Page 44 of Super Charged

“Are you two official?”

Gray stopped, turning toward her.“You good?”

She nodded, fingers tightening on his arm.“I’m with you.”

His answering smile lit her from the inside out.He kissed her and a wave of surprised applause rolled from the press line.

Someone near the front murmured, “About damn time.”

They made a quick round, showing support for variant recovery funds and answering questions that didn’t try to sensationalize.For the first time, the world wasn’t just watching for them to fail.

They were watching to see what came next.Someone near the bar murmured about the Protogenus leader still being at large, but tonight, Hannah couldn't bring herself to care.Tonight was about hope.

At the end of the night, and a whirlwind of a busy day, the crowds thinned and the noise faded into the distance.Gray led her up to the rooftop.Tonight, the city glowed beneath them, warm and alive.A soft breeze swept Hannah’s hair across her face.Gray tucked it back gently, fingertips grazing her cheekbone.

She could tell something was building in him.Their bond flared in low, powerful waves.

“Hannah,” he said quietly.

She stepped closer, heart thudding.“What is it?”

He exhaled.“I never thought I’d have this,” he said.“A future.A choice.You.”

Her breath caught.

“I spent so long pretending I wasn’t who I was.Trying to fit into a world that didn’t want me.But you...you didn’t ask me to be less.You didn’t ask me to be safe.You saw me, and you stayed.”

His hand found hers, fingers threading through in that sure, certain way that always made heat curl low in her belly.

“I don’t have a ring,” he said, voice quiet and steady.“And I’m not kneeling.If I do, Yaz will drag me for decades.”

A soft laugh escaped her, choked with emotion.

“But I am asking,” he continued.“Stay.With me.Build this new world with me.As my partner.My bonded.My future.”

The words hit her like a lightning strike—beautiful, electric, alive.

She cupped his face in both hands, tears brightening her vision.“Gray Spark,” she said, voice trembling, “the answer is yes.Always yes.”

Lightning arced gently across the sky behind them, luminous, elegant ribbons of light embracing the darkness.

Gray pulled her into his arms, and Hannah kissed him as the city glowed below and a new world began around them.