Page 87 of The Book of Legends
“I came back to get my things and to say goodbye,” I say softly.
Silence falls like a shroud.
Then Kainen wraps an arm around my waist, possessive and final.
“She’s mine,” he says—not for Micah’s benefit, but as a vow. A claim etched in fire.
Micah flinches again but says nothing.
I meet his eyes one last time.
“Goodbye,” I whisper.
He doesn’t understand it’s forever. I don’t see Diana like I originally planned but I tried or maybe she’s inside with someone special.
We leave the party in silence. Kainen doesn’t speak.
And neither do I.
There’s nothing left to say.
Micah lingers in the back of my mind, but it’s different now.
He isn’t home. He isn’t comfort. He isn’t even the boy from my past.
He’s just a shadow. A fading memory, too small for who I’ve become.
We slip back into the car—into him. Malachi.
Kainen doesn’t look at me. But I feel him everywhere. His heat, his power, his presence are soaked into the leather beneath me. The air between us thrums with the residue of magic and desire.
He’s everywhere.
He always is.
“Are you ready?” His voice is rough, barely above a whisper.
“Yes.”
Back in the dorm, the world goes dark around us. I place Diana’s letter on her bed.
Diana,
I don’t know how to explain this in a way that makes sense. Maybe I’m not meant to.
The one who reminded me that life wasn’t just pain wrapped in skin. That laughter mattered. That I mattered—even when I didn’t believe it myself.
You told me to go to that party. You told me to try.
And I did. What happened after… it’s hard to explain. But I’m not where you left me. Not anymore.
If you’re reading this, I’m gone. Maybe for good.
Maybe not. But I need you to know something before the silence settles:
You were my anchor to this world when I had no one. even when I thought I did. If it wasn't for you, I would have never known what a piece of shit Micah was. You opened my eyes, Diana. For that, I thank you.
And I’m so, so sorry I didn’t get to say goodbye.
