teenagers. Maddie, did he drug you? Should I call a doctor, or a hit man?”
Maddie groaned, pressing her face into Roan’s shoulder. Roan just grinned, slipping an arm around her waist. Her voice muffled as she spoke. “Yes, we’re alive Katy. Nice to see you were so worried about us, Katy. No, my boy life is still not your damn business, Katy.”
“Not a boy,” Roan pointed out.
Katy smirked, hands on her hips. “You came back bitchy. Apparently being held captive is good for your soul, and I’m totally here for it.” She grinned big. “And heifer, your personal boy life is totally my business. Keep telling yourself otherwise if it makes you feel more in control of your crap. You coming in, or do you need a minute to finish . . . whatever that was?”
“Still not a boy.”
Maddie pulled away from Roan, which he didn’t like, and shot her friend a glare, cheeks still hot, but there was something in her eyes that Roan hadn’t seen before—joy. And as Katy had said, Roan was totally here for it, too.
He leaned over near Maddie’s ear, before she could slip out. “Just so you know, this isn’t over. You can get away from me for a little bit, but then, you’re all mine.”
“I heard that,” Katy said in a sing-song voice. “Wolf hearing, bitches. It’s the best.”
Maddie rolled her eyes as she climbed out of the vehicle. “That damn web didn’t kill me, so could someone just shoot me now?”
Late afternoon sunlight slanted through Nox’s kitchen windows, painting golden stripes across the shiny tile and catching dust motes in its lazy glow. The whole house had that hushed, after-the-storm feeling—like everyone was waiting for the next shoe to drop, but hoping it wouldn’t. Roan stood by the counter, phone in hand, watching Maddie perched nearby, her fingers absentlytracing circles on the marble. She looked tired, but there was a new steadiness in the set of her shoulders. Maybe it was the adrenaline wearing off. Maybe it was something else. He wanted to go to her and hold her, touch her soft skin and stare into her fierce eyes. There would be time for that later, though he had no doubt she’d give him a fight for it. That was fine with him.
The others were scattered around—Katy sprawled on a barstool, Lola and Callon leaning together by the window, Nox and Everly quietly sharing a plate of leftovers, the panthers clustered in the sunniest spot like they owned the place. The mood had shifted from tense to cautiously hopeful, everyone clinging to whatever scraps of normalcy they could find.
Roan’s phone buzzed, shattering the quiet. He answered without ceremony. “Nico.”
Nico sounded worn but solid, that new edge of authority in his voice unmistakable. “It’s done. Wolfgang’s gone. Tallula’s alive, but she won’t rule again. Chaos is . . . well, it’s still chaos, but it’s ours now.”
Roan exhaled, feeling the last knot of tension in his spine loosen. “I honestly never doubted you, Nico. You’ve always cared for the people of your kingdom, and for Damarians as a whole. Callon and Gage explained the gist of what you had to do. The burden you and Raphael must bear and the new roles you will take. Visata would not have put you in those positions if He didn’t think you would do what was necessary to handle them. You both will do what is necessary—whether that’s reaching out to your Creator when it’s too much, or making sacrifices for the good of your kingdom. Oftentimes, that’s not easy or pretty.”
“Itwasn’tpretty,” Nico admitted. “There’s a mess to clean up—people are angry, scared, but at least they know who’s in charge now. I told them we’d get council answers soon.”
“There will be a council meeting,” Roan assured him, “but not tomorrow. Let your kingdom breathe, Nico. Patch up what you can. Athena and Aurelius need time to sort their own fallout. No sense dragging everyone in when the wounds are still raw. Get your house in order. We’ll meet when it’s right.”
