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WINTER
Iwas pacing around the house when I saw a set of headlights coming down the driveway once again. It was already well past one o’clock in the morning and my anxiety was running rampant through my body. It was invading every crevice of my mind, but seeing the lights brought a sense of relief. It had to be Kai. It wouldn’t have been anyone else.
And if he was here, then that meant he was safe.
My feet carried me to the front door and I pulled it open just as he parked his car. My shoulders sagged as relief chased the panic away. It felt like I could finally breathe and I could breathe easily. Kai got out of the car and began to walk toward me with his eyes on mine. I couldn’t stop myself as I rushed over to him.
My hands found his face and my eyes frantically scanned him. In a sense, it was almost a bad habit from when we were younger. I was used to Kai coming to me after he had been abused. It was a habit, looking for blood or bruises. “Are you okay?”
He wrapped his hands around my wrists and looked down at me. “I’m fine, darling.”
“He didn’t do anything to you?”
Kai shook his head. “I told you he wouldn’t. I simply went there to speak with him.” The corners of his lips lifted, but there was a look of torment in his eyes. “You never have to worry about him again, okay?”
My eyes desperately searched his as my heart pounded erratically in my chest. I couldn’t help but wonder what really happened. “What did you do?” I didn’t expect Kai to do anything bad, yet I couldn’t help but feel the weight of his words. I didn’t doubt the fact that he would burn down the entire world for me.
He shook his head again. “We talked and that was it. I told you I wouldn’t do anything stupid, and I didn’t.”
“I believe you,” I assured him, my voice quiet and tender. “It’s late. Let’s go inside.”
Kai dropped his hands away from my wrists and I watched his expression transform as a shadow passed through his face. He took a step back and dropped his gaze to the ground. Confusion swept through me and I stared at him for a moment before I slid my hand into his. He didn’t say anything. His eyes met mine with a pained look, but he let me lead him inside.
Something happened, something shifted, and I wasn’t sure what it was. Despite the coldness that radiated from him and the way he always had his guard up around people, Kai wasn’t as closed off as he made people believe. Inside he was riddled with trauma and when it plagued his mind, he was delicate. Like a piece of glass resting on the edge of turmoil.
He hated to be vulnerable; he never wanted anyone to see him break.
Kai remained silent as I led him through the house and up to my bedroom. I released his hand as I pulled the blankets back on the bed and climbed inside. He followed behind me, his body tense as he pulled me flush against him. My head was resting on his chest as I wrapped my arm around his torso. It was like there was something inside of him that was preventing him from relaxing. His demons had resurfaced from whatever words were exchanged between him and his father.
“Talk to me, Malakai,” I whispered as I lifted my head to look at him. “You promised you would always come back to me, but you’re not here right now.”
His stormy blue eyes barreled into mine, effectively stealing the air from my lungs with the torment hanging heavily inside them. “I’m right here.”
I shook my head. “Physically, perhaps. You’re lost in your mind.”
A muscle in his jaw twitched and his nostrils flared. He didn’t push me away, but the coldness was rolling off of him in waves. “You really want to know what happened? Fine. I confronted my father. I told him it was unacceptable and he’s not to look at you, speak to you, think of you again. I meant what I said, Winter. I would burn down the entire fucking world for you. I would destroy anyone who stepped in my way.” He paused as a ragged breath escaped him. “I love you, Winter. So fucking much that it hurts, but you’re the sweetest pain I’ve ever experienced.”
It had felt like I had waited an eternity to hear him finally speak the words aloud.
“I love you,” I whispered back to him, the emotion welling inside my chest. My heart felt like it was going to explode. Like a ticking time bomb waiting to detonate. “I’ve always loved you.”
“I always knew I loved you, but it wasn’t until tonight that I realized the truth behind it. I never felt like I was capable of loving because I never truly felt love… not until I met you.” The words tumbled from his perfect lips and his body was relaxing beneath mine. “You are my heart, Winter Reign.”
Kai’s hands were in my hair and his lips were crashing into my own. What oxygen was left in my lungs, he swiftly stole. His mouth was tender and gentle, yet needy and urgent as it moved against mine. My lips parted as his tongue slid along the seam of my mouth and he slid inside. I was completely consumed by him. We were lost in one another as our tongues tangled and our souls melted.
He was in my veins and there was nothing that could ever eradicate him.
We broke apart, breathless, as we came up for air. He pulled me back against him and we fell into the silence of the night as he wrapped me in his arms and held me close. His fingers were light against my arms as he trailed them over my skin.
“I’m afraid that I will end up like him.”
His voice cracked, splintering into fragments around the words as he finally admitted what was haunting him. I wrapped my arms tighter around him.
“You’re not your father, Kai. You will never be like him.”
He sighed. “I grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pressed my fist against his throat. Tonight wasn’t the first time things between us got physical.”
I pulled away from him and rolled onto him as I stared down into his troubled blues. “Listen to me. You arenothinglike him, Malakai. You are tender and compassionate. Just because you don’t want others to see your vulnerable side doesn’t mean you are cold and cruel like him. I knowyou. Your heart is too pure, your soul is too pure.”
