Page 174 of Break Me

Samuel is kneeling on the bank with his arms wrapped around me.

Around my body.

The realization comes slowly. Then all at once. I’m standing beside him while he’s holding me.

"No." The word leaves me on a whisper.

Below me, Samuel brushes a strand of hair from my face.

My face.

I know exactly how that touch should feel. The warmth of his hand. The roughness of his skin. The memory remains. The sensation does not.

A tear slips down Samuel's face as his forehead rests against mine.

"Come back," he whispers. "Come back to me. Please. Please, Raven."

The plea tears through me.

Not through my ears.

Somewhere deeper.

Somewhere beyond flesh and bone and breath.

Through the distance growing between us.

Like finding a heartbeat in a world where I no longer have one.

I turn back toward him. No, toward us.

And that's when I notice the light. It waits beyond the trees.

Soft.

Endless.

Ancient.

A presence moves within it.

It’s neither man nor woman.

Not anything I can name.

It feels older than the mountains. Older than the creek. Older than the stars scattered across the winter sky.

And somehow, I know it’s been waiting for me.

The voice is gentle when it comes. “Your journey is over. It’s time to come home, Raven.”

My gaze drops to Samuel.

To the man kneeling beside the creek with my body in his arms. To my husband who’s breaking apart one breath at a time.

"I won’t go."

The light brightens.