The Sentinels of Eden, Books 1-4

Chapter 71

Chapter 15

I held on to Bane as his dizziness eased. He’d swayed alarmingly after healing my bruises so I’d made him sit down, which was just as well because healing the trail of blackberry scratches along my thigh nearly toppled him. I wasn’t certain that was just from the vertigo. It was starting to drizzle again and the grass was wet but I had no desire to go back inside. I needed to stay there, holding him, for as long as he would let me. I wanted to kiss him too, but I remembered what Noah had told me.

After a minute or so he sat up and cradled me against his collar bone and for a long time I sat still, becoming familiar with the feel and scent of him again. His arms held me securely, protectively, and I could feel his heart beating, strong and steady. He felt so alive. How had I ever thought of him as dead? He was the most vibrantly alive person I had ever known. There was absolutely no question now about what I desired—Nayn had been right. No wonder I’d had no chance of moving on with my life. Neither had Bane. What had I done? What had I put him through? I had never treated anyone so badly before, and yet I had done this to the person I loved the most. It wasn’t Eden that scrambled people’s brains, it was this place. How had I ever thought that leaving him could make him happy? Why had I been so deluded? My memories from that time were still very hazy and my mind shied away from them. I felt so guilty when I tried to remember that it made me feel sick.

‘I’m sorry,’ I whispered in his ear. ‘I didn’t understand.’

He held me tighter. ‘You’re here now. Everything will be fine.’ He sounded like Annie.

‘I missed you,’ I told him bravely, still not entirely certain if I was allowed to reveal to him everything I felt, but it seemed insane not to.

Blinking raindrops from his eyes, he took my face between his hands and put his forehead against mine. ‘Me too. Don’t do that again, okay?’

I smiled. No chance. I wasn’t going to let him go again. Not ever. He was my home now. I kissed him without spoken permission, because he made it abundantly clear that I already had it.