Page 48 of Meet Me In The Dark

The warning, as hypocritical as it was, tore a hole in her fabric heart, then repaired it with indestructible steel.This,here, was love. Micah had been right. It didn’t matter if theywere bad men or good men, if she’d fucked up in the past or not. It mattered that for the four of them, they came first. And for the little girl who’d been all but abandoned by her parents and ostracized as an adult for her choices, who’d insisted on never having bonds with anyone out of fear that no one would want to tie her to them…for that little girl, knowingjusthow much she was loved was all she’d never known she needed.

Not that she’d ever let him sacrifice himself.

“Kara,” he said sharply. “I want a promise from you.”

She didn’t want to promise something she would renege on, so she took a page out of his book and crafted her response carefully. “I promise I won’t be stupid, or heroic.”

He’d said it himself. This wasn’t heroic, it was pure selfishness, wanting the people you loved to live on, even without you. But Kara had never had an issue with being selfish.

Accepting that, he nodded, and they continued along the hike, going downhill now. The terrain had changed again, and Kara was careful not to trip over rocks or fallen branches as they followed the steep decline toward where their men were. It was too treacherous to hold hands, and Kara missed the comfort of skin touching skin.

They were silent for a while, then she asked, “So what happens, after we rescue them and destroy the Johnathans?”

Micah cleared his throat. “You tell me what happens.”

The problem was, she didn’t know. She didn’t know what a happily ever after looked like for her, if those even existed. “What will our lives look like?”

He stopped suddenly, turning back to her, and she fell against him. But he was strong and solid, and he caught her without tumbling backwards, thank god. “Our?”

She swallowed. “Yes.Our.”

His smile lit up like a sunrise. “They’ll look like whatever we want them to look like. I mean it, Kara, we want you to be happy, to find something that gives you purpose and meaning and joy, regardless of what it is. We’ll make it happen. You know that by now, don’t you?”

She did. Oh, she did. “But what about you?”

Micah shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, as long as I don’t let my skills get rusty. I’ve never really cared about what I was doing, all I care about is who I’m with. Whatever you all want, I’ll be happy with.”

“What do you think they want?” Did they still need absolution? Did they like this life in the darkness, or did they want to return to the light?

More importantly, did she?

Micah sighed. “That’s not a question I feel like I can answer. But we’ll get the chance to ask them soon, won’t we?”

They’d reached the bottom of the hill. Before them stretched nothing but dirt. It was silent, not a bird, not a brush of wind. Foreboding filled her.

Micah took out some gadget and held it out in front of them.

“There,” he pointed.

She squared her shoulders. Panic threatened to overwhelm her, knowing what she had to do next, but panic didn’t matter now. All she had to do was breathe, and then continue on.

Micah glanced sharply at her. “Kara, baby, breathe.”

She forced a smile. “I’m fine. I’m already breathing.”

“I want you to know,” he told her as he checked a gun and handed it to her, “I hate this. If I could think of any other option, I never would have involved you this way. I just hope we’re all alive long enough for Luke and Conor to killme for it later, because they’re not going to forgive me using you this way.”

“Micah.” She drew close to him, tugging on his backpack straps to bring him against her, then wrapped her arms around his neck. “Remember what I asked you, back at Vixen? I need you to help me, and you do that by trusting me. Have faith that I can do this, baby.”

He groaned, wrapping a hand around her neck, not tight but steadying, a clear gesture of dominance and control. The only control right now he probably felt he had.

“I love you so much. You remember what you promised me. You stay safe. You stay alive. You hear me, baby? Donotchange course. Donotlet what’s happening in front of you make you change the plan,” he said.

She swallowed back the lie, and just kissed him. He immediately took control of the kiss, too, overwhelming her with everything that was him, making her briefly forget her promise to herself. He gave her all of him in the heat of that kiss, the bite of it, and she gave it all back.

“Ours,” he growled against her mouth.

“Yours,” she agreed.

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