“Tell me if she is up there. Tell me if she has been reborn. I will take any scrap you are willing to give me. I am your son, and I am suffering without her. If I know what to expect, then I can mentally prepare for how long I need to wait for her.”
Malamay sighed heavily because he did love Haden. I’m sure he did not enjoy seeing him looking so sad. “She is in the stars.”
Haden sighed heavily. “She hears my prayers?”
“Yes, she heard all twenty of them today.” He narrowed his eyes.
“Can I pray to her so she is the only one who hears me?”
Malamay glanced at me for a moment.
“Yes, if you know a star’s given name, then you can pray to them directly.”
Haden smiled and suddenly hugged his father, which startled Malamay. This was probably the first time it had ever happened, and he didn’t know what to do. After a second of confusion, though, he reached up awkwardly and patted Haden on the back. “There, there, son.”
“How long will she be a star for?”
Malamay frowned. “Forever.”
Haden pulled back and stared at him. He turned away from us, his hand running through his hair. When he turned back, his eyes burned white, and I had never seen them do that. Fuck, he was terrifying—beautifully so.
“No, not happening,” he said. “Try again, because I am not letting you keep her up there.”
“You don’t have a choice, and besides, she is doing okay.”
I glared at him when he glanced at me.
“Kind of…”
Haden watched his father. “What does that mean?”
“She attacked another star today,” Malamay confessed. Haden looked at him in disbelief for a moment, then tossed his headback, laughing into the heavens. “She is quite grumpy too, even though she is the one who betrayed us.”
Was he trying to piss me off? I took a step toward Malamay and stopped.
“Shouldn’t the heavens step in and punish you for what you did? How can they let you continue being a star when you are a corrupt bastard?”
“The heavens would send the old gods after me if they wanted to punish me, and since that hasn’t happened yet, then it is clear they don’t really care.”
He was so wrong. The heavens cared. They just knew that we had it under control. If they doubted that the gods would make this right, they would intervene—no matter what.
I shifted slightly toward Haden when his frosty morning scent filled the air around me. He turned to me and tilted his head to the side, and I shrank back at his intense staring. Intrigued, he turned his entire body toward me, and after a moment of intense scrutiny, he grinned.
I watched as the light returned to his eyes with that smile. “Were you not going to say anything to me, Storm?” He took a step toward me, and I looked at Malamay, who sighed heavily. Haden reached up slowly, as if scared to find out it wasn’t me, and slipped my hood off. He exhaled so forcefully when he saw me that it blew his frosty breath across my face, reminding me of our many passionate kisses. Haden didn’t move; he just stared directly into my eyes.
After a moment, he lifted his hand and touched my cheek. His fingers traced over my lips before tears filled his eyes. Haden fell to his knees and pulled me to him as he cried into my body. I ran my hand through his hair before wrapping my arms around him and hugging him tightly.
“I’ve missed you, Storm,” he said with pain-filled sobs.
“I’ve missed you too, Haden,” I whispered. He looked up at me before standing and scooping me into his arms. Haden headed for the house, but Malamay cut him off.
“What are you doing?”
“I want to see Della without you babysitting us. Move.”
“Haden, I did not allow her to come for a private reunion with you. She cannot stay.”
I smiled at Malamay as Haden gripped me tighter.
