Page 189 of Plug and Drain

“Arken, will you look at me?”

Impossible.

“I cannot.” She’d phrased it as a question, and in the absence of a command, he could not bring himself to meet those devastatingly beautiful eyes.

Susie shuffled closer, arching against him so she could look directly up to meet his lowered gaze. She caressed his cheeks gently with her thumbs, assessing him with puzzlement and worry. Finally, she whispered, “Arken…you idiot. I meant, why didn’t you say something these past few weeks?”

He stared back in stunned silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Why…why did you let yourself carry the weight of this for so long?” Fresh tears ran down both their faces, hot and blinding in their clarity.

Arken shook his head and rested his forehead on hers.

He didn’t know.

He didn’t know anything, except that he was standing at the edge of the universe, with the only person in existence who mattered. She was holding him in place, when she could have let him fall.

Maybe he should have thrown himself off. But he would never abandon her, even if she hated him. He would make it his life’s mission to atone, and to ensure her happiness.

“Arken…” Susie pleaded, stroking his cheeks, his forehead, his hair.

He swallowed and pulled back enough to meet her gaze. “Susanna.”

“You called me Susie before.”

“Oh. I didn’t realise.”

She smiled. “I liked it. Please, can you just call me Susie? I never should have asked you to call me ‘Susanna’. I don’t really like that name.”

He almost smiled as he repeated, “Susie.”

She took a deep breath, then held it for what seemed like an impossibly long time as her amber eyes blinked slowly at him. Bright rays of lime green glowed in their depths, and he couldn’t look away.

She surprised him by cupping his face. “I will never let anyone hurt you again,” she said, her voice so forceful his spine tingled. “And you will stop blaming yourself for what happened.”

“I’m not sure the blood oath is powerful enough to mitigate my self-pity.”

“Fuck your self -pity,” she whispered, her teary gaze boring into his. “You don’t need it, and you’re letting it hold you back. There are better things waiting for both of us.”

“Both of us?” That combination of words was perfect. Susie had somehow moved even closer, her body fitting snugly against his. She was soft and warm, and he was careful not to hurt her as he wrapped his arms around her. Amidst the spiralling tension and the pounding of his heart, he scarcely dared believe that this wasn’t a dream. That she still wanted him after everything that had happened. That she was willing to trust him even though he’d let her down.

“Both of us,” she affirmed, her eyes burning with resolve.

He wiped the damp streaks from her cheeks, and she rested her head against his chest.

She was hurt and lonely, just like him. But she was also strong. He hadn’t realised just how strong, nor had he expected that she would be as fiercely protective of him as he was of her.

Time hung suspended around them, and Arken tried to absorb it all. The way she looked at him. The way she felt in his arms. The little sounds of affection she made as she nuzzled against him, her cheek soft against his neck. It made him feel worthy.

And it restored his hope. He hadn’t thought that was possible, but it burnt brightly.

This moment felt precious like the others…but it no longer felt fragile. A bond had been formed, and he’d been given a second chance.

Trust. She trusted him.

“Thank goodness for you, Susie.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and then one on top of her head. And then another, pausing only to stroke her hair in wonderment, which glowed where the first rays of sunrise had found them.

Susie pulled back to look at him shyly, her voice gentle. “Arken?”