Page 41 of Sentinel of Talon Mountain
“You sure about this?” he asks, voice low. “Because once you’re in, I warned you already, I’m not letting you go.”
I look up at him, heart steady but ribs tight, like something inside me has finally stopped bracing for impact. "I’m sure. No more running." A sudden surge of something sparks low in my belly, because this isn’t retreat. It’s surrender, and for once, it doesn’t feel like losing.
His hands slide to my waist, pulling me flush against him. “Good.”
The kiss starts soft, but there’s a tension beneath it—like a thread pulled taut. His fingers press into my waist just enough to ground me, to tether me to this moment. His mouth lingers, then deepens the kiss, slow and steady, like he’s drawingsomething out of both of us. My hands slide up his chest, not to push him away but to feel the solid heat of him, the steady thrum of his heartbeat under my palms. It’s not just need. It’s belonging. And when he finally pulls back, his eyes stay locked on mine, fierce and certain.
My fingers knot in his shirt as his mouth claims mine again, slow but firm, as if sealing a vow neither of us will ever break. It’s not rushed. Not frantic. It’s grounded in everything we’ve fought for—the bruises, the confessions, the long nights and hard truths.
When he pulls back, I’m breathless.
“I love you,” I breathe, the words raw and certain.
His answer comes without pause, rough but steady: “I love you too.”
I take the folded map from the stove and carry it to the hearth. “I am sorry,” I tell the route that ended in white silence. “I am done paying with my life.” I hold the corner to the coals until the paper curls, then I let it go.
Outside, the wind picks up. Snow flurries swirl past the windows.
Inside, it’s warm. Safe. Home.
Six Months Later
At the foot of Talon Mountain at the edge of town, a new trail opened last week where none existed before. It's still a work in progress, more an unmarked path than an actual trail onto the beach, but it's coming along.
Just beyond it, a stranger steps from the trees with a battered pack and a haunted gaze. He carries no memory of who he is, only a secret heavy enough to change everything.
