A frosty tear falls onto my chest, snaring my attention. I reach up, brushing along where I can make out his cheek before dropping my hands to his chest. “Tell me what happened.”
Even though my fingers are met with resistance, he’s not solid enough to hold. Not yet.
How I wish he was.
“You started to turn into one of us, but I begged Fate to stop it. To stop you from leaving this world. She hesitated at first, but eventually, she agreed. Brought you back. Afterward, I couldn’t stop sensing you, wanting to be near you. It was agony, knowing we couldn’t be together. So I begged Fate again… Begged her to make me forget.”
My body stills as I take in his words. “Forget what? The accident? Me?”
“To forget it all. To forget watching you die. That I had a mate.”His hands trail over my own.“There’s never been a harbinger gifted a mortal mate. But you weren’t…”
“I wasn’t meant to be mortal when you found me,” I finish for him.
“I thought if I forgot, it’d be easier to cope with. It was the last thing I asked for before hibernating for three seasons. My punishment for interfering.”
Gently gliding my hands around him, I rest them on the nape of his neck as I take in the glistening pane of his face. He cradles my chin, those familiar eyes glinting through the darkness.
“The moment I woke up this winter, I could feel you. That thrum, the constant pound of your heartbeat in my ribs. I didn’t understand it at first. I only knew you were mine. It wasn’t until I asked for my memories so I could answer your questions that I realized what I’d done. And while I don’t regret saving you, not for a second…”
“But?”
“Once I found you this winter, I needed to know everything about you. Was desperate to be near you.”He clears his throat.“I’d even watched you with Blake a few times.”
That admission makes me blush.
“I hated the fact that I couldn’t bring myself to leave you alone. Even though I wanted you to live your life, it killed me to not be a part of it.”
“I’m sorry.” I can only imagine how much it hurt to see us together, especially after finding Blake and Nina tonight. To know I’d caused Jax pain, however unintentional, was like cracking my own ribs. Exposing something far too vulnerable.
“Don’t be. I did this to myself and I wouldn’t change the choice I made.”His piercing gaze holds mine.“Your pulse is the most precious sound to me, Tempest.”
“Jax?” I press up to my tippy-toes. Gently gliding my hands around him, I rest them on the nape of his neck
“Yes.”
“I’m really trying to process all of this.”
His chin drops, and I can hear the disappointment in his words. He gave me the truth, one he’s been avoiding.“I understand. Tonight’s been a lot for you, in more ways than one.”
“It has.” I bite my lip, chewing over my request. Staring up at him from between my lashes, I imagine the rest of his features beyond the glittering gaze peering back at me. There’s so much in those eyes. Icy-blue sadness, shimmering silver, bursts of gossamer hope emerging through the cracks. He’s sacrificed for me before I ever even knew he existed, and despite how crazy it seems, how impossible, he keeps trying to reach me. Now here he is, wanting nothing more than to be seen by me.
“I need you to do something.” I press up a tiny bit higher, until my lips are a snowy breath away from the silhouette of his. A thin slip of white curls between us and all I want is to breathein the belief he has in me, in us, right back into him. To make it all a reality.
“Anything for you, Tempest.”
“Kiss me.”
23
JAX
She’s so close.
So fucking close.
Our noses nearly touch, and my hand strokes her cheek. She barely notices as it subtly passes through her skin. Jolie’s brought her ghost to life, given me form, but not fully. Not yet.
“Fates, I want to. More than anything.”
