“I love you,” she says.
And I swear to every star above us, my soul just…shatters.
Because I never thought I’d hear it. Not from her. Not like this.
“I love you,” I say back.
It’s not enough. It never will be. But it’s all I have.
We move together until there’s no breath left. Until her body collapses against mine in a trembling, sighing finish that feels less like climax and more likearrival.
When she cries, it’s not loud. Not messy.
Just tears, quiet and constant, slipping down her cheeks onto my shoulder.
I hold her tighter.
My hands span her back, soothing. My lips find her temple.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur. “You’re safe.”
She nods against my skin.
And for once, it’s not a promise made in desperation.
It’s a truth.
We lie there for a long time.
The moons arc slowly. The wind carries ocean mist across our bodies.
She doesn't speak again.
She just holds me like I’m the only thing anchoring her to this world.
And I hold her back, because she iseverything.
No sirens. No threats.
Just sky.
Just stars.
Just a future.
CHAPTER 30
RYNN
Inever thought quiet could feel so loud.
Every morning now, I wake up to it—the hush of saltwind drifting through the woven reed vents, the distant murmur of the surf, the occasional chirp from some bug-lizard hybrid Vael says is harmless but keeps trying to steal my boots.
It’s peaceful.
Which is terrifying.
There’s no alarm. No crackling intercom orders. No pulse rifles propped by the bed. Just the sound of Nessa, giggling in her sleep across the room, tangled in blankets like she’s already learning how to fight in her dreams.
