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“You’re alright,” came the low rumble from his chest as he cradled me against him while I ugly-cried. “I’ve got you now.” Warmth slid through me like sunlight, that glowing thread of magic having connected us somehow. I could feel his certainty and commitment. He protected me tonight, without a second thought, and he wasn’t the only one.

I sniffled and sat up, thinking of his dark counterpart. “Where’s Lucian? Is he okay?” Then I got a good look at Bellamy’s face and the split in his brow that was still trickling blood. “Bel!” I impulsively reached toward him, habit stopping me at the last second, but he took my hand and pressed my palm to his cheek. The connection sent a shiver racing down my spine.

“You should see the other guy,” he tried to joke, but it did nothing to calm the growing fury in my dark little heart that someone would dare to make him bleed. I would hunt them down if I wasn’t so tired. Bellamy gave me a knowing smile, like he could read my thoughts, before pulling me back into the circle of his arms.

“Is Lucian alright?” I asked again, taking a deep breath and getting a lungful of his delicious citrus and cedarwood scent. I wanted to roll around in that scent.

“He’ll be fine,” Bel said, running his hands in smooth movements from my shoulders to my hips in an effort to soothe my trembling. “He was…worked up after the fight. Rami got the rest of the night off and took him home.”

“Rami?” I hadn’t heard the name before, but already I liked how it felt on my tongue.

Bellamy chuckled beneath me. “The big blond guy from the club.”

The other bouncer. My heart stuttered, and tears pricked in my eyes again.

“Bel, I—” my voice broke, and I took a thin breath. “I’m so sorry. He touched me, my skin, at the club. There was so much going on and I⁠—”

“Hush, Blue.” He sat me up straight again, cupping my cheeks. I couldn’t help flinching, the touch still so foreign, but he just swept his thumbs through my tears. “He’s fine. I promise. Rami is like me. Lucian too, even. Your magic can’t hurt them.”

I wished I could share his confidence. “I didn’t realize he’s a bouncer. I hadn’t seen him before.” I’d probably never see him again.

Bellamy’s lips curled in a cheeky smirk. “Who do you think told me you got a job there?” Then he lifted me off his lap like I weighed nothing and set me on my feet. His hands never left my hips while he stood. “You’ve had a hell of a night. Let’s get you home.”

“I’m just a few blocks away,” I told him. I could feel my system crashing as the last of the adrenaline ebbed away.

“I know.” Bel’s easy admission made my magic purr contentedly in my chest.

I made an exaggerated sound of disapproval. “What did I tell you about stalking?”

“Stop fighting fate.” He tucked me under his arm, pulling me closer to his side as we walked. “I knew from the moment I saw you that you were it for me. And I think you knew it too.”

I bit my tongue before I could blurt out that my magic was driving me toward multiple men. “It’s never been like this,” I said instead. “My magic. All my life, it was just a reaction, like…like a static shock. But ever since bumping into you that day, it’s like it woke up.” Anxiety tightened around my throat. “It’s…it’s like a presence inside of me. Bel, it talks to me now! It doesn’t make any sense. I’m losing my⁠—”

Bellamy pulled us to a stop and turned me to face him. “We’re going to figure this out. Will you trust me?” He moved a big hand to my cheek, and I nuzzled into it, the contact easier to accept with every touch. My heart stopped thrashing, and the fist around my lungs loosened.

“Yes.”

“Good.” His golden gaze sank into me, stoking a fire that warmed me from the inside out. The rough pad of his thumb swept over my cheek again before we continued walking. Every step felt harder, the exhaustion settling into my bones, but Bel never let me go until we reached the door to my apartment building.

“Thanks for walking with me.” I knew he’d do more if I asked him to.

“Always.” His fingers found my face again, tucking hair behind my ear like he couldn’t get enough. “Can I have your number now?”

I huffed a laugh. “I guess you’ve earned it.” I held out my hand, and he dropped his phone into it, watching while I used it to send a text message to myself. Seconds later, there was a chime from the depths of my purse.

“That was way easier than I thought it would be,” he teased as he pocketed his phone again. “Can I come upstairs and tuck you in?”

I bit my lip, tempted but still feeling too tangled up to accept. “Thank you,” I told him instead, shaking my head. “For everything.”

“Goodnight, Blue.” He leaned closer, letting it be my decision to meet him or not.

I hesitated for just a heartbeat before I erased the distance between us. His lips met mine, soft and sweet. It was a kiss that whispered of safety and hope, melting away the chaos of the night. His hand cradled the back of my neck, fingers threading through my hair, anchoring me to him like he was afraid I’d slip away.

When we finally pulled apart, our foreheads rested against each other, our breaths mingling in the night air. I could see the promise in his gaze. A silent reassurance that everything would be alright. In that fleeting instant, I knew that this was more than the end of a day. It was the beginning of forever.

“Night.” I went inside, looking once more over my shoulder as the door closed and the lock engaged. I dragged my weary bones up the stairs and let myself into my second-story studio, flipping on a light as I went to the window that faced the street. Bellamy was still there, waiting. When he saw that I was safely inside, he raised a hand while I placed mine on the glass. He was the first to pull himself away, and my heart ached watching him leave.

I closed the blinds and sank onto the futon next to Orion, careful not to disturb him. I was far too exhausted to rationalize everything that had happened tonight, but I couldn’t get my brain to stop chewing on it like a dog with a bone. I’d given in to my magic. I surrendered, and it flipped my world upside down. It had been pushing me so hard toward Bellamy because it knew what I’d refused to consider.