Page 130 of Fated In Forever
“Ow.” he rubbed his shoulder. “And Iambeing nice.”
“You really weren’t,” Bex pointed out with a frown. “You totally were being an ass.”
“Well, I didn’t come over here to be abused.” Blake muttered, sauntering back over to Riordan, Malachi and Finn, heads bent together like they were having an important meeting of the minds.
“Oh my gods, look,” Bex tugged at my sleeve. “They’rehugging. This is better than any book.”
I didn’t know what I’d missed—damn my mate’s bad timing—but my sister was now wrapped up in Eldric’s arms, her blotchy face smooshed against his chest while he stared down at her like she was the most precious thing in the world. And when her arms slipped aroundhiswaist, my heart swelled with contentment.
“I don't deserve you,” he murmured into her hair. “You’re too perfect and I’m just…a librarian.”
“Well, I do love books,” Angel said, batting her eyes at him. “So you and I make perfect sense, in a way.”
“Oh, look at them, is Eldric crying?’ Bex bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, hands clasped so tight her knuckles turned white. “He is, I can see tears.”
“Besides, love isn't only about deserving,” Angel replied, her voice soft. “It's about choosing each other, every day, for the rest of your life, and…” she traced his cheek with long, elegant fingers. “Today, I choose you, Eldric Dracon.”
“Oh my gods, that was so romantic,” Bex pressed a palm over her heart, eyes glistening. “I think I might faint.”
“Okay, no need to be dramatic. Let’s give them their privacy,” I muttered, steering her away. I ended up getting waylaid by Nash, then Finn—who demanded a blow by blow of what went down in the bunker—then Rohr checked me over again to make sure my ribs were healing, then Blake had to talk more shit about Eldric…
Yet somehow, the entire time, my heart felt fuller than it ever had before.
I wandered the familiar halls, feeling something I hadn't in weeks—peace. We were home. We were safe.
And despite everything we'd been through, we were still a family.
62
EVANGELINE
Ifound Malachi on the back terrace of Crimson House.
He stood with his hands braced wide on the railing, pale hair catching the last rays of a spectacular sunset, and for a moment I almost left him alone. There was a looseness in his shoulders, a faraway look on his face I'd never seen before, and it seemed a shame to disturb him.
“I know you’re there, Vicious, spying on me,” he murmured.
“Just debating whether to interrupt when you look so peaceful,” I said, joining him at the stone railing, looking out over the woods, a few lightning bugs glowing between the trees as dusk settled in.
He turned to me with a smile that transformed his entire face. “I am,” he said simply. “For the first time in centuries, I feel free.”
The wonder in his voice made my chest tighten with emotion. “The blood oath?”
“Gone.” He held up his hand, flexing his fingers. “I feel the difference in every breath I take. I never realized how much that promise weighed, but that burning compulsion to obey…it's simply... not there anymore.” His laugh sounded like pure amazement. “I'd forgotten what it felt like to have my will be entirely my own.”
I leaned against the railing beside him, watching the waythe fading light played across his handsome features. “What does that feel like?”
“Like waking up from a nightmare I didn't even realize I was having.” He was quiet, his gaze fixed on something in the distance. The pain in his voice made me want to reach for him, but I sensed he needed to say more.
“But now,” he continued, “my life is finally my own again. I’m deciding who I want to be, what that future might look like.” His gaze rested on me. “Who I want in that future. You, of course.” His smile was gentle, and knowing and a little bit sad. “Riordan and Blake—they're not enemies anymore. Which feels strange, but also…good. They're friends…I think.”
He spoke with such awe, like he was discovering all of this for the first time, and my heart felt the exact same way as his smile—gentle and knowing and a little bit sad.
“And family,” I reminded him. “You have family now. Us.”
He stared down at me, like he was afraid to believe it could be true. “Do I?”
“Of course you do.” I turned to face him fully. “Blood doesn't make family, Malachi. Choice does. Loyalty does. Love does. And we've chosen you. I hope you choose us back.”
