Page 23 of Winterfall Destiny

"But I never paid attention. Too busy pissing people off, I guess." He bites his bottom lip. "Like skipping out on Tobias just now once Ash told me where you are. If Tobias realises I ignored him and left the house, he'll arrive any moment and I don't have time for his shit."

"Why?" I ask, stomach flipping. "Are you returning to how you were soon?"

"No. This is me, Maeve. Old me with some new me. And this," He holds both hands in the air and tips his head up. "Fucking this. I'm in a different reality, too."

"And me?" I ask cautiously.

"Don't look worried. I've no overwhelming desire to kill you." He laughs, but I scowl. "Maeve, the guy who risked this did so for you. Us. I love you beyond anything I could ever imagine, and would do anything to share the part of your life I never could. That love hasn't left just because I'm different."

"Different." I snort. "Just a tiny bit."

His hand snakes around my waist to my backside as he pulls closer. "No, Tobias following upsets me because we had plans for the summerhouse, remember?" he whispers in my ear and nips the lobe.

Although a joke, only Andrei would know this. The past us, the ones with plans that came to life. Now we stand by the summerhouse in the sun, but not in the way we wanted.

I wrap my arms around his neck, hands hanging loosely over his shoulders. "Sex in the summerhouse is not how this new life starts, Andrei."

"Damn," he whispers and chuckles. "But you know I’m joking, right?"

"Are you?" I slant my head.

"Mostly." He presses his lips to mine again. "I figured only Andrei would remember that plan, and that'd persuade you I'm him."

"Your kiss told me you're Andrei." I swallow. "But you're also not him anymore, are you?"

Andrei's gaze shifts to my face as he brushes my cheek with his knuckles. "Probably not."

"You really are the king of understating things," I say and half-smile.

Another set of footsteps thud towards us, faster than Andrei's were, and he rolls his eyes. "Told you."

Tobias emerges from the trees and halts, flustered as his eyes dart between us, assessing every place Andrei touches me, his mind reaching out to gauge our energy. Tobias’s gaze meets mine.

"Okay?" he asks and watches Andrei warily.

"I told you he'd come back to us." The words are thick and choked, but Tobias remains tense, ready to snatch me from Andrei at any moment if needed.

"But we don't know how he's come back," says Tobias, glancing between me and Andrei.

"Uh. I woke up?"

"You know what I mean," says Tobias crossly. "We don't know how the First's blood changed you or what damage this could've done."

"I can walk in the daytime, Tobias," he says, face brightening. "The fucking daytime."

But I understand Tobias's fear. This exuberant Andrei, the day revealing his full appearance for the first time without artificial light, doesn't look or sound exactly like him. Something's blood now flows through his veins. A powerful, unstoppable creature's blood.

A conversation I had with Tobias the other day plays in my mind: "what if he comes back as her puppet?" I argued that's impossible, and Tobias fell quiet. I hope I'm not in denial.

Andrei's back, my heart's complete, and my soul at peace.

I only hope that Andrei's is too.

11

ANDREI

I have my dream to walk in the sun with Maeve.

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