Throughout the long day, Rayne had glanced at Nox. Sometimes, he looked as sad as she felt. And others…
There was this secret glimmer in Nox’s black eyes which reminded Rayne of the last time they were together when he’d said she felt like silk. It had burned her cheeks, knowing how the roughness of his voice had affected her, tipped her over the edge—
“Rayne, are you listening?” Tameka waved her hand in Rayne’s face.
Sagan snickered, asking, “Is this ‘end of the universe’ shit boring you? Or do you have a certain Icarus on your mind—”
“Please, let’s not go there,” Tameka begged with a hand out in surrender.
Rayne offered an apologetic smile, blushing at Sagan’s accurate observations. “Sorry. We can get back to the film premiere plan—”
“No.” The blond shook her head, short hair swaying with the motion. “You’ve never got to have girl talk with us, and I think it’s fair you do before we could all die in the finale.”
The girls were sitting in the bed, doing each other’s hair and makeup for the final fight—A moment which Rayne cherished given how many moments like this were denied to them over the years. But it wasn’t exactly private.
Lucas and Andrew were downstairs discussing what sounded like important things, not only with the Probability Matrix but also with their relationship. Rayne tried her best not to eavesdrop.
Kyle and Silence went to spend some private time in the hot springs beneath the loft. Something about making the brothers drink after them. Rayne thought it best not to dwell on it.
Xelan and Tameka had communicated with the rest of the Shadow, and soon they would join everyone to prepare. Most were shocked to know Rayne and Nox were alive. She and her brother had shared tears over the communication, and the others had let them. While it wasn’t a surprise to Rayne that Caedes, Pehton, Matt, and Lucy would know of their resurrections, Tumu knowing was a curious thing.
How?
Rayne intended to ask him at the big huddle.
Oh, wait. Was she supposed to say something?
“Uhm. I dunno. I feel…” Rayne blushed. Weren’t those private moments meant only for her and Nox?
Sagan gave Tameka an entreating look.
Fury rolled her eyes and groaned, “Start small. Tell us about the first kiss.”
Rayne finished twisting Tameka’s hair into a fiery crown and waited in place for Sagan to fishtail Rayne’s hair into braids. All the while, she considered how to put the moment into words. “I was scared. A whaleshark had pulled Nox under. Sticky, you know? And there was blood in the water, blue mixing with green. Caedes wouldn’t let me dive in after Nox. He’d already figured most of it out by then—You know how smart he is. Meanwhile, the dwarf announcing the tournament kept sensationalizing what he could see happening under the water. I thought—I thought this was it. I’d never get to show Nox how much he meant to me.”
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Although Rayne was reliving the moment, seeing black ocean waves surging onto the beach, she noticed the two girls exchange engrossed looks.
Maybe this would make for a good movie.
“But it wasn’t over. The beast roared in agony as green blood geysered out of the waves. Nox swam out of the water and walked onto shore. He was bleeding from everywhere, but I was frozen. I couldn’t cry out or run to him. Before I realized what he was doing, Nox crossed the beach in two strides and kissed me.”
“Wow.” Sagan’s chin was perched on her hand, staring dreamily at Rayne.
Tameka looked down at the combat gear she was designing, busying herself with it while she said, “There was applause. Caedes told me about it. Iuo will be disappointed it didn’t make into his film, so expect a future request for you to consult on the sequel.”
“Rayne?”
Speak of the handsome devil. All three girls rushed to the banister and looked over to see Nox downstairs.
Suddenly finding himself the center of attention, Nox shifted his weight, fidgeting. Even Andrew and Lucas were staring up at him from the library’s armchairs. He cleared his throat before asking, “Can you come with me?”
Alone.
Xelan was letting them be alone.
Rayne squeezed both her friends and rushed down the stairs—
She stopped midway, realizing what this meant. Xelan was letting them say goodbye. And as everyone in the space held their breath, Rayne knew they had figured it out as well. All the people she loved wanted them apart—
No.
That wasn’t fair.
They wanted Nox to pay for his crimes, and the sorrow on their faces said they knew it came at this price.
Rayne went to Nox and took his hand, leading him out of the treeloft on a somber note. Without words, they opened their wings and flew deeper into the forest, faraway from their solitary futures, and alighted below a weeping tree. It was the only of its kind Rayne could recall seeing in the forest. Water was nearby. A milky brook trickled through their private escape, filling the forest with its life-giving fragrance.
Rayne couldn’t look at Nox, afraid the grief in his eyes would unmake her. Instead, she wasted their time wandering over to the water. It couldn’t reflect the storm in her, the waves crashing beneath the striking electricity.
None of this was fair.
“Rayne.”
The gravity with which Nox always said her name weighed Rayne down with the inevitable. She said, “I feel like you’re letting us go without a fight.”
Nox took a step toward her. “No. This is me fighting not to let you go. I have to face this to be a man who deserves you.”
He tried to turn her by her arm, but Rayne wrenched it away.
Why?
Rayne wasn’t angry with Nox. She was angry with the cosmos for cheating her yet again—
Her back met the tree trunk in a dizzying rush. Before Rayne could catch her breath, Nox tipped her chin up and kissed her. It sang in every nerve ending, raising goosebumps on her arms. As he deepened it, their scents mingled with the smell of water and leaves. Rayne moaned against Nox’s lips as he hiked up her thighs, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. When feathers rustled under her, she broke the kiss on a laugh. He was holding her up by his wings.
Nox smiled at her delight. “I couldn’t let the universe tear us apart without you experiencing this.”
This was it. Beneath this Thailean willow, beside this babbling brook—This was the moment Rayne had been waiting for.
“I—”
Nox captured her lips in another kiss, cutting her off. Rayne couldn’t help but frown when he pulled them apart and stared into her eyes. “Why?”
He licked the taste of her from his lips before saying, “It would only sound like ‘farewell’ tonight. I don’t want to hear it as an ending. I want you to say it as a beginning.”
How else could Rayne tell Nox how she felt? To prevent later regrets…
As Nox brushed the loose strands of Rayne’s hair away, she knew what to say. “Take from me what you need.”
His eyes flashed Atramentous before he said, “Give to me what you want.”
Together, they vowed, “Until Eternity takes me, I’m yours.”
Rayne kissed Nox, and they gripped each other. When she absorbed her armor, she ground against him, reaching for the ties of his pants.
They fumbled with them and laughed together before Nox looked Rayne in the eyes to say, “Don’t wait for me. It’s criminal to withhold this part of you. I want you to find happiness with Sagan or whomever—”
Rayne pressed a finger to Nox’s lips. “No more talking like this is the last time. Nox, tonight, please give me something to hold on to.”
Rayne didn’t have to ask twice.