Page 132 of Lavender and Honey

“Everything’s going to be okay,” Elias says. His hands are gentle, always gentle, the way he touches his most delicate creations. Like I might break if he isn't careful. Like he knows I’m already breaking, just a little.

He smooths the hair from my face, and I take in a shuddering breath, not sure if I believe him, but wanting to. I don’t know how to do this. I don't know how to be so open, so vulnerable.

Lucian leans back, making sure I meet his eyes. “They can't take you, Lydia. You're ours now. You’re part of this pack.”

The certainty in his voice grounds me, and I nod, even though I'm still terrified. I'm part of this pack. They chose me, just like I chose them. And maybe if I can hold onto that, it will be enough.

Elias presses his forehead to mine, and I feel his breath mingle with mine, slow and even. I follow it, try to match it, until the panic recedes enough for me to think straight, to speak.

“They’re coming,” I say, the words like ash in my mouth. “They’ll find us. They’ll make us—”

“No,” Lucian cuts me off, firm but not unkind. “No one’s making us do anything. Not this time.”

I shake my head, not wanting to argue, not wanting to think about what will happen when my parents get here. I saw their anger when I left. I felt the sting of their rejection. But even then, even when they were done with me, I knew it wasn't really over. Not with them. Not with Silvercrest.

“I can’t go back to that,” I say again, the fear raw and real in my voice.

Elias kisses my temple, and I lean into him, into both of them. “Then you won’t,” he promises. “We’re going to figure this out, together.”

The word wraps around me like a shield, and for a moment, I let myself believe it. I let myself hope that maybe they’re right, that maybe this doesn’t have to be the end of everything I’ve found.

The fear is still there, a low thrum beneath the surface, but I let them hold me. I let them bear the weight of it with me. It’s a new feeling, this not having to carry it alone, and I don’t know if I’m doing it right, but they don’t seem to mind.

We sit there in silence, the three of us, their arms around me, my head against Lucian's chest, the drum of his heart a steady comfort. I focus on it, try to let it drown out the panic and the worry, try to remember what it felt like this morning, when everything seemed possible.

They won’t let me go. They said it over and over, and I want to believe it. I want to trust in it, to trust them.

So I do. I take a breath and whisper, "Okay." It's small and shaky, but it's there, a little shard of faith.

“Good girl,” Lucian says, kissing the top of my head, and something eases inside me, some tight coil of fear unspooling. We sit like that a little longer, until my breathing is slow and even again, until the panic drains away, leaving only a wary kind of hope in its place.

Finally, Lucian shifts, pulling back just enough to look at me. “When they get here, we can handle it. However you want. You say the word, and we’ll do it. You have choices, Lydia. You always have choices.”

The words are so different from everything I grew up hearing. I can hardly wrap my mind around them. Choices. The power to choose.

I swallow hard, nodding, the decision already made. “I want them out of my life. For good.”

He smiles then, a fierce and tender thing, and I know I’ve made the right choice, the only choice that really matters.

“They’re not going to know what hit them,” he says, and I finally start to believe that it’s true.

Chapter Seventy-Five

Lucian leaves, and my heart races again. It's not just fear now. It's hope. I can't believe they're doing this for me, that any of this is real. I don't want to lose it, not now, not ever. I watch him go, his words echoing, making me blush, making me feel like maybe I really am the brave girl he thinks I am. Elias is at my side, his hand warm on my arm, and I lean into him, not sure where to start.

We need to be ready, and I don't even know what that means. I don't know what they'll do when they get here.

But I'm starting to know what I'll do. What we’ll do. Together.

Elias squeezes my arm, his touch grounding me. “You okay?” he asks, and his eyes search mine, looking for something, maybe. Looking to see if I’ve changed my mind.

I give a quick nod, not trusting my voice yet. It all feels too big, too overwhelming, too much like a dream I don’t want to wake from.

“I can’t believe you’re willing to go through this,” I finally say, the words a rush of gratitude and fear. “That you’d do this for me.”

Elias pulls me into a hug, his chin resting on the top of my head. “Of course we would. We’re your pack now, Lydia. You’re ours.”

I don’t say anything, just bury my face against his shoulder and let myself be held. I’ve never had this kind of comfort before, never known what it’s like to have people at my side, ready to face whatever comes.

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