“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” I said, already knowin’ the truth of it.
Rune’s mouth tipped in a faint, knowing smile. “Didn’t figure you would.”
Devil who had been leanin’ on the wall watchin’ came over and put his hand on my shoulder. “I’ll be around if you need anything.”
They left us then, pulling the door shut soft behind them.
The room settled into a deep, heavy quiet. Just the sounds of the building and the sound of her breathin’, steady enough to keep my heart from tearing itself apart.
I took off my clothes and climbed in beside her. Holdin’ her close. The fear was still there, coiled tight and mean, waiting for somewhere to go.
But underneath it lived something else.
Love.
The kind that sank its claws in deep and didn’t let go.
I reached out carefully and brushed my thumb over her knuckles, and that’s when I heard her murmur my name.
Thank God.
“Hey,” I whispered. “I’m here, darlin’ and I love you.”
Her lashes fluttered, just once, and my breath caught hard enough to hurt.
“Yeah,” I whispered. “That’s it. You’re don’t gotta wake up yet. Just wanted you to know how much I love you.”
Her brow creased faint, like she was fighting her way back through somethin’ thick and heavy. Her fingers twitched, then curled just enough to catch hold of mine.
She was still here.
The sound that broke loose from my chest surprised me. I bowed my head, pressed my forehead to her hand, and breathed through it until the shake eased.
“I was so damn scared,” I admitted quietly. “Thought I’d lost you out there. Thought I was gonna be too late.”
Her lips parted, a soft sound slippin’ free. No words. Just breath.
“I know,” I told her. “You don’t gotta say nothin’. I know.”
Time stretched thin.
I stayed there listenin’ to the rhythm of her breathin’, watchin’ her chest rise and fall like it was the only thing holdin’ the world together. Everything else felt distant.
All of it could wait.
Eventually, her eyes cracked open, just a sliver at first, unfocused and glassy. She blinked slow, like the light hurt, her gaze driftin’ until it finally landed on me.
Confusion flickered.
Then recognition hit.
Tears welled fast and sudden.
“Chain,” she whispered, wrecked and fragile.
I leaned in close, keeping my voice calm. “Yeah, darlin’. It’s me.”
Her fingers tightened around mine, weak but desperate, like she was afraid I might disappear if she let go. “I thought… I thought I was gonna die.”
