Page 103 of Hunger & Harmony

I reach my hand out to her. My fingers shake, but I hold it as long as I can manage.

“Can we try?”

She stares at my hand. Her eyes fall before they meet mine.

“But everything I’ve . . .”

My fingers curl inward as she turns from me. Striding past Niko, she walks away without another word or glance. The only evidence she was ever here is the front door slamming with a resolute thud, her force felt in the floorboards.

Just as my hand falters, Niko catches it. The pulse of pain eases with his fingers interlacing with mine, and I let him pull me close.

I can’t even cry. I can hardly breathe.

“Sweet girl,” he murmurs, and I collapse against him. “Breathe. Come on, Cadence, breathe for me.”

He’s never needed oxygen, but he guides me anyway. His gentle murmurings and hands are my entire world as he lulls me into a steady rhythm.

When the moment comes back into focus, he’s cradling me into his neck. We’re still on the floor, his back against the couch as I rest in his lap. His cologne is a lifeline, as well as the vibration of the words in his throat.

“I will find a way.”

I’m not sure if that statement was fully meant for me.

His hands press firmer against my back, holding me like nothing is more important. When his lips rest against my hair, my eyes weakly open. I’m regaining strength. With that, my senses.

“Niko,” I say, goosebumps prickling over my skin when I feel his restraint unraveling.

“I won’t hurt you,” he whispers against my temple, and I’m not sure who is saving who anymore. “I’m going to break this bond. Even . . .Even if . . .”

I tense in his hold and raise my head enough to meet his eyes. Fear clouds his red irises, and the crimson flashes brighter, flickering as he tries desperately to contain it. He’s no longer afraid of me.

“No, no,” I say, raising my hand to weakly cup his jaw.

“That woman was right.”

He leans into my touch, like it’s everything he’s ever wanted. Needed. I shake my head harder.

“No.” My other hand comes up, like he’s quicksand through my fingers. “No, she doesn’t understand.”

“I have destroyed you, haven’t I?”

Only six words truly do. My bottom lip wobbles as I answer.

“No.”

“I . . . ” His left knuckle brushes my hair back, lingering on my cheek as I let my hands slide to his chest. “I have waited many lifetimes to hold starlight, and I would wait countless more if it meant I could hold you again.”

My heart constricts.

“What are you saying?” I whisper.

His irises flicker, but his eyes still crinkle gently when he smiles. Another wave of agony crashes over me, and I hiss through my teeth. Hunger. Ravenous and terrifying, it tears through my body.

“I won’t put you through this,” he says as I tremble. “Your blood is the catalyst, but it is still my fate to bear.”

“But . . .”

In the quiet of these shadows, I search his glowing gaze. He’s captive to this hunger, yet he softens under my touch. His fingers rest pliant on my waist, and even if every inch of his being is fracturing, he finds a reason to smile.