... except him.
My hand rests near her head, claws slowly retracting as her breathing deepens. The fire snaps once, then settles. The storm outside has quieted to a low whisper through the eaves. The forest senses she needs the stillness.
I haven’t moved in over an hour. My knees ache, my back is stiff, but she’s here, and she’s mine to protect.
She shifts once beneath the fur. A quiet murmur leaves her lips, barely audible.
Then another, a few minutes later: “Andrik..”
I freeze, just like the first time she called for me in her sleep. My heart stills.
Her voice no longer holds the lilt of fear or panic like it did at her apartment when she thought I’d abandoned her—this is different. It’s soft and trusting. Like the sound a soul makes when it reaches in the dark and finally finds its other half.
Her fingers twitch, curling in the furs like she’s searching for me.
I drop my body lower beside her, breath caught in my throat.
“Saelûn,” I whisper. “I’m here.”
Her lashes flutter for a few seconds, but she doesn’t wake.
She called for me— amonster.
My throat tightens.
I can't get any words out, so I hum her the same Vraksûn lullaby I used to sing to the Mûrvenkae while they lit up the sky to keep me from drowning in complete darkness when I was younger.
Kael’vurin ves saeveûn.
A soft breath escapes her, shallow and airy. “Saelûn... please...”
My claws sink straight through the wood. My name meant everything…but this? Calling me herSaelûn?
“Please.” She calls.
I grip onto the edge of the hearth to hold myself steady, but the plea she made is already spreading through my chest like frost.
“You called me yourSaelûn,” I breathe. I lower my forehead to hers, fingers trembling as I cradle her face. “You know me,” I whisper. “Even when you don’t know how.”
Her breath stutters, like her soul can hear mine calling out to it.
“I’m here,” I promise. “I’ll never leave again. I swear it. On every star that ever watched me wait for you.”
She makes a soft sound in her throat and turns toward me, nuzzling closer.
My frozen heart caves in.
I pull her fully against my chest, arms curling around her snugly.
No matter what comes next—she spoke the bond aloud. Even if she never remembers it.
I will.
21
VENOM
Andrik-
