A sob wrenched from Lyric, and she hugged her arms around her middle, trying to keep all of her shattering pieces together.
She could smell him now—Vic. He was here but she couldn’t see. Her body was on fire.Just Change! Please. Wolf, take it away from me.
Lyric laid on the ground, curling in on herself. “Vic,” she whispered, her tears making splat sounds on the dried leaves under her cheek.
Her mom pulled her into her lap and held her so close, cradling her like a little baby. She loved her. Her mother had loved her. She wasn’t what Eden had said. She was a good mom who really loved her.
Lyric had been taken from her. Stolen from a normal, human life with a caring parent.
The next memory was of someone taking her away from her house.She was screaming and reaching for the home. She knew that place. She knew it. She fought like a little wild animal, but the man who took her was so strong, and he smelled so familiar. Aro.
“Mom!” she screamed in a voice she didn’t even recognize.
“Shhhh.” Her Mom’s soft voice filled the woods, and Lyric opened her eyes to see her crouched there, with her hand on Lyric’s cheek. “You’ll be okay now.”
And then she disappeared.
“No, come back,” Lyric pleaded hoarsely. “Come back. Please come back.”
Her body hurt so badly, she couldn’t get up. Couldn’t move.
She heard rustling in the leaves, and then two strong arms picked her up, and cradled her.
Vic.
Lyric looked up into his glowing gold eyes with tears blurring her vision. He had a deep scar on the right side of his face now. He would’ve looked scary except for the softness in his eyes.
She didn’t know why these words tumbled from her lips. They just did. “I need you.”
He nodded and pulled her tighter against his chest. He helped her wrap her stiff arms around his neck and then he stood and walked them out of those woods. He didn’t say anything, he just walked her straight to his house. He grunted at Destiny, who stared in shock, and then he opened the front door and took Lyric inside.
With a look around, Vic frowned and then made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the shower and stood her up. He’d lost weight during his time as a wolf, and every muscle flexed with his movements. He still smelled like fur. His body had new scars on it.
Vic was here. He was Changed back. He was with her.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him. Couldn’t believe he was really here with her, in this house.
“I remembered my mom,” she whispered shakily.
“Ma—” he said in a guttural sound. He tried again, but nothing came out. He frowned and shook his head hard, then tested the water temperature with his fingertips.
He knelt in front of her and peeled her jeans and panties off and eased her into the shower. He followed her in and sat down, pulled her into his lap, and cradled her against his chest again.
He stared at the wall with a faraway look and hugged her even tighter.
And God, this was everything. He was here. He was holding her. He was doing the thing she never thought she would have again—hugging her.
The tension in her muscles was easing with each passing minute the warm water beat against her skin.
Lyric blew out a relieved sigh and then touched the side of his face. Vic dragged his gold eyes to hers.
“Say something,” she pleaded, hoping all of him had come back.
He cleared his throat, and tried, but nothing came out. Vic swallowed hard and pulled her hand from his cheek to his lips, kissed her there, squeezed his eyes closed and replaced her hand on his cheek. He pressed his hand against hers, holding it in place. He winced and parted his lips. “I love you too.”
Oh, he remembered. He’d heard her say that when he’d been so close to death those weeks ago. He’d held it inside this whole time. Lyric’s shoulders shook with her relieved crying. She scrambled closer to him and hugged his neck so tightly. If she could crawl into his skin and be one with him right now, she would. She’d missed him so badly.
The bond between them pulsed with power, and she knew she never wanted this moment to end.
