Page 114 of Crossing Between
He stiffened slightly beneath me. "My ancestors have always watched over me," he admitted. "But that day, I begged them like never before. Not for victory, but for you to come back to us. To me."
"They answered." I brushed my lips against his, aware of our audience but past caring. "I love you, Kenji."
The cheers and whistles grew louder as I kissed him properly, then jumped to my feet. "Class dismissed," I called to the rookies with a laugh, heading for the door.
"That wasdefinitelycheating!" Kenji shouted after me, but I could hear the joy in his voice.
My final stop was Varon's office. Unlike Elias and Kenji, who had thrown themselves into helping others, Varon had retreated into his work. The blinds on his office windows were drawn, and when I knocked, his gruff "Enter" sounded more like a warning than an invitation.
He was hunched over his desk, surrounded by stacks of reports and evidence files. He barely looked up as I closed the door behind me.
"You shouldn't be here." The edge in his voice had softened at the sight of me. "You're supposed to be resting."
"So I've been told." I perched on the edge of his desk, deliberately pushing aside a stack of folders to make room. "What about you? Have you slept at all this week?"
Varon leaned back in his chair, rubbing a hand over his face.He looked exhausted, the kind of bone-deep weariness that even vampiric resilience couldn't fully mask.
"I filed a commendation for you," he ignored my question. "Bradley's approved it. There'll be a ceremony once things settle down."
"I don't need a commendation."
"You deserve it." His eyes, those piercing eyes that had first captured my attention months ago, finally met mine fully. "What you did out there, Zoey, I've lived for centuries, and I've never seen anything like it."
I reached for his hand, tracing the lines of his palm with my fingertip. "Scared you, did I?"
A muscle in his jaw tightened. "Terrified me. Not because of what you could do, but because..." He trailed off, looking away.
"Because what?"
"Because I thought I might lose you." The admission seemed to cost him something. "I've lost people before. Comes with living as long as I have. But the thought of losing you..."
I slid off the desk and onto his lap, straddling him just as I'd done with Kenji, but with an entirely different intent. His hands came up automatically to steady me, gripping my hips.
"You didn't lose me," I murmured, leaning in close. "And I love you, too, by the way."
His eyes widened fractionally, then darkened with desire. "Zoey."
I cut him off with a kiss, hot and demanding. He responded instantly, one hand tangling in my hair to pull me closer, the other sliding beneath my shirt to press against the small of my back. I arched into him, savoring the cool firmness of his body against mine, the way his control slipped just a little more with each passing second.
A sharp knock at the door broke us apart. "Sir?Bradley and the council are waiting for your briefing." Sheryl's voice was professional and oblivious to what she'd interrupted.
Varon's forehead dropped to my shoulder with a muttered curse. "Five minutes," his voice was remarkably steady.
I climbed off his lap reluctantly, straightening my clothes. "Don't tell anyone."
"About the kiss, or about the 'I love you'?" His lips quirked in a rare smile.
"Either. Both." I unlocked the door, preparing to slip out. "I have a reputation to maintain."
"Your secret's safe with me." His expression turned serious again. "But Zoey, we should talk about this. All of us."
I nodded, knowing he was right.
"Later," I promised. "Right now, you have a meeting to get to."
I wanted to visit Quilith but the silly dragon had sent me a letter, filled with hearts and flowers, letting me know how proud they were of me and that they'd be back from their realm in a few weeks now that the danger was gone.
The memorial for Ruth had been small, just as she would have wanted it. No grand church service or parade of distant relatives she barely knew. Just a handful of people who truly loved her, gathering in the community garden she'd helped create.
