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One thing I did know was that Knox was a coward. Through and through.
He’d had to blackmail me with the life of my best friend to get to me. He’d used someone else’s magic to harm others, and he seemed to rarely leave that underground bunker.
He was fucked now, because I knew where he was. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t sure how we were going to get in. All I knew was that we would. And when we did, Knox would cease to exist.
When we got back, Sereph and Daron were already there, shifted back to their human forms and untangling their net, which wasn’t filled with as much stuff as I knew we’d been hoping for.
Cillian kneeled down just before I jumped. I moved to untie the ropes from him, but his body began to shimmer. As soon as I could blink, he was back on two feet and wrapping his arms tightly around me.
I hugged him back, not needing the bond to know that he needed this contact. “I’m so sorry,” he muttered into my hair.
“What are you sorry for?” I tried to push him back to look at his face, but he wouldn’t relent on his hold.
“That fireball never should have gotten so close to you,” he said. “I panicked and didn’t react as quickly as I should have.”
I finally used enough force to shove him back. “You stopped it and that’s all that matters. Don’t ever apologize for saving me again.” My voice was stern, my eyes narrow, and I poked my finger into his chest several times. “Do you understand?”
His hands gripped my face, almost painfully. “Do you understand that I can’t lose you?”
The pain in his voice nearly broke me. I did understand. I was just really good at putting my emotions into a box and not letting them out. Most of the time.
Cillian wore his heart on his sleeve, which only made me want him more. It made me believe that I could trust him with not only my life, but my own heart.
I pushed up onto my toes and kissed him hard, my fingers threading through his hair that had grown out at least half an inch since I’d met him.
Our tongues tangled, and he pushed closer to me, pressing his palm against the base of my spine. He tasted sweet, but there was so much longing in his movements, all I could focus on was giving back to him.
If we had the bond, he’d understand my feelings better. He’d know it didn’t matter how many times he paused or panicked. I knew he would be there for me if he was capable.
And if he wasn’t… Well, there was nothing we could do about that. Sometimes fate was too strong.
Our kisses eased out of the desperation stage, and I finally pulled back, but only far enough to speak. “We should help them take everything inside.”
“It’s already done.”
I glanced around to find both nets empty except for one pile of clothes. Keeping a hold on Cillian’s hand, I guided us forward, then bent down.
A plain black tee and blue jeans, both a size too big, but appreciated nonetheless, were sitting there. Underneath them were what I assumed to be new underwear and socks. I grabbed the cotton material, never more thankful for clothes than I was in that moment.
Living in my own filth for nearly a week was hard to ignore. Though, it was a little awkward thinking that Lykem likely left them for me.
“Is there somewhere I can wash up around here?” I asked, looking back up at Cillian.
He nodded toward the trees. “About a mile past the cave entrance.”
“Are you up for a walk, because I’d really love to be clean.”
His fingers brushed against my cheek. “Whatever you want.”
Mother shittery shit. He was killing me with his kindness. Only this wasn’t a death I wanted to avoid.
We walked toward the trees, hand-in-hand as he led the way. Being with him in the quiet of nature felt oddly calming, considering we’d just run from a warzone.
“Do you usually go back after the attacks? Try to put out the fires?” I asked, wondering if there was any hope of minimizing the damages.
He shrugged. “I don’t know. There weren’t any while you were with Knox. That was the first one I’ve been around for.”
“We should do that when we’re back if nobody has.” All I could picture were people’s homes burning and them coming home to nothing other than despair. After living in the caves for however long, nobody deserved that.
