Rae wasn’t looking at Hook. Hell, she wasn’t even facing his direction any longer. She’d spun around to face Virus as soon as the word sunshine left Hook’s mouth.
When she didn’t answer, Virus did. “Because she’s Sun Rae, Sunny, my very own ray of sunshine.” He may have directed his words at Hook, but Rae held his undivided attention.
He hadn’t uttered that phrase in so long it tasted odd. Not wrong, just different than it used to.
Rae gasped again.
Neither moving except for their breaths sawing in and out. Virus watched the roller coaster of emotions play out in her perfect blue eyes, and still, they didn’t move.
“What is he holding?” Nova’s voice floated through the charged air.
“My heart.” Rae breathed, and he knew in that moment that she would either be his long-awaited redemption or his well-deserved ruin—there was no other option. Because once upon a time, he had held her heart, but he’d thrown it away, and she still held his and always would, even when she didn’t want it anymore.