Page 52 of Bound By Crimson
“I was.” He nodded. “It was for some of my clients. But after I saw you—” his lips curved faintly “—I took the opportunity and hoped you’d come. And I’m glad you did.”
Her pulse fluttered. She stared down at where their hands rested together, fingers laced.
“When you didn’t answer me for two days,” she whispered, “I thought you were mad. It scared me.”
Kai’s fingers tightened slightly around hers. He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles, his breath warm against her skin.
“I could never be mad at you,” he murmured. “But Eric…” His jaw tensed. “I was jealous. I was furious. I got back here as fast as I could from Europe.” His thumb traced a slow line across the back of her hand. “And now I’m bringing you with me—so nothing like that can happen again.”
His eyes locked on hers, unblinking. “I can keep a much closer eye on you there.”
Her pulse fluttered. And the thrill that curled low in her belly was no longer fear—but anticipation.
Europe.
A flicker of panic tightened her chest. Her parents had gone to Europe just over a year ago—and never came back alive.
Romania.
She hadn’t let herself think about it in a long time, not really. That part of the world felt cursed, like some place just beyond a veil she wasn’t meant to touch.
But this wasn’t there.
She wasn’t going to the forests or the roads they’d driven. And she wasn’t running toward the past.
She was stepping into something new.
The idea of crossing oceans, of new places and new beginnings—it stirred something wild and breathless inside her.
---
When the car stopped at her house, Lyric felt none of the hesitation she had expected.
Her porch light glowed softly. Everything looked the same.
But she was different now.
Kai touched her hand. “I’ll wait.”
She nodded and stepped out into the cool morning.
---
Inside, the scent of lavender and woodsmoke embraced her.
She moved quickly, gathering what she needed:
Her mother’s locket.
Her father’s cardigan.
Her sketchbook.
A few clothes.
Her past in small, deliberate pieces.
She grabbed her phone and texted Velora:
