I slipped my hand into his, and we made quick strides down the hall.
Voices sounded from the dining hall, but we left them be. Tonight, we needed a moment together before we shared timewith the others. Cillian had almost died. I hadn’t been sure I’d ever make it back here.
I wanted to bask in what we’d salvaged, and what we had to look forward to in the future.
When we stepped onto the elevator, I leaned in against him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders, and I sagged into his hold. Even after he’d been drained, he still radiated a strength that drew me in. I didn’t think I’d ever get enough.
The elevator doors opened to the main floor, and we stepped out. While both of us were normally dressed in business attire, here, tonight, we were casual. We’d walked through brimstone and fire today.
Cillian rested his hand on my lower back and guided us through the floor. All the sounds of the machines and gamblers faded around me, my focus solely on our destination. I’d thought my father had a problem like many here, gambling his life away. That might have been forgivable.
However, no, he’d sold me out for opportunity. And that was far worse.
I concentrated on the heat of Cillian’s palm on my back. How it spread through me. How he gave me respite when I needed it most.
We strode through the corridor leading to the gardens, and Cillian pushed the door open before guiding us outside.
The soothing sound of moving water greeted me first, followed by the perfume of the sweet flowers that still bloomed in these manicured gardens. My heart’s heavy burden grew lighter for the first time today.
I would always remember my first visit here with Cillian, discovering a glimpse behind the mask. The first crack in my armor against him.
He led me to the same bench, and my heart careened all over again.
I sat down, and he joined me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, and I leaned my head against him, nestled in the crook of his arm. The steady rise and fall of his breaths soothed me as much as the sparkling fountain in front of us catching the fading light.
“Thank you,” Cillian murmured.
“For what?” My brows drew together.
“For saving me.”
A deeper resonance dwelled in those words, and I understood at once. Because Cillian had been suffering under the same loneliness I had. The weight had grown heavier and deadlier by the day.
“You saved me too.”
I interlaced my fingers through his and stared out at the horizon beyond. The golds and reds and magentas streaked across the sky in a magnificent display. A sweetness lingered in the air, intensified by the sharpness the burgeoning night brought. The light and darkness intersected here, like a liminal space where all was possible, where the rules no longer existed.
I soaked in the glory of the colors bursting across the sky, and the way the slight chill of the breeze contrasted with the heat radiating between Cillian and me. On the surface, we couldn’t have been more different, and when I’d first arrived at the Spires, I never could’ve imagined falling for “The Beast” here.
Yet Cillian had integrity imprinted on his bones, and he cared, truly cared in a way I thought people had forgotten. He was the protector I’d always wished for when I was a kid, the one who’d swoop in and keep me safe. Yet he inspired me to stand strong in turn. To defend him with everything I had.
And I’d continue doing so for the rest of my life.
The sun might be setting on this day, but we had the rest of our lives to chase this beautiful dream together.
Epilogue
Haven Diner stood out amid the landscape of Peregrine City, its neon lights beckoning the wayward traveler.
A lifetime had passed since I’d first stumbled through the door in search of information about my father.
Now I arrived on the arm of the love of my life…as well as one of the monsters who’d helped Sofia establish the place. The more I learned about their organization, the more I loved Cillian for his involvement. The majority of his closest friends were involved in some way in keeping the vulnerable monsters in the city safe. In helping people get on their feet again. In using their resources to help all monsterkind advance forward.
They were so different from the Human First organizations that were prevalent outside of the cities, where hatred flourished. Last I’d heard, Damian had joined up with them, which didn’t surprise me in the slightest. I was relieved not only to be far away from him but that I’d surrounded myself with better people, ones I admired.
“We’re running late,” Cillian said, quickening his pace.
“I’m fairly certain that was your fault,” I commented, a wry grin rising to my lips. When we’d been getting ready, Cillian had bent me over, taken me until I screamed, and knotted me. I still felt the tingle from the rough way he’d ridden me, but I hadn’t complained. Even if it had set us back in getting ready.
