Page 249 of Black Reign

Neither of us lets go.

A laugh catches in my throat.

“This ends badly.”

“Probably.”

“Our families⁠—”

“Not tonight.”

“Blackwell—”

“Tomorrow.”

“Papa—”

His thumb moves across mine.

“Tomorrow, Sabine.”

I close my eyes.

Tomorrow there will be ARGUS.

My father's death.

Xavier's father.

Blackwell.

Questions I may not want answered.

Tomorrow I may discover something that makes sitting beside this man impossible.

But tonight his hand is around mine.

His fire is warm.

His coat is still around my shoulders.

The tea tastes exactly the way I like it.

And for the first time in years, Ghost is not a blinking cursor in an empty room.

He's here.

Breathing beside me.

Close enough that when I lean my head back against the sofa and turn slightly, I can feel the warmth coming off his shoulder.

Xavier looks at me.

That same expression returns.

Like he's found something rare.

Something he thought existed only in theory.