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He crosses the distance with several massive but swift strides to get to the bed. Garren doesn’t hesitate to make space for him. Grayden sits down and pulls me up into his arms. I bury my face into his chest, inhaling a manly cologne that I’ve come to associate with him. My wolf.
“It’s okay,” he whispers into my hair. He slowly runs his hand up and down my back in gentle and soothing motions. “It’s over now. We’re okay.”
I’m not sure how long we’ve been like this. We don’t separate until I’ve no tears left to cry. When I’m all empty and my emotions back in check, I begin to gather the courage to ask what happened. I pull back and notice that we’re alone. Gavin and Garren must’ve left to give us some privacy.
“What happened?” I ask him, lifting my hand to cup his cheek. I want to make sure he’s real. I need to convince myself we’re really here.
“I’m not sure,” he admits, his brows furrowing in thought. “I felt that something was wrong, but when you established a connection between us, I knew for sure. I convinced my family to help. Garren and Gavin summoned the packs and other royal families while I stayed with Graham to look for you. Graham found what we assumed was Hekate’s location. He was also able to connect a lot of witches to that same spot. Garren and Gavin were dispatched there. Later, they told me that though they left to help me, the others stayed to fight.”
“What happened to the witches?” I ask, pushing through the fear of the answer. “Are they all dead?”
Grayden shakes his head. “There were some losses on both sides, but they were urged to surrender. Apparently, once the first coven leader did, the rest followed soon after. They’re sort of our guest-prisoners now in one of the country houses up north.”
I want to ask him what will happen to them, but I’m not ready to hear that answer yet. I take his hand in mine and gently squeeze it, hoping that he’ll understand how much it means to me that they let them live.
“How did I get here?” I ask instead, glancing around the big room.
“Garren and Gavin told me that Graham sent them my location. They took the Dark Hunters and the Pack of Survivors with them,” Grayden starts, scratching the back of his head with his other hand. “Well, I won’t go into details about what happened in the basement. I don’t know what happened between you and Hekate, though. But as far as I’m concerned, I thought I was a goner. The wolves dug us out. Your protection was around us until the last of the stones was removed. They also said that we were covered in flowers. It was as if mother nature protected us through you…Either way, one thing is clear. You saved us, Helia.”
I intertwine the fingers of one hand with his and rub my fingertips from the other against his stubbly cheek. I lean forward ever so slightly and lock my eyes on his. “We saved each other.”
He closes the distance, pressing his forehead against mine. We stay like this for a minute, quietly appreciating each other’s company while being grateful for having this second chance.
“What happened between you and Hekate?” Grayden asks in a low whisper, his forehead still pressed against mine and his eyes closed. “Not that I’ve had much experience with the witches or any at all before you, but I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“I’m not sure,” I admit quietly. “I’ve followed my instinct. I think your power mixed with mine, and then with Hekate’s. It was all too much for the laws of our Universe and it ended up imploding until it turned on each other and exploded instead. It was both beautiful and devastating at the same time.”
“It was some scary shit,” Grayden agrees with a soft chuckle.
I take a shaky breath, bracing myself to ask him one more question. Though I already know the answer, I need to have it confirmed to be one hundred percent certain.
“Is Hekate dead?”
“Yes,” Grayden replies gently but firmly.
I bite my lower lip and nod. There was only one way for this to end. One of us would have to die. Though it hurts that it had to be my sister, I’m now able to see for the first time ever, a different future for the witches. Maybe there will be a place for Grayden and me to be together. I will make sure her death won’t be for nothing. I’ll use it as a reverse-catalyst and stop the war. The hate has to end.
“Grayden?”
“Yes?”
I take a breath. My fingers on his cheek brush his stubble. “Can you hold me?”
He doesn’t hesitate and gently puts his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap. My head rests on his shoulder while he holds me close. His embrace makes me feel comfortable and safe. I feel good with him. He’s my everything.
“Grayden,” I whisper, my breath tickling his neck. He tilts his head slightly, giving me the only indication that he’s listening to me. “I want you.”
A raw guttural sound escapes him, but he holds himself still. His chest rises as he takes a deep breath, trying to stay in control.
“I’m yours,” he tells me.
“I know,” I reply, then pull back to look him in the eyes. “But I want you. The whole of you. In me.”
Grayden groans and closes the distance between us. I have just enough time to put my arm behind his head for leverage when his mouth crashes against mine with gentle but passionate force.
“Take off your clothes, and then come to bed,” I order when we come up for breath.
He groans, his mouth smiling against mine. I climb off him, my eyes intently watching him as he begins to strip his layers off. He pulls his T-shirt over his head, revealing a red scar left behind by the siphon dagger. It will never heal, but with time, it might fade away. It’s something that eventually happens which is why they say that time heals all wounds.
