Josie
The mont Kiel scooped into his arms, I gasped softly, my breath catching in my throat as my body collided with his. My arms instinctively wrapped around his neck, holding on tighter than I ant to.
The heat of his body seeped into mine, grounding in a way nothing else had in days. His piercings glinted faintly under the soft lights of the hallway, and I couldn’t help but admire how they shimred against his skin.
There was sothing hypnotic about the way his long, dark hair fell ssily over his shoulders, framing his face like it belonged to a painting. I wanted to touch it—run my fingers through the silky strands and feel their weight—but I didn’t. I wasn’t sure why. Maybe because a part of still wasn’t sure where I stood in all this.
He didn’t say a word as he carried . He didn’t need to. His silence felt heavier than anything else, thick with unspoken thoughts and sothing warr... softer. I nestled a little closer to him, resting my head against his chest.
The steady beat of his heart drumd into my ear, and I let myself get lost in it. If I could bottle that sound, I would. It was the only thing that made sense anymore.
When we reached my room, Kiel pushed the door open with his foot and stepped inside like he owned the place. He didn’t. But I didn’t mind.
Not when he walked like he was always ant to be by my side. Not when he looked at like I was sothing fragile he was desperate to keep whole. He placed gently on the bed, like I was a porcelain doll, careful not to jostle too much.
But he didn’t leave.
He just stood there.
Watching.
Waiting.
I leaned back on my elbows, tilting my head as I studied him. The light from the window hit the sharp lines of his face just right, painting shadows across his jaw and collarbone. I moved closer, drawn by sothing I couldn’t na. My hand found his chest, resting lightly over his heart.
"I don’t like this," I whispered, voice trembling even as I tried to steady it. "I hate that I don’t rember things. I don’t even rember putting on that stupid dress, or walking into Varen’s room. I don’t rember anything—and it’s driving insane."
Kiel’s brows furrowed. He looked pained, like my words hurt him in a place he didn’t want to show. "We’re working on it, Josie," he said quietly. "I swear we are. You don’t need to worry."
"I am worried," I said, pulling my hand back, curling it into my lap. "You’re just saying that to make feel better."
"No, I’m not."
"Yes, you are," I snapped, standing and pacing a few steps across the room. "You’re placating . All of you are."
His silence didn’t help.
Frustrated, I turned around to head back to the bed—and that’s when I saw them.
My parents.
Sitting on the edge of the mattress like they’d always belonged there. Blood trickled from the corners of their mouths, staining their chins and soaking into their clothes. Their eyes were empty—vacant holes filled with nothing but black. My heart stopped. My lungs locked. A scream ripped out of my throat before I even realized what I was doing.
I staggered backward, tripping over my own feet as panic swallowed whole. I tried to scream again, but sothing—or soone—grabbed from behind. Hands on my arms. My shoulders. I flailed, clawing, pushing, trying to escape until—
"Josie!"
Kiel’s voice cut through everything like a blade through fog. Sharp. Familiar. Real.
The illusion shattered like glass.
They were gone.
Just like that.
I stood there, breath ragged, heart slamming against my ribs as I stared at the empty bed. My limbs trembled. My skin burned. And all I could feel was the ghost of their presence still clinging to the air.
"You’re okay," Kiel said, his hands still steadying . "They’re not here. You’re okay."
I didn’t believe him.
I wanted to.
But I didn’t.
"You keep saying that," I murmured, turning to face him. "But it doesn’t feel like it. It doesn’t feel okay. None of this does."
His eyes softened, but there was a flicker of steel beneath the surface. "We’re going to fix this, Josie. I promise. We’re not going to let this consu you."
I swallowed hard and looked away. "You say that like it hasn’t already."
Kiel didn’t flinch. He didn’t try to argue. Instead, he stepped closer, closing the space between us until I could feel his breath ghosting over my cheek. Slowly, he reached up and brushed a strand of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear with the gentlest touch.
"Then let help you fight it," he said.
I stared at him, words catching in my throat. My body ached—emotionally, physically, in ways I couldn’t explain. But his presence... it was a balm. A thread of light I could cling to when everything else was darkness.
"I don’t want to talk about it anymore," I whispered. "Not tonight."
He hesitated.
Then nodded.
"What do you want?"
I moved into his arms without thinking, pressing my ear to his chest. "I just want to hear your heartbeat."
He wrapped his arms around , holding tight. Not too tight. Just enough. Enough to make feel like I was safe.
And then he began to talk.
He reminded of the tis we’d spent together before things got this bad. The moonlit walks. The late-night jokes. The monts when he’d hold my hand like it ant everything. I smiled despite myself.
"You always used to run away when things got heated," I teased, glancing up at him.
He laughed, low and warm. "That’s not true."
"It is."
"Okay... maybe it is. But maybe it wasn’t ti yet."
I tilted my head. "And now?"
He smiled. "Now, we take things slow."
I thought about it, weighing the idea in my mind like it was sothing fragile and precious. Maybe it was. "I’d like that," I whispered. "But I still want to kiss you."
His smile faltered, just for a mont, and I could see sothing deeper lurking in his gaze—sothing hungry, and yet impossibly tender. He nodded, brushing his fingers along my jaw.
"We’ll go at your pace, Josie. Always. But I need you to know sothing."
"What?"
"I’m not going to stop thinking about you. Not now. Not ever. You’re in my head. In my blood. I want you as my Luna. But I’ll wait. I won’t pressure you."
The raw honesty in his voice made my heart twist. The sincerity of it... the way he ant every word... it left breathless.
Softness.
That was what existed between us.
Always had.
He leaned in, pressing his forehead to mine. His hands cradled my face like I was sothing precious. Our breaths mingled. Ti slowed.
And then our lips t.
It wasn’t desperate.
It wasn’t hurried.
It was everything I hadn’t known I needed. Warm. Safe. Right.
I felt his hand glide down, slow and careful, slipping beneath the hem of my gown.
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