Page 154 of Burn Like An Angel

I feel at home curled up in Raine’s arms. Breathing in his citrus, sea salt scent. Arguing with Lennox. Drowning in his watered-down green eyes. Touching Xander and dragging a smile from him on the days he closes himself off.

Somewhere along the way, they became my home.

I don’t have to be alone anymore.

It doesn’t feel terrifying to rely on them. Raine has proven he’ll love me through my depressive episodes. Xander’s communicating more, opening himself up to me. Lennox has relented, and now I can’t seem to get rid of him.

We’ve gone to hell and back together.

While our current arrangement isn’t ideal, and it’s exhausting to continually relive our pasts, this will buy us a future. One where we can start living instead of just existing.

“Raine?” I vocalise.

“Hmm?”

“When this is all over, I want forever too.” Certainty steels my words. “The four of us. I don’t care where, but I want us to be together.”

“Took you long enough, babe.”

Turning my head, I reach up to press my lips to his. The kiss is sweet and simple. An honest declaration. It causes the numbness that’s fallen over me to recede the last few inches.

When that darkness feels overwhelming, I know I won’t have to face it on my own. It’s easy to forget that until they remind me. My illness still hasn’t scared them off.

Raine fervently kisses me back, his lips moving against mine in a tender exploration that still makes butterflies erupt inside me. I’ll forever be falling for the tortured musician I found in the dark, stroking his violin strings.

He didn’t just heal me.

Raine broughtthemback to me.

He’s the glue holding us all together. The positive ray of light in a band of broken individuals. Without his determination to worm his way into my heart, I don’t know if we’d all be here today.

I pause for a breath. “Have I mentioned that I love you?”

“Once or twice. I’m always happy to hear it, though.”

“Forever, right?”

He kisses between my eyebrows. “Forever.”

Resting our foreheads together for a moment, we hold still, embracing each other tightly. The sound of banging in the kitchen indicates the others are up to no good, and we should probably intervene.

“I’m turning into a prune.”

“My entire body feels shrivelled up.” Raine chuckles. “And I’m cold. Let’s move on to phase two.”

Climbing out the bath on legs that feel significantly stronger, I pluck a towel off the hook. “What?”

Raine stretches to his full height, accepting the towel I hand him. It’s a struggle to keep my eyes averted. I could drink in his gorgeous body all day long without getting bored.

“Get dressed and find out.”

“Suspicious much?” I ask sceptically.

“That’s us.”

We both return to the bedroom to throw on clothes. Pulling on one of Xander’s spearmint-scented shirts I stole from his room, I finger-brush my dripping curls into some semblance of order.

Raine takes my hand, leaving his stick behind. I guide him down the corridor into the open plan living room where voices exchange conspiratorial whispers. An odd scene greets us.

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