Page 196 of Star Claimed Omega
She let out a small, breathy, nervous laugh. ‘You’re not alone. I feared all you ever remembered of me was the monster Vern turned me into. Your time with me on Cybele convinced me you see the true me.’
He swallowed, and it stuck in his throat. ‘Fokkyeah. I’d have waited an eternity to convince you.’
‘I know.’ She met his gaze, unwavering. ‘I appreciate that your wolf, your lycan spirit, came and stayed with me when I needed it the most. When I cried the other night, it held and somehow healed me.’
His mouth twitched. ‘They’re ancient, the lycans. They are far wiser than we give them credit for. I’m not surprised it shielded you, for it is aware of how much I adore you.’
She huffed a dry laugh. ‘It didn’t just choose to protect me. It chose to heal me, I was so wounded.’
Santi ran a calloused thumb across her knuckles. ‘So was I.’
‘Naam,’ she assented. ‘Especially because we forgot how to find each other in the dark.’
‘We won’t again.’ His rasp was sure now. ‘No more assumptions, or running away when things get tough.’
‘Also, no more underplaying the other’s experience,’ she added, ‘or keeping secrets.’
‘Agreed,’ he growled.
‘There’s one you need to know of. For years, when I was estranged from my uncle and father, I tracked them. I wanted them to suffer for killing my mother. So I uncovered their smuggling rings, black-site deals, and any nefarious whispers about theRed Skulls’ illegal activities. I sent the data to Signet in secret, and you used it to ambush Varnok and cage him away.’
Santi’s head tilted, and he whistled under his breath. ‘Fokk, you did?’
‘Naam. Vern guessed I was behind the leak and hunted me, and when he found me, he turned me intoThe Red Queento punish me.’
She shrugged. ‘Now you know the whole truth.’
He leaned forward until his forehead met hers. ‘What afokkin’ brave thing to do, my love. I’m so sorry,mi sol, for what you endured, not understanding the whole picture. I’ll work on showing up in faith with you, for you’re my forever, Soleil.’
‘And you’ve always been mine,’ she murmured. ‘Even when I didn’t want to admit it.’
He smiled, burying his nose in her nape.
‘Santi,’ she said, her voice raw with emotion. ‘Speaking of home, I want to return toThe Sombra, if you’ll have me.’
He went still. The words landed with force, reverberating through his chest like a fault line cracking open.
‘Yeah?’ His timbre was rough and hoarse with expectation. ‘That’s all I’ve hoped for,mi sol. Every night I waited outside your door, I’ve only wanted this.’
She took a jagged inhale, her eyes slicing to the door, her mind far off. ‘I want to see the lake again, and the flowers and trees. I want to experience peace with you once more. I want to start breathing again.’
He huffed and relaxed, as if his limbs were being granted permission to let go.
He glanced at her with his quirky, lopsided smile.
‘Mi sol,’ he rasped, reaching across the space to take her hand. ‘I’ll move heaven, earth, and every sky between Cybele andThe Sombrato bring you home. So come with me,cariño.’
Her fingers curled into his without hesitation.
‘I will, because home for me will always and forever begin with you,’ she whispered, folding into him.
33
Chapter 33
SOLEIL
Soleil folded the last of her clothes into a canvas bag while Santi moved through her tiny hovel, doing final checks and cleaning.
