“Yes.”
A humorless laugh. “Then you know I’m broken.”
I bring his hand to my lips and kiss across his knuckles. “You aren’t.”
His head snaps up at me, and he stares for what feels like an eternity, but maybe it’s only a few seconds.
“I…” he swallows hard, deflates again. “I was nine when my curse manifested. Just a little farm boy with two parents and a baby sister. When I vanished a bale of hay I was supposed to move, I was so frightened. I never told a soul.” His head shakes. “I should have. Then, the worst wouldn’t have happened.”
His watery eyes meet mine. “One night, I had a nightmare. When I woke, half the house was gone. As were my parents and sister.”
My heart races, his pain so strong it courses through my veins, constricts my muscles. But my concern for him is stronger.
“Zeph…”
“It didn’t take long for people to notice. We didn’t have close neighbors, but we received deliveries often.” His head drops again. “I was taken away, labeled a murderer.” Swallow. “Europa is a high no-tolerance region, so they were quick to call GBE forces, fearful I’d kill everyone around me out of anger.” His head shakes slow. “They thought I’d killed my family on purpose.”
My palm absently rubs the top of his hand, up his forearm, to his elbow and back to his fingers at my chest, slow and light.
I know he didn’t do it on purpose. None of us who hurt someone when our curses—ourpowers—manifest actually mean to cause harm. Not all of us hurt or killed, but those who did were further demonized for it.
“It didn’t take long for me to wind up in Tenebrosa. I found myself the youngest person there.” A deep breath. “At first, the scientists told me they wanted to study my power. They’d force me to demonstrate over and over again until I would pass out from exhaustion. But things changed when I got to be around fifteen.” His voice is almost all air now. “The lead scientist at the time, Doctor Ness, took an… interest in me.”
He goes quiet, and I keep up my soothing arm rubs, pairing it with my free hand on his knee.
The way he says it, though, makes my heart clench.
“He’d tell me, ‘You’re not like other male Omegas. I’m going to find out why.’”
His entire body stills dangerously, his gaze straight ahead, staring into nothingness, lost in some memory I’m desperate to free him from.
“Hey,” I say, drawing his attention back to me. “You don’t have to tell me everything right now.”
In a blink, he’s on his feet, out of my grasp, looking like a scared animal. A few long strides and he’s at the door. “I’m sorry,” he whispers before fleeing my room.
“Zeph!”
I run after him, down the empty hall, but he’s so fast.
“Please! Zephyr, stop!”
He does as I ask, halting in his tracks before falling to his knees on the runner lining the stone floor. His back to me, his body bows forward and he catches himself with his palms on the fabric.
When I’m at his side, I drop down, too, wrap my arms around his broad shoulders until my fingertips barely touch.
“Please, don’t run from me,” I breathe. “I would never make you do or say something that would hurt you.”
One of his hands grips my elbow and he lets out a shuddering sigh. “I’m powerless when it comes to you.”
Shock makes me pull back, twist to look at his face. I consider him, press my lips between my teeth before saying, “I’d never abuse that power.”
He turns and looks at me, a small smile playing on his full lips that doesn’t reach his beautiful eyes. “I believe you.”
“Will you come back to my room? We don’t need to talk about anything you don’t want to.”
His nod precedes us rising to our feet and returning to my room, where I sit on the bed, hold my arms out to him. When he surrenders himself to my embrace, I lie back and pull him down to meet me, his head tucked under my chin, his large body blanketing mine, the weight feeling delicious on top of me.
For a while, we simply cuddle, my fingers gently trailing through his blond hair as I hold him close, his warmth seeping into my bones and soothing me.
