Page 76 of Searching for Valor

Something flickered in his eyes, there and gone too fast to decipher. Then he was kissing her, slow and deep, like he was trying to pour everything he couldn’t say into the press of his lips.

When they finally broke apart, he rolled to the side, taking her with him so she was draped across his chest. She could feel his heart pounding beneath her cheek, gradually slowing to a steady rhythm. His arms came around her, holding her close.

“Stay,” he murmured against her temple. “I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but I don’t want you to go.”

Izzy’s heart turned over in her chest. She knew what it cost him to make himself vulnerable like this, to admit he needed her. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. I’m not going anywhere.”

He exhaled as if in relief and tightened his arms around her, tucking her head under his chin.

Izzy snuggled into him, relishing the solid heat of his body, the steady thump of his heart beneath her cheek. Something warm and wonderful unfurled in her chest. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was exactly where she was meant to be— in the arms of this strong, brave, beautifully broken man who was beginning to feel a lot like home.

She knew they had a lot to talk about, a lot to work through. His demons weren’t going to be vanquished by one night of mind-blowing sex.

But for now, in this perfect moment, she let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, they could find a way to heal each other.

chapter

twenty-six

Pain.Searing, unbearable pain. His arm—gone. His breath ragged and shallow.

Rylan knew what was coming. It was always the same, and even in sleep, he braced for the recriminations, the guilt.

You did this…

But Shane’s lips didn’t move. Fuse didn’t crawl over and grab his boot.

And suddenly, the ground shifted beneath him, and he fell through the sand. The cacophony of battle gave way to an eerie quiet. Walls, dingy and gray, rose around him, and he landed on a dingy mattress. The air was stifling, reeking of mildew and urine and unwashed bodies.

“Is he dead?” A boy’s voice, small and scared.

“No, I don’t think so.” Another voice. Female. Also young.

Rylan jolted upright looked for the source. A girl with tangled blonde hair stood nearby, clutching the boy to her chest.

Grace and Noah Holt.

This wasn't how the dream usually went. He was still in his battle gear, his arm was still spurting blood, but he didn’t feel it. Instead, pain throbbed through his head. His eye and jaw both hurt as if he’d been used as a punching bag. He opened hismouth to ask what the hell was happening, but no words came out.

“Help us,” Grace whispered, her voice trembling. “You promised.”

Noah peeked out from behind his sister, his small face streaked with dirt and tears. “You said you’d come back for us. You said we’d be safe.”

The words sliced through him like a blade. Promised? To keep them safe? But how? When? He had no memory of ever meeting these kids before, let alone making any vow to protect them.

“I-I don’t understand,” Rylan stammered, his voice hoarse and foreign to his own ears. “I’m sorry. I don’t know you. We’ve never met. When did I promise that?”

"You have to remember," Grace whispered.

There was a faint hum in the distance, a low, sinister vibration that seemed to crawl under his skin.

“I don’t?—”

The hum grew louder, becoming an oppressive roar inside his skull. He clutched his head, the room spinning as shadows began to creep along the walls, their tendrils reaching for the children.

“No!” he shouted, lunging forward to grab them, to pull them away from the encroaching darkness. But his legs wouldn’t move. His body was paralyzed, his breath caught in his throat.

The shadows swallowed the kids whole, and their screams echoed in his ears as the world collapsed into darkness.

---