Page 164 of A Wild Darkness

My breath catches. Those simple words—completely direct and honest. No games or back and forth, just honesty. And to us, it’s the most dangerous thing either of us has ever offered.

“I didn’t think this would happen,” I admit.

“You pepper-sprayed me.”

“You deserved that.”

“I absolutely did not.” He swipes a single tear from my cheek. The gesture is impossibly gentle. For a man who has spent his life fighting monsters.

“You appeared behind me in a cemetery.”

“I said your name.”

“You whispered.”

“I spoke.”

“You hunted me and chased me in the forest.”

His laughter echoes softly through the hallway. I love that sound, and I love him. The realization lands differently this time. It feels like I’ve come home.

Sebastian brushes a strand of hair behind my ear. “You belong here,” he says quietly. “You belong with me. With us.”

Emotion immediately climbs into my throat, and my eyes burn, because he doesn’t mean the organization, he means the family. The strange collection of damaged people who somehow found each other. The people who keep choosing each other.

“You belong, too.” Something vulnerable flashes across his face. Gone almost instantly.

His forehead is back resting against mine while his finger threads through my hair.

Neither of us speaks, because there is nothing left to say—at least not tonight.

For so long we danced around this with the banter, the bickering, and the fake dating. It all led to this. An undeniable connection has drawn us both in.

“I guess we’re stuck with each other now.”

His playful smile returns. “Looks that way.”

“Poor you.”

“Poor me?”

“I am very difficult.” I lean in.

“Stevie.”

“Hmm?” My eyes fall closed, rubbing my nose against his.

“I voluntarily went to cemeteries because you were there.”

I laugh. “Fair point.”

“And I will continue to go wherever you are.” His lips meet mine in a soft and desperate kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck while his hands slip underneath my shirt. They glide along the curves of my sides until he’s lifting the garment over my head.

“I would expect nothing less.” I shake my hair out.

Sebastian’s lips move down my neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses until he reaches the hollow of my collarbone. “You have a wild darkness in you that I will never stop exploring.”

He’s lit a fire inside my cold heart, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us.