Page 157 of Kingdom of Chaos
I’m usually good about tamping down my reflexes in public, which are heightened and stronger than a regular human’s, but right now I don’t care who sees me. I’m one second away from blasting anyone else who gets in my way with ice.
I haven’t taken my eyes off Locklyn since I spotted her, too afraid she’ll disappear if I so much as blink. She’s pacing back and forth outside the diner, looking like she’s talking to herself as I reach the entrance and swing the front door open. It slams against the brick wall beside the frame, rattling the glass and drawing a gasp from Locklyn, who startles at the sudden noise.
There’s no magic involved, but it still feels like I take a direct shot of faelight to the chest when her gaze snaps up and connects with mine.
The shock on her face only lasts an instant before I hear my name tumble from her lips. Barely a whisper, but it’s the sweetest thing I’ve heard in six months.
After my mad dash through the diner, my feet seem sealed to the ground as my eyes greedily drink her in.
Her hair’s longer than I remember, thick auburn tendrils falling around her shoulders to her lower back, and there’s a stunned, almost disbelieving look in her eyes that makes my chest feel too tight. I’d almost forgotten the exact color and bow of her lips that always made me want to taste them. Or the finearch of her brows, and the faint flush that colors her cheeks when she’s caught off guard.
My memory didn’t do her justice. Nothing ever could.
As I stare at her, her hands fidget, gripping the edges of her jacket one moment, then shoving them in her pockets the next, like she can’t quite figure out where to put the nerves.
“How are you here?” I ask, still frozen by the indecision of whether to sweep her into my arms or demand answers.
She lifts the delicate chain around her neck and holds out the pendant dangling from it. The lunacite, of course. She left with it, so she could have used it to get back. But how is she here without killing me?
“The tether?” I ask, my voice cracking with confusion.
Why am I still talking?Who cares how she’s here or even if being here is killing me?
Seeing her now, I’d trade a lifetime for just a few more minutes with her. I don’t want to waste another second on thehowsorwhys. I only want to hold her, to savor this impossible moment.
She opens her mouth to answer but I’m already moving, closing the distance between us in a heartbeat. My hands find her hips and I lift her, carrying her around the corner of the restaurant in a blur too fast for human eyes.
I press her gently against the brick wall, my gaze devouring every detail of her face before finally settling on the soft curve of her mouth.
“The tether between us, we figured out?—”
“Later,” I cut in, my voice rough. “That can wait. But this can’t.”
My mouth is on hers, coaxing, claiming, until she melts against me and responds in kind, like no time has passed at all.
Her lips part beneath mine, a soft, shuddering breath catching in her throat as her hands clutch the fabric of my shirt.It’s everything I remember. Everything I’ve missed. Yet it feels new and raw, like a wound just starting to heal.
I pull her closer, clutching her against me as if I can fuse us back together, erase the months we spent apart, and make this moment stretch into forever. My heart pounds so hard it feels like it might break free from my chest, and I swear I can feel her pulse racing to match mine.
For a heartbeat, we’re all tangled breath and lips and the desperate crush of bodies. My hands slide up her sides, rememorizing every curve, every line. She’s warm and real and alive beneath my fingertips and I want this moment to last for eternity.
Then she pulls back, gasping, her eyes shining too brightly, like she’s on the verge of tears.
“Talon,” she whispers, her voice breaking on my name. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever?—”
I shake my head, cupping her face in my hands, brushing my thumbs over her cheeks. “Don’t. Don’t say it. You’re here now.”
For now, that’s enough.
I lower my forehead to hers, our breaths mingling, hearts pounding in the same rhythm. I know there are questions that still need answers, but they don’t matter. Not now, not when she’s in my arms again, where she’s always belonged.
“Freckles,” I murmur, voice barely audible. The word tastes like hope and regret and everything I’ve been starving for.
Her fingers tremble as they brush against my jaw. “I missed you,” she breathes.
I smile faintly, though my chest feels like it’s caving in. “You have no idea.”
And then, because I can’t help myself, I kiss her again. Soft, slow, a promise stitched into every movement. I don’t know how much time we have, but I’ll steal every second I can.
