Page 32 of Into the Light

“You what?” I asked.

“Ah, fuck, mi pareja, it doesn’t fucking matter what I said. Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?” I shifted the cap so it was covering my hair, and Rain’s hand clenched as I did.

“To the Den.”

We walked together in silence before Rain walked in front of a motorcycle parked on the street.

“Get on.”

I stared back at him because he knew my thoughts on his freaking bike.

I crossed my arms. “No.”

“Come on, mi pareja.”

“Tell me what that means?” He scrunched his nose, and honestly, it was fucking adorable the way he looked like he smelled something foul, but then a small smirk formed on his mouth before he mounted the bike.

“One day. I promise.”

“I thought you’d tell me anything.” I huffed, arms still crossed over my chest.

“It’s the one secret I’ll keep from you, Em.” He threw me a helmet. “Get on.”

“You’ll keep me safe?” I asked, thankful that the helmet would at least keep the ugly ass hair hidden.

“Always,” he whispered.

Jumping onto the bike, my arms wrapped around his thick torso, and I leaned my head against his back. He revved the engine and pulled out into the street. He was going slow, but being on this bike for the first time was freeing. Plus, it helped that Rain looked so fucking hot driving it.

When we stopped at the first stop sign, he dropped one of his hands from the handle and clasped my hand with his.

I responded by lacing my fingers through his and pressing into his chest.

As the damp cool air whipped around my body, I felt exhilarated. Part of me wondered if all this grief I felt was part of some bigger plan for me. I was supposed to experience all this death in my life before I could actually live.

And maybe Santiago was right. I could see the one person offering me a hand, I just needed to reach up and grab it. Bringing the dead back to life was impossible, but I could live with the ones on earth until we meet again later.

Rain was right here. I just needed to let him in.

Chapter thirteen

The thought of her visit to that salon, where one of the guys’ ladies had dared to meddle with her hair, ignited a slow-burning fury within me. I yearned to exact retribution on them for what they had subjected Ember to.

“I’m calling for an emergency meeting,” I asserted, my tone resolute. “You stay upstairs for now. We need to talk afterward.” Ember scrunched her nose and raised her eyebrows. I noticed a subtle transformation in her demeanor. There was a newfound gentleness, a vulnerability that tugged at my heartstrings. It made me ache to draw her close, to be the one she turned to in times of need.

I reached for the baseball cap she wore, probably borrowed from Santiago. While I appreciated his support, a twinge of envy gnawed at me. I longed to be the pillar of strength for Ember, the person she confided in first. However, deep down, I couldn’t help but feel I might never have that privilege.

I parked the bike in the driveway, and my gaze sought Ember’s. Her face lit up with a mixture of emotions, and I couldn’t help but be captivated by the delicate interplay of expressions on her features.

As she walked toward the front door, each step was a tantalizing, rhythmic pulse that echoed with the promise written in the stars. The gentle sway of her curves beneath the fabric of her dress ignited a fervent yearning within me, an ache that only she could soothe.

Then she stopped and turned around, her gaze locking onto mine with a magnetic pull that drew me closer. In that moment, she was the embodiment of all the light I needed after enduring the torment of unrelenting pain after his death. Her eyes, like twin galaxies of longing, held a promise of solace and redemption, a promise that everything I had endured was worth it just to be in her presence.

Ember stood there, bathed in the soft glow of the porch light, her form a silhouette of desire against the impending evening sky. She was not just a woman; she was a beacon of passion and hope, a vision of love and longing with the power to heal all wounds and ignite the most fervent of desires.

She was the embodiment of my person.

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