Page 24

twenty-four

I barely had time to react before Zeke stepped forward, his expression unreadable.

His face held a calm resolve, eerily serene, like he’d already accepted what was coming. That strange stillness might’ve been comforting if it didn’t make my panic feel even more suffocating.

I met his gaze—those ocean-blue eyes I’d memorized a thousand times—and a wave of loss hit so hard, I couldn’t catch my breath. This might be the last time I saw him. And it wasn’t enough. It would never be enough.

My knees gave out, and I collapsed, trembling as hot tears streaked down my face.

Zeke dropped beside me, his touch gentle as he lifted my chin. His fingers brushed a stray curl behind my ear, the same way he always had, trying to bring me back to calm. His eyes lingered, soft but full of something deeper. Then he finally spoke.

“I can get us out of here, Bryn. I can take us home.”

“But…what if I don’t go with you?” I stammered, my voice frantic, the crippling fear tightening in my chest. My hands shook as I pressed them to the cold earth beneath me, grounding myself in the dirt as if it could somehow anchor my spiraling thoughts. “What if you’re gone, and Reggie…what if he takes me to some new realm? I’ll be lost forever.”

His body relaxed, and when he spoke, his voice carried no trace of doubt. He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. “Then I will come for you. I will always come for you.”

He paused, his gaze locking onto mine—piercing and steady, its pull rendering me motionless. It felt as if he were imprinting that promise deep within my soul.

“I love you, Brynlynn.”

He held out his hand, sure and unwavering, his expression calm, yet filled with quiet certainty. A small, confident smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, like he knew something I didn’t. Something I was too afraid to hope for .

“Fade with me, Bryn?”

In his eyes, there was nothing but peace. The world could burn, could tear itself apart, and he would still be there, offering me a way out, a way to escape it all.

I looked at his outstretched hand, feeling the pull of it like a magnet. It was so strong, so certain. But the calm of the moment felt fragile, at odds with the storm still raging just beyond. I knew what I wanted to do, what I needed to do, but something in me hesitated. It felt irreversible.

Every second stretched longer than the last. The silence around us grew heavier, pressing down on me, overwhelming me. My breath stalled in my throat as I realized that fading with him wasn’t just about escaping Reggie. It was about trusting him with everything—my life, my fate.

I would have to surrender it all, every part of me, everything I had, into his hands. There would be no turning back.

The fear of that finality wrapped tight around my core, paralyzing me. If I didn’t trust him enough, if I faltered, he couldn’t return. And I would be left here, alone, with nothing but Reggie’s cold promise waiting for me.

My hand hovered, trembling, just inches from his. I clenched my jaw, silencing the doubt that whispered for me to turn away .

And then, despite everything—despite the fear, the uncertainty—

I reached for him .