Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 46751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46751 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 187(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
"Shit. You don't feel the same way."
"No, I do. I love him so freaking much," I whisper, my throat tight. "But he said it and I freaked out instead of telling him how I feel. What if it's too late to fix it?"
Kane holds up a finger. "We'll get to that in a minute. What do you mean you freaked out?"
"I mean he said it and I panicked, and I ended up crying all over him."
"Why'd you panic?"
"Because when he said it, I thought about…" I lick my lips.
"You thought about losing him like we lost Dad," Kane says quietly, understanding in his obsidian eyes.
"No." I laugh through a groan. "All this time, that's what I've been running from. So you'd think that's what I'd have thought about, right? But no, that's not it. He said it, and for the first time, I realized that I had the power to break him too. And the thought that I could break someone like him was overwhelming." I stare at Kane with wide eyes. "He's so freaking good to me. He deserves everything. And I'm afraid that all of this is going to come crashing down and he's going to be the one who gets hurt."
I'm being hunted by a madman. Someone who wants to kill me. It's not Gideon who might leave a crater in my life. I'm afraid I'll leave a crater in his. The hunter in the shadows will snatch me from his grip, and nothing we do will be enough to stop it.
I didn't really let myself consider that possibility until it smacked me in the face today. I've simply refused to think about what lies on the other side of that what if. But it's monumental. Today, I faced it. It scared the hell out of me. And I fell apart. I feel horrible because there were a thousand things I wanted to say, and I didn't say any of them.
I crashed and burned when Gideon needed me to fly.
"You aren't going to break him, Kenna. You aren't going to leave him. Nothing is going to happen to you," Kane growls, his expression as fierce as his tone. I think if anyone could bend the universe to his will to ensure the outcome he expects, it'd be my brother. "Hell will freeze over before I allow anything to happen to you."
"I love you. You know that?"
"I love you too, baby sister. But I mean it. Nothing is going to happen to you. You're afraid because you feel like you have no control. That's what this fucker wants you to feel. He wants you to fear him. He wants you to know he's in control. But he's just a fucking coward hiding in the shadows. You're in control of your life. You decide what has power over you. And I'm not going to allow you to let this motherfucker have that control over you."
"You sound like Gideon."
"I like him more and more every day," Kane mutters.
I roll my eyes. "Of course you do. He's bossy and annoying just like you."
"And you fell in love with him anyway."
"Yeah," I whisper. "I did."
"Are you happy, Kenna?"
"So happy." Despite everything, I don't think I've ever been happier. That's a testament to the way he makes me feel. I shouldn't feel this alive in the face of so much chaos, and yet I do. I shouldn't wake up with butterflies and go to sleep with a smile on my face. But I do. I shouldn't laugh this much or smile so hard or find new reasons to love every single freaking day. Still, I do.
"Then cling to that with both hands and let the rest work itself out," Kane suggests. "Trust that it will because it will. We won't stop until it does. Believe that, Kenna. We've got you. And if you think it's too late to fix it, you're crazy. That man would fight the armies of hell for you without hesitation. You not saying it back tonight didn't change the way he feels. Nothing will ever change that."
He's right. Gideon doesn't blow where the wind takes him. He plants his roots deep and refuses to bend. He's steadfast in his devotion, his love unwavering and bright. I know because I've felt it every single day since he claimed me as his own.
I climb to my feet, circling around my brother's desk to throw my arms around him in a fierce hug. "I'm glad you're my annoying big brother, Kane. I wouldn't trade you for anything."
"Yeah? Not even for a cat?"
"Well, I mean…"
He growls, nudging my shoulder. "You're still the biggest brat I know."
"Lucky you."
He chuckles, dropping a kiss to the top of my head. "Yeah, lucky me, baby sister. Lucky me."
I giggle, messing up his hair before I skip back to my chair, my heart lighter than it's been all evening.