I nodded, and she stepped forward to pull me into a hug. She smelled like flowers on a summer day.
“Priamos explained to us what you did, and who you are to our son. Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I love him,” I whispered in her ear, and we pulled apart.
“I know you do, and he’s lucky to have found you.”
I glanced at Thaddeus, but he was wrapped up in his own little world, listening to his brother talk about Heaven.
Prudence patted my back before heading back over to her family, and I stepped back to give them their time.
Thaddeus ended up telling his parents about what life was like after their deaths. He left out the part about his struggle with his self-blame, but I think they had an inkling about that anyway.
For the first time since I met him, he seemed completely at ease. My chest warmed as I watched him interact with his family. There was a clear love there that not many people got to experience, and to see Thaddeus accept that love without feeling like he didn’t deserve it was fucking amazing. It was a ginormous step in the right direction, and I couldn’t wait to help Thaddeus experience life again without him fighting me tooth and nail about whether he deserved to have fun.
Priamos stepped through the portal in the room and bowed to me. “Mother, the allotted hour is up in two minutes. I’ve come to take them back to Heaven.”
“Thank you, Priamos.”
Prudence gave a tearful smile to Thaddeus. “It’s time.”
He swallowed thickly, stepping forward to hug his mother. “Thank you. Thank all of you.”
“For what?” Laurence asked, coming over to give him a hug. “You’re our son, and you need to stop blaming yourself for otherworldly interference. There’s a reason humanity and the supernatural shouldn’t mix. I was blind not to have seen that. Stop blaming yourself.”
Baron wrapped his arms around him. “Come see us soon.”
Thaddeus cut me a look, and I nodded. “We will come visit you as soon as we can,” I told them as Priamos readied them to teleport back.
“Please, take good care of Thaddeus.” Prudence ran a hand through her curls, and Priamos teleported them back to Heaven.
Thaddeus dropped back on his ass and ran his hands through his hair the same way I’d watched his mom do. “Bloody hell, Lilith.”
I came closer and dropped to my knees in front of him, sinking into the dry clay a bit. “Still pissed at me?”
His head snapped up, and our gazes locked. Healing and gratefulness swirled among the green in his irises, and my heart swelled with love for the man in front of me.
“Pissed? Love, I don’t know how to thank you,” he rasped. “I feel like a weight has been lifted.”
My muscles relaxed as I released a steady breath. “Thank goodness. I thought you were going to strangle me for a minute there.”
“I debated it.” He lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “But you were right to do that. I needed the closure more than I realized. I thought I didn’t deserve closure, but…”
“Youdodeserve it. Even your family agrees,Thad.” I cupped his face, running my thumb over his rough stubble. “It wasn’t your fault.”
He let out a roar of laughter that echoed through the room, and his eyes brightened. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“I can think of a few ways.” I closed the distance and pressed my lips against his.
His soft lips moved against mine in a slow, sensual way, and I could feel his smile as we kissed. My slow pulse resounded in my skull, and he pulled me into his lap.
He broke the kiss and held me, nuzzling his face into my chest. “Tomorrow’s a big day.”
My fingers raked through his black tendrils, and I breathed in his scent. “Aren’t you worried?”
“Not at all, love. We’ll be together, and we’ll make sure nobody dies. Your vision won’t come true.”
“But can you promise that?”
