"All for you," he muttered, thumb stroking over the back of her hand. He held her so delicately.
At his words, the last bit of resistance cracked in her chest, and she knew she was so glad that he had done what he had to get her.
"For you."
At the sound of Kiton’s voice, Vesperin turned, head tipping up to stare at him. She sat by the window, staring out at the fog-shrouded night.
In his gloved hands, he held a bouquet of Nightfell roses. The pointed-petaled flowers were wrapped with a strand of black velvet.
"For me?" Her words were breathless. "How did you?—"
"I saw you once at one of the estate dinners. There was a small garden outside. You were staring at the flowers with such a wistful look."
"They’re my favorite flower. The darkness has always called to me. Flowers are supposed to be bright…" Vesperin reached forward and drifted the tip of her finger over a dark petal. "But darkness fits this war-torn planet of ours, don’t you agree?"
He extended the bouquet.
She pressed her face to the petals and inhaled the jasmine-like scent. "Thank you."
"Only the best for you."
As the months passed,the fighting grew, bleeding into the shops and housing areas. Kiton was away more and more. Working both sides—for her,he would always say. He would come back to the manor bloody and bruised, eyes haunted, but when he saw her, the tension would flee as he fell into her arms.
When they were with each other, everything was okay.
Until it wasn’t.
After half a year with Kiton,the first time she’d felt loved and safe since her parents’ deaths, Vesperin found herself wanting him. Not out of duty but desire.
"Don’t go." Vesperin held Kiton’s hands as he knelt beside her bed—they slept separately.
They hadn’t done more than kiss, but shewantedhim. For the first time, Vesperin wanted to be with a man because she wanted it, not because of an ulterior motive.
He brushed her brown hair away from her face. "I must, Vesperin. If I don’t, it won’t look good. I’ve been staying away more and more. They’re questioning my allegiance. That can’t happen—it puts you and the resistance at risk."
He gathered her hands up and kissed her knuckles. He seemed to love her hands. In a way, she understood—it was what made them realize they were made for each other.
Vesperin shook her head, sitting up as she reached for him. It was wrong to distract him like this.
She grabbed his face, feeling his smooth skin under her palms as she whispered, "Stay—just for tonight. They won’t miss you until morning. You can leave then, and I won’t say a word. I’ll let you go when it’s dawn. But for the night, for now, stay with me?"
Kiton sighed, expression conflicted. "Fine. Only for a few hours, then I have to go."
He lay down by her side, shifting her until she was situated to his liking. She was beneath the sheets, while he lay on top of them. The barrier between them made her chest tight.
The hum of the generators as the gas bulbs burned and water flowed through pipes broke up the silence.
He wore his regime uniform: a dark coat and trousers, a harness with iron plates fused to the chest. The iron was cold beneath her cheek as she pressed her face against him.
"Is it wrong of me…?" she began.
He hummed.
Vesperin’s fingers brushed against his coat. "To want this?"
"No.Never.You’re the best thing in this life. I do not think what I did before I met you could be considered living." His hands tightened on her.
"I think that all the fighting, it—it made me realize what I want isn’t what I thought. I don’t want to be important. I want only this. Stolen moments and your lips."
