Page 12 of Shredded Soul

Quentin became like a wraith in his own home. No one saw him, or they barely caught wisps of him leaving or returning to his room. Paine checked on him as much as he could without being intrusive. Quentin deserved to mourn his way. Everyone required something different. It seemed Quentin needed silence. Paine let him have it.

After lighting the fireplace for the day, Paine wandered through his maze of rafters, checking for any danger. His bed in the sky hadn’t been used since before the night he spent with Charon. He told himself the rocking bed reminded him too much of Snow’s betrayal. In his heart, Paine knew the truth. He couldn’t leave the bed he shared with Charon.

Unfortunately, the bedding had been washed, since blood tended to splatter. Paine resented the loss of Charon’s scent on the covers. Paine headed that way after making his rounds. He wanted to roll around on the mattress and dream. As he came to the hidden passage into his room, he spotted Charon undressing. Paine froze. He wasn’t completely sure he wasn’t hallucinating. His eyes and mind enjoyed playing tricks on him.

“Come down here, baby. I’m tired.”

The breath in his lungs shuddered, coming out sounding ragged. He was real. Paine dropped from the ceiling. Sexy eyes focused on him. An exhausted-looking smile touched Charon’s lips. “I felt you there.”

Despite his belief that Charon was real, Paine slowly approached. If his mind fooled him, he wanted to savor the moment before painful reality stripped away his dreams.

Charon was obviously tired of waiting. He closed the distance between them and swept Paine off his feet. Paine expected fear to send him scrambling. Instead, he melted. Charon chuckled. “You’ve been playing the cat too long. You have the mimicking down to a science.”

Paine hadn’t realized he had truly melted, going limp the way a cat would. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

Charon’s brow furrowed. “Do you think that little of my skills?”

Paine shook his head. “I thought you had time to think about the mess I am and decided I wasn’t worth it.”

After carrying him to bed, Charon climbed in and gathered Paine into his arms. He held on tight. “If it takes the rest of my life, telling you every single day, that’s what I’ll do. I’m never letting you get away again. You’re the only person I’ve ever loved or will ever love. As long as there’s breath in you, nothing could tear me away. Maybe not even if there wasn’t breath in you. Through sickness and health, remember?”

Paine searched his mind. Did he remember? “We exchanged vows.”

He felt Charon smile against temple. They toyed with each other’s fingers. Charon circled Paine’s ring finger. “We didn’t have rings or witnesses. No one blessed our marriage or signed any certificates. But you’ve always been my husband. Paperwork doesn’t bind anyone together. I meant those words when I spoke them.” He kissed Paine’s temple. “I still mean them.”

Paine remembered. The moment had felt so powerful—like God had sealed their marriage. “My husband,” Paine whispered. Saying the words aloud cemented their marriage into his heart.

Charon kissed his cheek. “I still want that paperwork, though, so you can’t escape.”

A ragged breath left him. With Charon’s lips on his skin, Paine felt safe. “What else do you remember?”

“I remember everything. Every single second with you. I don’t recall this, though.” Charon ran the pad of his finger across one scar on Paine’s face.

Paine tried to slip from the bed. He wanted to be an invisible cat again.

Charon wouldn’t let him go. He kissed Paine’s neck, paralyzing him with love.

“Please don’t make me,” Paine whispered, begging for mercy.

Charon didn’t respond. He kept kissing Paine’s neck, breaking Paine’s resistance.

Paine’s entire body shuddered. He rolled Charon’s way and buried his face in the crook of Charon’s neck. Paine didn’t want Charon to look at him. He whispered his confession, hoping no one heard, especially Charon. “You weren’t the only leader who visited me.”

Charon took a shaky-sounding breath. He held Paine tighter.

With the words out there, Paine kept going. “They didn’t want you to think I’m beautiful anymore.”

Charon moved, forcing Paine to hold his stare. “Nothing could steal your beauty. Not age or scars. I’m in love with your soul. They can’t steal what I see when I look at you.” Charon stroked his face. “You’re gorgeous and sexy as fuck. No one can compete.” Charon took a breath. “They’re dead. All of them.”

Paine went back to hiding. He didn’t know how to feel. While he hadn’t known exactly what Charon meant to do when he left, he had expected as much.

“It was Snow.”

Paine’s head shot up at Charon’s statement.

Charon stroked Paine’s jaw. A sad smile touched Charon’s lips. “He beat me there. I waited for backup since I have a reason to live. Quentin was Snow’s. Now he’s in the wind.”

Paine rubbed his chest. “I would’ve made the same choice Snow did for you.”

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