Page 36 of Fated for Dawn

He swallowed, his fingers tightening around mine. “I don’t know,” he admitted, voice quieter than I’d ever heard. “I guess…I just want to know I matter. That if I wasn’t cracking jokes, if I wasn’t the guy who made you laugh—you’d still want me around.”

I felt my heart crack a little.

“Chad,” I murmured, shifting closer. “You’re not just the funny one. You’re the one who makes things feel okay when they aren’t. I mean it. You’ve always been there for me, Chad, from the very beginning. You were the first person I truly felt safe with.”

His breath hitched slightly.

I pressed on. “I wouldn’t have made it through without you. You didn’t judge me—you saw me. You knew I wasn’t okay, even when I tried to hide it. You made me feel safe before I knew what safety felt like.”

His fingers curled around mine, his grip firm like he needed to hold onto something.

“And I’m sorry,” I whispered. “If I ever made you feel like I don’t see you the way you see me. But I do. I always have. Icontinued, “ Chad, I need you. Not just for your jokes, not just for the light you bring to everyone else. I need you.”

For a long moment, he didn’t speak. Then he exhaled, resting his forehead lightly against mine.

“You have me,” he murmured, cupping my head and kissing my forehead. “Always.”

I smiled at him. “Even if you never told another joke, I’d still love you, Chad. With all my heart.”

“I love you too, little witch, more than you’ll ever know.”

I smiled and squeezed his hand before nudging him. “Come on, let’s go to bed and cuddle.”

Chad perked up instantly, mischief flickering back into his eyes. “Can I be the small spoon?”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Of course you can.”

14

Evelyn

The musty scent of ancient books filled my nostrils as I hunched over yet another tome, this one on demonic possession. My eyes burned from hours of reading, but I couldn’t stop. Hecate’s cryptic words echoed in my mind, playing on an endless loop.

The balance must be restored. What was split in two must become whole again.

A creak of floorboards made me look up. Lucien stood in the doorway of Alister’s library, his expression troubled.

“There you are. What are you doing here alone?” he asked, his voice softer than usual.

“Just researching anything I can find on possessions,” I replied, tapping the book before me. “In case there’s something that could help Lia.”

Lucien stepped inside, running a hand through his dark hair. “Evelyn, I…” He hesitated, then let out a breath. “I need to apologize.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “For what?”

Lucien’s jaw tightened. “For not trusting you when you asked for help with Lia. For not intervening sooner.” He shook his head, his voice heavy with regret. “I thought she wasn’t to be trusted. But if I’d listened to you and acted sooner, maybe she wouldn’t be…” He trailed off.

“A vessel for Eris?” I finished for him, my voice bitter.

He nodded, looking pained.

I sighed and closed the book. “It’s not your fault, Lucien. None of us could have foreseen that.”

“Still, I should have—”

“No.” I shook my head firmly. “Morgana was the enemy. She spelled her own daughter. What kind of monster does that?”

“I agree, Lia didn’t have it easy, but to be fair, she did turn on you,” Lucien insisted.

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