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I rubbed his back, listening as the tears started to slow down, ceasing altogether. He sniffled and looked at me. “And what if we can’t kill the Matriarch? Your fireballs did nothing to her. She could be truly immortal. Then what happens?” I could see all the torment in his deep amber-brown eyes. I would give up all my power if that meant I’d be able to reach in and take that torment from him.
But I didn’t have an answer for him. His question cut to the heart of it. We were discussing different ways of potentially taking her out, but none were guaranteed. Even bringing a guillotine didn’t mean she’d die. From lore and facts we were able to scrap together, it seemed like she had the ability to regenerate entire body parts. What was to say she couldn’t regenerate an entire body?
All I knew to say in that moment was this: “I will sooner burn down the world for you than live in it without you, Robby.”
The words settled in the room like dust and ash falling after a wildfire. And I meant each one of them.
“I’m… I’m grateful for that. And I believe you, I do. It’s just so much to consider,” Robby said, tears welling up in his eyes. “There’s so many different ways to look at this. I don’t know—I’m just so overwhelmed. I can barely sleep, and when I can, it’s because you climb into bed and snuggle in with me. Those are the only moments I truly feel I can let all my guard down, that I can relax enough to finally sleep.”
I put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him into my side. “You know, I feel the same. I go to sleep at night feeling that pressure weighing me down, but it instantly evaporates when I turn and pull you against me. Everything that was once wrong turns right. Everything that was upside down flips to right side up.” I blinked and felt a streak of wetness run down my cheek. “And I can’t lose you. I already lost my mother—that was like getting my heart pulled right out of my chest. I don’t have anything left. If you were to go, then I’d go with you.”
Robby rubbed at his face, drying away his own tears. I got up from the bed and kneeled down so I could look him directly in the eyes, my hands on his knees. They trembled slightly. I moved my thumb in soft circles and felt his legs steady, still.
“Robby, I love you. I’m in love with you, in a way that unravels me and effortlessly stitches me back together into something new, someone better. Your smile lights up my world, your jokes make me crack up, your slightly obvious questions always illuminate unseen answers. And most of all, the heart that beats in your chest is one of the most genuine I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.” I took a moment, caught my breath. “So no, I will never entertain the idea of hurting you. No matter who it might save.”
Robby’s bottom lip quivered. I used my thumb to dry off the corner, still slick with his emotion. “I love you, Damien, so much. I don’t know how I found myself in this position, but having you in my life has been the best thing to ever have happened to me. And I once won a years’ worth of free Taco Bell. Do you realize how many tacos that is?”
I cracked up, kissing him through the laughter. He grabbed the back of my neck, his smile pressed against mine. “Seriously,” he said, eyes shut, words landing directly against my skin. “I love you more than I can even say.”
“Then don’t say anything,” I answered as I kissed him back, our bodies doing enough of the speaking. The way he melted against me, sunk into our kiss without any abandon, it showed me more than any words could: this man loved me just as much as I loved him. We were two souls meant to be one, and today, I planned on making two bodies joined as one.
But first, there was something else I wanted to do. It was a thought that struck me like a comet. Now would be the perfect time to show him. I broke from the kiss, standing and grabbing Robby’s hand in mine. “Come,” I said, helping him onto his feet. “I want to show you my hoard.”
Robby’s eyes lit up, his smile growing, those sexy lips of his made even sexier with the evidence of our kiss still glistening on them. He looked so handsome with his blond hair tousled and his cheeks flushed pink, matching the pink shirt he wore. It made his tan skin look golden. Pink was a great color for him.
