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“Well, that too,” he said, brightening a little. “Who knows when that will happen again.”
“Kiss me first.”
She whispered the request, sultry even in her vulnerable state. He did so softly, and she pulled him against her, nearly bringing him on top of the bed out of sheer will.
He parted, chuckling and resisting her advances for the time being.
“That can wait, Sarah. I want you to know I love you. I never thought I could love again. But I do. And you have to know that. I want you to stay here on Draconia … with me.”
Their mouths lingered a mere inch from one another, electricity surging and reaching desperately. Kael knew there was always a possibility she didn’t feel the same. He was, after all, still her boss and an alien to her. But the way her eyes lit up like a full moon gave him the answer he desired more than anything.
“God, Kael. My mother told me to never say this after sex or a near-death experience,” she said, a sly twinkle in her eye. “But I don’t think it counts this time. I love you, too. I love Suki. I love all of us together. I didn’t know what you would feel because of Petal, but … I have wanted you to say that for so long.”
Kael took her into his arms. And for the first time in ages, he sobbed uncontrollably into Sarah’s uninjured right shoulder. She cried, too, their love for one another finally reaching a crescendo to the point where neither could bear to keep it inside.
When he pulled away, Sarah’s eyes were reddened and swollen. She stroked his cheeks, caressing the tears away tenderly as he spoke.
“My love for Petal will always remain. I know you know that. But I love you, Sarah. Unconditionally. That is a truth that will always remain, as well. I changed at the loss of Petal. So did Suki. You are the one we both need now. You are the only one who could fill me in my current state. I can never be the person I was before her, and my love has changed with time as well. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I do,” she whispered. The understanding look on her face held no judgment, and he was certain she meant it. She had lost her mother and understood what it meant to be transformed by grief.
None of them were the people they had been years ago. But they were the people who fit together perfectly now.
They kissed again, more fervently, with a passion that made Sarah wince. He told her to take it easy and that they had the rest of their lives to make love and experiment with the rapture of their bodies.
“If forever is what you want,” Kael posed under his breath.
“I want infinity.”
TWENTY-THREE
KAEL
Somehow, amidst the chaos, Kael still managed to keep the information disc tucked neatly into his pocket while being attacked by the secret organization that Aric had created. According to the brief information he had scanned before the wave of violence began, Kael observed that Aric had been siphoning bribes to various members of the council, all in the name of an organization that didn’t have a name, only a symbol.
It was red and glowing like embers, an upside-down cross with an X axed through it. It was all very dramatic but also emblematic of a previous terrorist organization that had meekly attempted to cut through the rather tempered minds of the Drakonians. That had all failed, and it would be Kael’s personal mission to make sure that Aric’s fell into just as much obscurity.
After making sure Sarah was safe and comfortable at the private clinic, Kael went into action. He spoke with the King on a secure line from his estate after making sure that Suki was also safe. He revealed everything he had found, and the assault that appeared too thoroughly planned to be a coincidence.
The King sounded uneasy.
“Hmm,” he groaned. “This is highly unsettling. I had my eye on Aric for your position. Now I am rather distraught.”
Kael kept his mouth sewn shut, stifling a grumble. He had always known that Aric had the King’s favor in some capacity. This was why he was able to sneak around under his nose, campaigning for himself as the new Captain and slipping in bribes to other high-ranking officials to keep up the alibi.
Kael could have said I told you so, but it was pointless. The King was his oldest friend. No need to kick a man when he was down.
“What do we do now, Kael? Tell me your thoughts, Captain.”
“I say we send out word of the information I’ve obtained. Let him come to us. It’ll be far more smooth and less intrusive.”
The King quickly agreed. Kael was satisfied to hear that he had gained his trust back so swiftly. He felt reassured.
“And Kael.”
“Yes?”
“I apologize for not entirely believing you,” Cosmos said with a sigh. “My intuition has weakened. I am far too trusting.”
