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“MOIRA!”

Warm arms wrapped around me, rough fingers cascading through my hair. My face pressed against a powerful chest.

“I got you. You’re safe. I have you. Breathe, Moira.”

My lungs burned, throat clicking as I tried to suck in air. The scent of vanilla and spice drifted through the air. A broken sob wheezed out of me.

“There. Do it again.” Soren’s voice was a quiet cascade of safety.

Hot tears spilled down my nose and dripped onto his shirt. I sucked in another breath.

“Another,” he murmured, his other hand rubbing down my back in firm strokes.

I don’t know how long we sat like that as I tried to relearn how to breathe again and forced myself to remember I was no longer in that cage. I was free. I had power of my own. I would never be caged again.

When my breathing finally steadied and I realized who held me tight, whose hands rubbed my back, my cheeks burned with embarrassment. I tried to pull away, but Soren held me tight.

“Do not,” he murmured. “This is only comfort from a friend, Moira. Nothing more. I swear it.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a shaky breath. My arms wrapped around him and Soren adjusted to pull me onto his lap, cradling my head in his massive hands.

“How often does this happen?” he asked.

When I didn’t answer, he released a heavy sigh.

“Does Evie know?”

I lifted a shoulder in a silent shrug. “Not much gets past her,” I croaked.

“Sometimes it’s okay to ask for help.”

I snorted. “Evie says the same thing. But who wants someone to see you at your worst?”

“Someone you love,” Soren said into the darkness. “Be grateful for the love you have, Moira. Not everyone is so fortunate.”

I lifted my head and peered up at him, finally able to see the strong outline of his jaw. The rings of his irises held a muted glow, casting the tent into golden shadows.

“You don’t have anyone?”

Soren’s smile held a sardonic edge. “Besides my harem?”

I smacked him gently on the pec. “Funny.”

“I am not as fortunate as Rowan,” he admitted. “Or Caelan in the past. But I brought it on myself.”

I mulled that over for a while. “You can call me.”

His arms tightened around me. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

I pulled away, out of the circle of his arms and lay back onto the ground, curled on my side this time, away from him. “Thank you,” I whispered into the dark.

“I’m glad I was here.”

Me too.

Chapter