Page 151

“You were the only person who ever stood up to him for me,” I tell Luca, unable to pull my eyes from the window that once led to my bedroom. “I told the caseworker when she came to take me to a new home. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving you there with him.” A tear slides down my cheek at the memory. “She did nothing.”

Luca wraps his arm around me, my head resting against his shoulder. “We got through it,” he says, giving me a gentle squeeze.

I got through it because of him. After I left, who did he have?

“I still see him sometimes,” I admit. “Still have the nightmares.”

Luca breathes in, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. “Me too.” We look at each other and he gives me a small smile. “Come on, let’s go do absolutely nothing at your new house and forget all about this place.”

A day of nothing sounds like exactly what I need.

We stop at the store, me grabbing a pizza, Luca picking out a bottle of wine. Just a little something to celebrate not only getting the keys to my small, crappy duplex, but also to the new freedom we promised we’d help each other find. You can live in the past, or you can choose to step away from it. Luca and I deserve more than the cards we were handed, and we made a pact to work toward that better life every day.

He’s asked me on more than one occasion since I’ve been back if there’s anything I want to talk to him about, saying he can tell something’s been bothering me. While I’m happy to be home, a piece of me still feels lost, like I left the most important part of myself behind. My head knows this is where I belong; everything else pulls me in another direction.

I wake up every day, and I don’t see him. It doesn’t matter how hard I listen, because I never hear his voice. The worst part is, he doesn’t care. He wanted me gone. I gave him the chance, and he said nothing. Just watched me leave.

Luca plays with my hair while I lay my head over his lap, the same way he did when we were little. It’s something I’ve missed. A sense of safety I’ve only found in one other person. When the movie ends, he chugs down the rest of his drink, then stands. “Alright, I’ve gotta pee. Been holding it for half the movie.”

“We could have just paused it.” I laugh, admiring him as he makes his way down the hall.

“Sure, tell me now.” He chuckles.

With Luca momentarily away, the room feels too empty. My chest aches so much in these quiet moments, stronger now than it usually is.

I get up to fold the blanket we’d used, then take our wine glasses to the kitchen, setting them on the table when an unexplainable warmth creeps over me, one that only ever came with his presence.

My mind replays the last moments we had together. He just let me go, and as painful as that was, I haven’t let myself admit to the hurt in his own features when he realized I was leaving. We fed only the worst parts of each other, and somehow, I felt my best trapped inside the thunder of his storm.

Rhenn took a piece of me without even trying. It wasn’t given, it was built, and now it’s gone.

So why does the mere thought of him still send my heart into a frenzy?

“Your hair’s shorter.” It comes from behind me, the voice I’ve been so afraid to miss.

It can’t be real. It’s only Luca and me, and I hadn’t heard the door open.

I sense him though. His presence is more than just physical; it’s a palpable force that stirs the air.

Choking on a breath, I somehow find the strength to turn around, freezing when I see the man standing in my kitchen.

We stay silent, neither moving. I’m not even sure I’m breathing.

Rhenn swallows, then takes a cautious step in my direction. The movement tells me this is all real, and my pulse goes from zero to one hundred.

“It looks good,” he says, his eyes seeming to have a hard time holding mine.

“What?” I stare up at him, barely getting the word out.

“Your hair.”

My hair? This man tortured me, lied to me, devoured my thoughts. I held a knife to his throat, let him catch fire to my skin with his every touch, cried his name. We haven’t seen each other in a month, and he’s talking about my hair?

“How…” I shake my head, not convinced this isn’t a dream.

“I told you I would always find you.” He smiles, though it seems sad. “It’s a little easier now that I know where to look.”

I glance to his hands, looking for the vial, thinking if I see it, this will somehow make sense. He realizes what it is I’m trying to find and opens his fists to show me he holds nothing. “There are many ways to travel between realms, Vix. Most much safer than the way you chose.”