Page 217 of Black Reign

Eyes.

A voice I haven't heard yet.

The air locks in my lungs.

I take one step.

She turns fully toward me.

“Ghost.”

Her voice.

French beneath the English.

Soft.

Hoarse.

Her.

That one word nearly puts me on my knees.

I cross the rest of the space.

My hand goes behind her head.

The other around her waist.

I pull her against me before I can question whether I should.

She comes.

No hesitation.

Her face presses into my chest.

Her fingers fist my shirt.

She's shaking.

Vesper doesn't shake.

Sabine does.

And that distinction nearly destroys me.

I close my eyes and hold her tighter.

Alive.

She's alive.

Every muscle in my body releases at once, leaving something much worse behind.

Emotion.

Huge.