I pass him a glass of water, watching as he downs the entire thing without taking a breath.
“You’re covered in blood,” Landon observes after a moment, handing the glass back to me.
“Yourblood,” I tell him, and I can see the moment that he remembers the vial, the liquid, and the pain.
And as he begins to tremble, sliding his hand into mine, he closes his eyes and sinks back into the mattress.
Remembering, processing,feeling.
But I’m antsy. I can’t seem to think about anything other thandid it work?The need to see him happy again, to see himwhole, is so overwhelming that I can’t breathe.
And the need to redeem myself? To right my wrongs? That’s pretty devastating, too.
“Lanny,” I whisper, bringing the back of his hand to my lips. “Did it… are you whole again? Did it work?”
His eyes fly open, green exploding around us as his gaze connects with mine. It’s a long, agonizing moment of silence as we stare at each other, and just as I’m starting to get irritated with his lack of response, he opens his mouth.
“Kiss me.”
An overwhelming, arousing sensation overcomes me. The shimmer in the air is damn near visible, my body reacting before I can even comprehend the new reality I’m in.
My lips slam into his, tasting his dried tears and the remanence of his blood. A loud, desperate groan leaves me at the taste of him mixed with the intoxicating feel of his gift.
“Oh god,” I choke out, licking into his mouth like a starving lion. “More. Fuck, Lan,more.”
He obliges, grinning wildly as he commands, “Be honest, do you still love me? Tell me if it’s true.”
“I love you,” I breathe out, my eyes flickering between his and those lush lips. Each breath we take is shared from this position, and Ilove it. “But… iswhattrue?”
Suddenly, the overwhelming joy in his eyes is shadowed by a fleeting panic. “Tell me you mean it—what you showed me.”
Oh. He means the future I presented to him through my illusion. Us, together, as a family.
“It’s true,” I promise. “One day, we’ll be a family.”
Landon breathes out a heavy sigh of relief, and happiness returns to his eyes as he leans up and kisses me again.
It’s the kind of kiss that speaks for itself. One that gives the other party a clear view inside the mind. And in Landon’s mind? Pure fucking joy and love.
“I’m complete again,” he whispers against my lips. “You fixed me.”
But guilt still lives heavily inside of me. It still eats at my heart and my consciousness.
“I’m sorry that I broke you in the first place,” I offer, dropping small kisses to his jaw as he settles back into the bed again. “I should have stopped him. I should have protected you.”
“You did,” Landon insists gently. “You killed for me.”
“It wasn’t enough.” Iknowit wasn’t enough. Nothing will ever repair the damage I’ve done, not truly.
But maybe… maybe this is the beginning of trying.
“We’re going to have such a long, happy life together,” Landon says, staring up at me with those dreamy, sated eyes he normally only gets after I fuck him hard. “I can’t wait to face the world with you as this version of myself.”
“I’ll face the world with you no matterwhichversion you are,” I counter. “But I’m happy you’re better. I’m happy you’re whole again.”
“Thank you,” he whispers.
“Don’t thank me. Just… stay. Keep staying by my side, and I’ll never need to ask for more.”
