Page 188 of Moonlit Fate

A quick flick of dark tendrils, a sharp snap, and it was done. Larkin’s body hit the floor with a dull thud that echoed in the sudden silence.

“Good,” Caius said simply. “Very good.”

I stared at Larkin’s lifeless form, feeling nothing and everything all at once.

46

ARIA

Icouldn’t sleep. I was in Atticus’s room, not wanting to be in the manor where my life had been turned upside down. I’d come here to escape the suffocating walls of my childhood home.

Mia, Hale, Lyza, and Joren hadn’t questioned me when I showed up here. They’d let me in with no judgment, no questions asked. I was thankful for that. My mind twisting, searching for a solution to the mess I was in, but none came.

A sudden weight dipped the bed, and I tensed. Then, seeing him, I exhaled, my body uncoiling from its tight knot of terror and anxiety. Atticus.

“Where did you come from?” The words left me in a gasp.

“I needed to see you,” he said in a low rumble that vibrated through me.

“Gods, Atticus.” Tears pricked my eyes. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed him until this very moment. The weeks of terror melted away as if his presence alone could shield me from the squall outside.

“Shh, I’ve got you.” He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against the solid wall of his chest. In his embrace, I allowed myself to feel safe, maybe for the first time since this all began.

“How did you find me? I was shielding.”

His ice-blue eyes met mine, and even in the dim light, I saw the pride in them.

“Shielding?” he echoed with a hint of admiration.

“Yeah.” I pulled my knees to my chest, making room for him. “I’ve been practicing. Building barriers in my mind, keeping everyone out—even Seren.”

“Smart,” Atticus murmured. He reached for my hand, his fingers grazing my skin with a gentleness that contrasted his rough exterior. “But Seren knew. She told me you were here.”

“Of course, she did.” I let out a soft laugh.

We fell silent, the space between us thick with everything we couldn’t say. It didn’t matter. Being without him had felt like an unending abyss, each day stretching longer than the last. Now, with mere inches separating us, the pain of being apart was a stark reminder of how much we needed each other.

“Atticus,” I started, but he shook his head slightly.

“Shh, no words,” he whispered, reaching out to brush a stray hair from my face.

Our gazes locked, and time seemed to slow. It was as if the world had shrunk down to this room, to the two of us. These hardships could have torn us apart, but instead, it forged a stronger link. We were a united front against whatever disorder awaited outside these walls.

“We’re better together,” I finally said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

My fingers brushed the rough ink that marked his skin, the tattoos I knew as well as my own thoughts.

“Atticus,” I said, unable to hold back any longer.

He responded by pulling me into him. His hands roamed over my back as I traced the muscles that flexed beneath his shirt. There was no gentleness in our movements, only urgency, as if we were trying to make up for lost time with every second that passed.

Our lips crashed together, and I poured every ounce of my longing, my anxiety, and my love into that kiss. It felt like coming home after being lost in a hurricane, the warmth of him searing through the chill that had settled in my bones during our separation.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he muttered against my mouth.

“Me too,” I managed to say before his lips claimed mine again. My heart raced like a wild creature, beating against my ribcage as he pulled me to his chest. His skin was rough against mine, but everything about him felt right.

Atticus’s lips brushed against my forehead, my eyelids, my earlobe. Each tender touch made me shiver with anticipation. His thumb traced circles on the base of my neck, sending shivers down my spine and filling me with the desire to feel more.

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