Page 58 of I Am the Night

I nod. "Only if you promise not to mention anything related to end of the world shit. I need a mental break."

"Agreed."

Elijah stands and stretches. "I think you're right. We're talking in circles. I'll keep researching and see if I can find anything in my books. But there might not be an easy solution to this."

"There might not be any solution to this," Liam says, his brow creased in worry.

"Then we do what we can," I say. "And we keep on living until then. What else is there?"

Derek frowns but doesn't say what I know he's thinking. That we could at least try and turn over Ana. It might work.

But I know it won't. I feel it so deeply within me that it's more than just a hunch, or even a flash. It's a Fate premonition, or whatever that is.

The evening is chilly, and I wear a cloak and wrap Alina in a blanket before putting her in the stroller.

Moon joins us as we head to the gardens and stroll over the cobbled paths that wind around the property.

Sebastian pushes the baby and I loop my arm into his as we walk slowly, enjoying the stillness of the night. While there is no sun and moon in this world, and the shift from day to night is much more subtle, I've lived here long enough to understand the different shades of color and light in the Dragon's Breath.

We stop beneath a weeping willow near a pond and I take Ana out and spread a blanket for her so she can stretch, then Sebastian and I lean against the tree and I tuck myself into his arms and try to clear my mind of everything but this moment.

It occurs to me we are never guaranteed a future, whether it's measured in minutes, years or lifetimes. Anything could happen, and so all we can do is stay as present as we can in the moments we are assured.

So I take it all in. The baby playing at our feet. The black cat curled up next to me. The beautiful man at my side. The fish swimming in the pond. The birds flying overhead.

All of it is a miracle.

"What are you thinking about?" Sebastian asks after a time.

I tilt my head up to him to look into his gorgeous green eyes. "You. Us. The wonder of it all. I've been given more than I ever thought possible. No matter how long it lasts, I can't complain."

A flood of emotions fills us both and he kisses me, drawing out my love for him, his love for me, in that one intimate exchange.

Then Alina begins to cry and we pull away from each other and laugh.

Sebastian checks her diaper and crinkles his nose. "I'll take her back to the house and give her a bath before putting her to bed."

I nod. "I'll be back in a bit."

I watch them walk away, then I head towards the ocean, Moon still at my heels. He seems to know something's up and hasn't wanted to leave my side lately.

Despite not wanting to dwell on what could be, I know I need to make plans if the worst-case scenario happens. So, I make a list in my mind of what that will look like. People I need to talk to. Letters I need to write. People I want to draw before my time might be up.

Was this how Adam felt as he was contemplating the end of his life? Did he look at his life lived and weigh what he would need to do to close out the final chapter?

The ocean air invigorates me, and I slip my shoes off and stand at the shore, letting the water lap over my toes as Moon dashes back and forth, dodging the tide, then chasing it when it flees.

"Are you really so connected to this world that your life will end if it does?" Cole asks from behind me.

I should be used to him just turning up randomly, but the man still startles me.

I turn around, frowning. "I wouldn't lie about this."

He shrugs. "It would be a good way to motivate my brothers to stay and help."

I huff at that. "They don't need my potential demise to want to save thousands of others," I say. "They are good men with good hearts."

"Unlike me," he says softly.

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