Page 394 of Scars of Fate

I touched his face.

“I know you were afraid.”

His eyes returned to mine.

“I’m afraid now,” I whispered. “But we promised we wouldn’t let fear make our choices anymore.”

“That promise doesn’t mean I take you into a laboratory with a biological weapon.”

“It means you don’t leave me behind without giving me a voice.”

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then his hand covered mine.

“If something happens to you⁠—”

“Something has been happening to me for eight years.”

His eyes closed.

“I lost you because we faced Fate separately,” I said. “We end it together.”

A helicopter appeared above the river.

Its rotors shattered the quiet along the waterfront.

Lucas opened his eyes.

The storm was still there.

But so was the man I loved.

“Stay beside me.”

“I will.”

“If I tell you to run⁠—”

“I’ll consider it.”

“That wasn’t the agreement.”

“It’s the best you’re getting.”

His mouth almost moved into a smile.

Almost.

Then he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against mine.

“Together,” he whispered.

“Always.”

The medical helicopter landed in a vacant parking area near the river.

The side door opened before its skids touched the pavement.