Page 26 of Shadow & Stars
“I’m here,” Roman said. “I’m here.”
I sat up on my heels, struggling to catch a breath.
“What happened?” he asked, regarding me with living eyes. His head remained on his neck, life still radiant within him.
My strength gave out, my eyes brimming with hot tears. “You’re here. You’re here. You’re here.”
“What happened?” he wondered.
I dragged him into a hug, reveling in the reassurance, terrified by what I saw. I tried to reject any prophetic properties to the images, though dread kept driving a fist into my soul.
No. Roman wouldn’t die like that. It was my mind playing tricks, fear trying to get the better of me.
I will never lose you…
My human witch held me, continuing to stroke my back. “Easy, now. Take it easy.”
My tears broke free, hot streaks down my cheeks. I didn’t cry much, and these hurt like liquid fire. I begged them to stop, for my body to not be so weak in this moment.
But I only sobbed harder, temporarily broken in Roman’s arms.
8
ROMAN
“I’m fine now,” Xavier said, getting back on his feet. He wiped the remains of his black tears from his face.
“You sure?”
His sobbing rocked me to my core, painful to hear and see. I was still shaking, never expecting him to be so vulnerable. It made me fall harder for him. He was the guy I wanted to hold through the dark times and laugh with through the better days.
“Yes,” he answered.
I didn’t argue with him. We could talk about it later, on his terms. “Okay.”
Lips still buzzing from our kiss, we linked hands and left the bedroom.
Margarite bowed to me, still waiting outside. She said nothing, following us back to join the others.
“Lay down here,” Butterfly instructed me. He’d turned the sofa cushions into a bed on the coffee table, the sofas all pushed back.
I did as he asked, mouthing a quick check-in at Darcy.
All good.
Butterfly circled me, his arms folded, clutching the time jar in his left hand. He pursed his lips in thought.
“What are you thinking?” Xavier asked.
Butterfly didn’t answer, pausing to bend over me. He held a hand over my heart, his eyes closed.
“Can you sense anything?” I tried.
“No.”
Great.
He moved his hand up and down my body, every passing second making my epidermis cringe at his proximity. I seriously loathed this prick, my hate swelling every time I looked at him.
