Page 89

I slid one hand down between my legs, finding my clit. The first touch made me gasp, and I rubbed it in circles with my fingers, matching the rhythm of my hips. Tristan's lips parted on his panting breaths.

“You're perfect,” he said. “So perfect.”

The pleasure crested, and I cried out, my body clenching around him as I came. The orgasm rolled through me in waves, and I felt Heartbreak pulse beneath my skin, echoing the rhythm of my release.

Tristan groaned, his hands tightening on my hips as he thrust up into me. Once, twice, and then he was coming, his body shuddering beneath mine.

Languid in my satisfaction, I collapsed onto his chest. We lay together until our heartbeats slowed, the sunlight like a revelation my skin. His arms wrapped around me, holding me close, and I listened to the steady beat of his heart, my ear pressed against his sigil.

“This is perfect,” I whispered.

“What is?”

“Being here, above ground, in the light.” I lifted my head to look at him. “Starting our new life together in a new place in our home.”

He smiled, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “Our new life together.”

I knew the danger wasn't over. Osric and Bart were still out there, and the Conclave would have questions. There would be complications, adjustments, and a thousand things we hadn't anticipated. But right now, in this moment, none of it mattered.

We had chosen each other. We had chosen this. And we had forever to figure out the rest.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Eventually, we rose from the bed. Sunlight poured through the windows, warming the hardwood floors and turning dust motes into magical sparkles. I stretched, feeling the pleasant ache in my muscles, the new weight of Heartbreak beneath my ribs like a second heartbeat.

“I feel wonderful.” I turned to face Tristan as he pulled on his jeans. “Different, but wonderful.”

He paused, his hands on the button of his fly, and looked at me with an expression I'd never seen before. Open. Light.

“I feel the same.” He finished fastening his jeans and reached for his shirt. “With Heartbreak balanced, I can feel how strong this body is. The vitality inside me.”

He stretched his shoulders and then retrieved my clothes from where they'd been scattered. There was an ease to his movements, a fluidity I'd noticed before but never seen without the shadow of exhaustion behind it. Even after a Pull, when the immediate pain had faded, there had always been tension in his shoulders and tightness around his eyes.

“You look different,” I said.

Tristan handed me my clothes and smiled. “Do I?”

“Lighter.” I pulled on my underwear and reached for my jeans. “Now that Heartbreak is happy, you can be happy.”

Tristan sat on the edge of the bed and watched me dress. “I didn't realize how much of my energy went into managing Heartbreak's pain. Now that he's divided between us, now that he's content . . .” He shook his head. “I feel as if I could run for miles. Or dance all night. Or simply sit in the sun and read a book without waiting for the next Pull to drag me away.”

I buttoned my jeans and crossed to him, cupping his face in my hands. “There will be a Pull. Many of them. But we can handle them together now, knowing Heartbreak has a purpose.”

“I know.” He turned his head to kiss my palm. “But I don't fear it anymore. I'm free to exist without constantly dreading the moment when Heartbreak will demand his release.”

“Are you scared?” I asked. “Of what comes next?”

“No.” He laughed brightly. “For the first time in seventeen centuries, I'm not afraid. I never realized that it wasn't just the pain, but also the fear that weighed upon me. For a brief moment when I woke in the morning, I would be free. I could breathe. Then Heartache would take hold, and I'd remember. My chest would constrict, my gut churn. I'm surprised I didn't get stomach ulcers.” He laughed. “One of the benefits of immortality, I suppose. But now, it's all gone. I can breathe.” He breathed in deeply, his chest expanding. “Without Heartbreak's need clawing at me, urging me to hunt, I can think clearly. I feel like a new man.”

“And you resisted this.” I booped his nose.

He grinned again, as bright as the sun flooding the room. “I was an utter fool.”

I shrugged. “You only had the Severings of other Curses to go by. You didn't know.”

“Other Curses,” he murmured. “This could change everything, Destiny.”

“I don't know. I think this worked because Heartbreak needed love. My empath abilities helped too.”