Page 68 of Panther in the Shadows
She's quiet for several heartbeats. When she speaks, her voice is soft but certain. "I love you."
The words steal the air from my lungs and make my heart stutter.
"Moira—"
"I need you to know that." She pushes up on one elbow, meeting my gaze directly. "Before the fight. Before everything.I love you, Rafe. Not just because of what we just did, or the magic, or any of it. Because of who you are. The way you protect this island. The guilt you carry for things that weren't your fault. How you look at me like I'm something precious when I've spent years being ordinary." Her fingers curl against my chest. "I love you. And I needed to say it while I still could."
The fear underneath the declaration cuts deep. She's saying this now because she doesn't know if we'll survive facing Catalina in deep water in just a few hours. Because the battle might mean losing everything.
I cup her face, thumb tracing the line of her cheekbone. "I love you too."
Her breath catches. "You do?"
"Since the moment you healed Eliza and stopped hiding what you are." The confession comes easier than expected. "I saw the real you that day—the sea witch who's been pretending to be just an innkeeper because it felt safer. The woman with enough magic to reshape Stormhaven if she wanted." My thumb brushes her lower lip. "I've loved you since then. Maybe even before, if I'm honest."
She kisses me. Soft and sweet and full of things neither of us have words for.
When she pulls back, her eyes shine with unshed tears. "We're going to survive tonight. Both of us."
"Yes." I pull her close again, bury my face in her hair. "We are."
We lie there in the darkness, wrapped around each other. The clock on the wall marks time we don't have. Time is moving faster than either of us wants, bringing with it violence and magic and choices that could destroy everything.
But right now, in this moment, there's only us. Her warmth against my skin. The steady rhythm of her breathing. The faintglow of magic beneath both our skins, still humming with connection.
She shivers under my touch, pressing closer.
"Tell me about after." Her voice is quiet. Vulnerable. "When this is over. When we've won."
The request surprises me. We've been so focused on surviving the battle, neither of us has talked much about what comes next.
"What do you want to know?"
"What happens to us?" She tilts her head to look at me. "Do we go back to how things were? You in your warehouse, me at the inn, pretending none of this happened?"
"No." The answer comes immediate and certain. "We don't go back to anything. We move forward." I cup the back of her neck, holding her gaze. "You keep running Flynn's Inn if that's what you want. But you stop hiding your magic. You be what Gran trained you to be. What this island needs you to be."
"And you?"
"I keep managing the imports. The businesses. Making sure Stormhaven stays independent and Skara pack territory doesn't expand where it shouldn't." I pull her closer. "But I do it with you. No more keeping you at arm's length because I'm afraid of putting you in danger. You're already in danger. Might as well face it together."
She smiles against my chest. "Very romantic."
"I'm not good at romantic." I tangle my fingers in her hair. "But I'm good at keeping promises. And I promise you this—when we survive tonight, I'm not letting you go. We build something real. Something that matters."
"What kind of something?"
Partnership. The answer comes clearer than I expect. "You handle the magical threats. I handle the physical ones. We protect this island together. Keep it safe from both Skara packaggression and supernatural dangers." My thumb brushes her cheekbone. "And when we're not doing that, we do this. Learn each other. Build something between shadow and water that neither of us expected."
"I like that vision." She kisses my throat, the touch soft and lingering. "Though you're underselling yourself on the romantic front. That was actually pretty good."
"Don't tell anyone. It'll ruin my reputation."
Her laugh is quiet but genuine. "Your secret is safe with me."
We lapse into comfortable silence. The kind that only comes when words aren't necessary.
But the approaching dawn won't be ignored forever.
