Page 185 of Burn Like An Angel

“Xander and Lennox may not want that.” Ripley looks down at her legs, covered by the thin hospital sheet.

Aghast, I stare at the most insane woman I’ve ever met. The vengeful bitch who jeopardised our lives. Instigated our torture. Stole our power. Then… our fucking hearts too.

“Nox?” Raine sighs. “Help me out here.”

“I’m struggling myself.”

“Then use your words! Fucking hell.”

Releasing Ripley’s hand, he picks up his new guide stick and walks away from the bed to give us a moment. I wait for him to tap his way to the window, weighing up my words.

For a moment, I just look at her. The one person I never expected to feel something so incredibly strong for beyond stone-cold hatred. For so long, I fucking loathed her.

My eyes catch on the black bracelet still secured around her wrist, above the bandages covering where she must have been shackled. Again. This time without me there to hold her close.

Fuck.

We almost lost her.

I can’t lose her ever again.

“We had an unconventional journey to get here, didn’t we?”

She chuckles under her breath. “Is that what we’re calling it?”

“Sure.”

“Then I guess we did.”

“Six months ago, I never would’ve thought we’d be here. I had every intention of paying you back for the pain and torment you put us through. I wanted you dead, Rip.”

“I’m aware.”

I lick my lips, searching for the right words. “But I wouldn’t change any of it. Do you know why?”

Ripley meets my gaze through one open eye. “Yeah, I think I do.”

“Then you know what I’m about to say. All that grief, trauma, unthinkable torture… it led me here. To this crossroad. Staring at the most incredible woman in this fucked up world.”

My voice has turned raspy, forcing me to stop for a breath. I’ll scream in her face until I’m hoarse if that’s what it takes for her to hear me. To believe what I know to be true deep in my soul.

“A woman I love,” I add emotionally. “And who I hope will let me join her on this future train she’s taking far away from all this heartache. If she’ll have me.”

“How could you even doubt it?” Her tears overflow, making her bruises shine. “You know I love you, Nox. Our future is what all this has been for.”

“Then I guess I’m following you, baby.”

Hands braced on the bed, I lean in to press a kiss onto her lips. Ripley responds fervently, proving her words with mere touch alone. There’s no lie in the way she kisses me like I’m her life support machine.

Little does she know… she’s mine. Always has been. Even when we despised each other and traded blows from afar, both determined to eradicate the other. That hatred kept me alive so I could love her to death now.

“Where are we going, anyway?” I laugh into her lips.

“You have a preference?”

“I don’t exactly have a home to go back to. Hell, none of us do.”

“I suppose we can figure it all out,” Ripley decides with a tiny, hope-filled smile. “We’ve got our whole lives ahead of us.”

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