Page 52 of High Noon

Hearing him say those words and seeing the conviction with which he said it was like a nightmare coming true. I couldn’t help but wonder how many more nightmares would unfold because of that steely conviction. Instead of answering, I drank the last of my water.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Much better.” Now that I know I didn’t stake Terah. The thought of her death, or of me being the one to inflict it should energize me, but I felt as cold as unlit coals.

“I know Titus and Maru wish to speak with you, but I’d prefer that you stayed here instead of walking through the hills. I can leave, if you’d like. I’ll try to convince Asa to give you a brief amount of privacy, as well.”

“I’d appreciate that.”

He inclined his head, brushing my knuckles with the pad of his thumb. “I love your hands.”

“My hands?”

He nodded. “I thought they were magical when I first met you, because of the mechanism housed within. But now, I know the magic they possess has nothing to do with the tech, and everything to do with how you wield your touch.”

My heart thundered toward him. “Your touch is magical, too. I… Honestly, I can’t get enough of it.”

Enoch smiled tenderly. “Good.”

He melted into my arms and I reveled in the feel of him. All I knew was that I loved him, and I didn’t know or care to examine the reasons why. I loved him so fiercely, I would die for him. And while I would never put Maru’s or Titus’s life at stake, I’d do anything to protect Enoch, even if it was from himself.

Enoch was the strongest creature alive, and he trusted me implicitly. He trusted me with his heart again and again, even though I shredded it with each jump. Somehow, he continued to allow me to place it back inside his chest. Somehow, it still beat only for me.

“Do you want me to go?” he asked, his breath fanning my collarbone.

“No.”

Enoch went rigid. “But your friends…”

“…can wait,” I interrupted.

His hands tightened around me. This was the only cage I would ever accept. “I need you right now,” I breathed. He dragged his nose against my cheek. His stubble raked across my jaw until his lips found mine.

“I need you always,” he whispered. “I’ll need you for an eternity.”

“You’ll have to settle for the years I have left,” I answered with a smile. Enoch didn’t return the grin.

“We can have longer,” he hinted.

No, we couldn’t, but I didn’t want to spoil the moment, so I kissed him until I lost myself in him. Until I forgot who and what I was, who and what he was, what era we were in, and what lay ahead.

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