The wrinkles in Lynx’s forehead deepen. “You thought I sold you out?”
I return his frown. “Satan told me?—”
He scoffs, curling his lips in displeasure. “It lied.”
My heart feels too heavy for my body. “What?” But Lynx… He thought…
“I agreed to give my soul to him for the rest of eternity in exchange for your freedom.” He runs his hands through his hair, and glares at something in the distance. I can practically hear the gears turning in his head.
Could this still be Hell? No, it can’t be. It allfeelsreal. It’s nothing like when I was being tortured. I’m corporeal. The rain is literally hitting my skin. This doesn’t seem like a mirage, or like I’m a passenger in my body.
“Then why did It let us go? We both agreed to be stuck there for an eternity.” Unless this is a trick.
His head snaps toward me… and he almost lookshappydespite the rain soaking us.“You were dragged to Hell by a Tor’Oth as a spirit with unfinished business. You weren’t a human who sold your soul to a demon. The fates decided your spirit should stay on Earth before passing through the veil… The Devil had no right to keep you when you don’t belong in Hell.”
Lynx pauses to think, and I try not to get too excited at the prospect of freedom without knowing what he’s going to say next.
Bright blue eyes land back on me, and they’re—God, they’re twinkling. “And you agreed to set me free, and he can’t keep me because my curse, which your family cast, has been broken and I’m no longer a demon. This way, It gets both of us once we pass. It’s a cunt, but It is fair.”
Lynx closes the distance to hold my face in both his hands, pressing his forehead to mine. He smiles down at me—a real, genuine, beaming smile that makes me feel weightless. I grasp his wrists, and I can hardly breathe from the elation of feelingrealskin on skin.
“We’re free, Sable. We—You’re warm.” His lips part as his eyes dart over me to check for something.
It’s my turn to smile at him and put every single ounce of my emotions into the curve of my lips.
“I’m human, Lynx.”
He’s frozen for a moment. Then his lips come crashing down on mine, frantic and demanding, like this kiss encapsulates every word we’ve shared since I found him in the field. The tears that start pricking my eyes are happy ones. They stream down my face, mixing with the rainwater.
“I fucking love you, Sable,” he says without breaking our kiss, pushing his hand beneath my top to feel his skin right against my back.
He loves me.
Lynxlovesme.
How long have I been waiting to hear those words said to me?
“I love you too, Lynx.”
Being held in his arms like this, I know I made the right decision. The Devil was right. I need to make peace with my sister’s passing and focus on the future.
And my future is with Lynx, if he’ll have me.
My tears bleed into the space where our lips meet. Their salty taste is dull compared to the light that feels like it could be beaming from my chest.
I curl my fingers behind his head to pull him closer—if that’s even possible. His hands grope my flesh and use my hair as leverage to deepen the kiss. Each touch is intensified, unlike all the other heated exchanges we’ve had.
I pull back to get air. “I thought you’d leave me for good.”
A muscle ticks in his jaw. “I almost did.”
“Why did you come back?” My throat tightens as I remember the seething hatred on his face.
He stiffens beneath my hands. “Tony—He?—”
“What happened to Tony, Lynx?” My voice wavers.
Lynx wraps his arms around me, holding me against his chest so I can’t see his face. “He… he had to stay behind. He was never meant to leave Hell.”
