Page 106 of Cloak of Night
Sora thought of Mama then. About how unpredictable life could be. How you never knew when it would end. And she also remembered Mama’s entreaty for Sora tobe more.
It wasn’t only about being the best taiga or the best friend or the best sister. Mama meant it in every respect.
Be more than what ordinary expects.
Sora had taken plenty of risks while in school, pulling off pranks and pushing the boundaries on the rules. She’d put her life on the line to save Kichona. Surely she could take a risk on her heart, too?
She reached up and traced the scar on Daemon’s face, where his wolf cub brother or sister had slashed him when they were young. He was wild and beautiful, the boy she’d fallen for so naturally over their years together that she hadn’t even realized it until she was irretrievably in love.
Daemon took in a breath of surprise at her touch. But then he leaned in.
Sora closed her eyes.
His lips skimmed hers, soft, gentle. Despite the electriccharge between them, Daemon moved slowly, as if she were the most precious thing in the world. He released his mental ramparts, and the feeling of roses blooming filled Sora all over again. Sweet, floral perfume wafted through their gemina bond.
Daemon kissed her cheek. Her temple. Both closed eyelids. Each touch was a caress, as light as dragonfly wings.
Sora opened her eyes and ran her thumb across his wolf-claw scar again.
He stilled.
She didn’t need him to complete her. She was already whole. But having Daemon like this—knowing she had someone by her side who would always be the mountain supporting her—amplified what Sora could be on her own.
Together, they could do anything.
He smiled, and then he kissed her again, his mouth like water in a brook. Sparks crackled all around them, lighting them with a blue glow. With every touch of his lips, Sora shined brighter on the inside and the outside.
“I don’t ever want to lose this,” she said.
Daemon pulled her in tightly against him, both arms wrapped around like he never wanted to let go. “I am yours, and you are mine. No matter what happens, that’ll always be true. I promise you.”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Hana watched Sora and Wolf come back from wherever they’d gone. They were the same, inseparable, yet there was something different between them. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
Broomstick smirked. “You two finally figured out that you like each other, huh?”
Wolf shot him a dangerous look.
Sora, on the other hand, blushed. Hana made a face. It was bizarre seeing her tough sister embarrassed about a boy. But then she saw how Sora avoided Fairy’s gaze, and she understood that there was more to this story than just Sora and Wolf.
“It’s all right,” Fairy said, smiling. “I’m happy for you guys.”
“Really?” Sora asked, daring to look at her.
“Really,” Fairy said.
Sora exhaled, and Hana found that she did, too.
“Thank you,” Wolf said to Broomstick and Fairy. “I’m lucky to have friends like you.”
“Yes, you are,” Fairy said, winking. “Now get going. You have a heavenly island to break into and a god to persuade.”
“Oh, um, right. I’ll be as quick as I can,” Wolf said. “I intend to get back to fight Prince Gin and the ryuu with you.”
“Hold on,” Hana said. She’d grown up in a camp full of people plotting surreptitiously; it had made Hana pretty sharp at seeing when someone was planning something different than his words conveyed. “What are you not telling us?”
“Nothing,” he said, a little too quickly.
