Page 217 of Sorrow & Strangers

I shake my head. “He’ll be at the portal,” I say, following him into his room, sitting on the edge of his bed.

“How are you feeling about everything?” he asks, looking down at a small burn mark on his hand.

“It’s fine. It’s time to go home,” I say, looking away. Even the small lie tastes like vinegar because it’s not fine. I’m not ready. I’m not ready to say goodbye.

“I know that,” he says, nudging me with his foot, hitting the halo wrapped around my wrist. “But that’s not what I asked.”

I shrug, staring at the still silent halo, realizing for the first time since I met Connor, he hasn’t been at the forefront of my mind. Have I accidentally let him go? Is he angry with me? He wanted me to move on . . .

My chest tightens, and I feel my breathing quicken as I brush my fingers against the warm metal, but it remains quiet and passive. Standing abruptly, I leave Rafe’s room without responding and hurry to my own. Shutting the door, I stand against it for a moment, trying to push down the rising guilt and panic. I can’t lose this small piece of him. I pad across the room and crawl onto the bed. Hugging a pillow, I sit cross-legged in the middle of the massive mattress and stare at the halo.

“Con?” I whisper as I brush my fingers over the halo. It hums once, only once, and I clearly hear the word “Live” fill my mind.

I exhale and press a kiss to the halo, somewhat comforted that he is still with me. Knowing time is running out, I slip out of bed and get dressed for the trip home before activating the rune on my suitcase. Slipping on my shoes, I leave my room to find Rafe waiting in the living room. Alice joins us a few minutes later, stopping short to look between the two of us.

“You two look like you’ve been issued a death sentence.”

I lift an eyebrow.

“No we don’t,” Rafe says, crossing his arms over his chest, and I notice he is clutching a piece of paper in his fist as if his life depends on it.

“Yes you do, both of you.” She rolls her eyes. “Ready to go?”

I nod, and so does Rafe.

Alice doesn’t wait for us to respond before linking arms with us and leading us from the room. She chatters nonstop on the way to the portal. I’m fairly confused about how she’s so okay with leaving when she was so excited for All Souls that she permanently damaged Rafe’s and my hearing, but Alice will forever be an enigma.

The whir of the portal draws my attention, but instead of looking at it, my gaze locks with the stranger’s, his blue eyes piercing me. Alice squeezes my arm, and then she and Rafe step through the portal to give us some privacy.

“Hi,” the stranger says, cupping my cheek as I step in close to him.

I lean into his hand, brushing a kiss to his palm. “Hi.”

He strokes his thumb over my cheek. “I don’t want to let you go.”

“Aren’t you leaving too?” I ask, leaning against him, wanting to absorb the feel of him.

“Not for a few hours,” he says, resting his free hand on my hip, his long fingers splayed across my lower back. “And you’ll be gone.”

“This weekend has been . . .”

He chuckles and presses a kiss to my palm. “Tumultuous.”

“Indeed,” I say, laughing softly and resting my hands against his chest.

“If things were different, I’d kiss the fuck out of you right now,” he says, his eyes searching mine.

“Different?” I ask, my gaze dropping to his lips.

His lips tug into a smirk. “If I were different.”

“How hard would you kiss me?” I ask, meeting his gaze again and trying to forget how perfect his lips felt against mine.

“Until both our bodies turned to ash from the force.”

I swallow. “What else would you do?” I ask, my voice breathless.

“I would fuck you until neither of us knew our own names, the realm, or anything but each other,” he says, his smile wicked.