Page 94 of Light in Your Eyes

"How are you feeling?" he asks, concern written all over his face.

"I feel okay." I clear my throat, not wanting him to worry.

I touch my neck with the back of my other hand. It still hurts, and I bet that there are marks because of how hard I was choked. But I'm sure that it will heal.

Kellan doesn't ask me about my attacker, so I guess that he already knew who it was.

"Is he—"

Kellan quickly releases his hold on my hand the second he hears what I'm about to ask. He balls his fist until hisknuckles turn white and clenches his jaw.

"Dead," he says coldly. "Burned to death."

I gasp, shooting my hand to my mouth. "Oh, God."

"It's still nothing compared to what he has done to you," Kellan speaks in a low voice, and his tone makes me shudder. "He was lucky that he was dead because if he hadn't been, I would have made his death a slow and painful one. I would have tortured him—"

"Kellan," I interrupt, holding his hand again.

His eyes soften, and the tension on his shoulders eases.

"It's over," I say. "I don't want to think about it anymore."

He sighs, squeezing my hand. I place my other hand on his cheek, making him turn his face toward me. He sighs again and places a soft kiss on my palm, creating butterflies inside my tummy.

"I'm okay now," I say. "Are you?"

He swallows. His reaction makes me frown. I watch as the muscles on his neck move. I need to hear that he's okay too, but he doesn't give me that answer.

I know that he's still not over the fact that I was attacked while he was away, but I survived.

Please, Kellan. Say something. Tell me what you feel, what you're worried about. Tell me the truth and don't shut off.

My thumb caresses his cheek, and he holds my hand, stopping me.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" he asks out of the blue.

I don't know what to answer. It sounds like he still has more to say.

His brows furrow. "You said that you didn't want tothink about it anymore. Should we take a vacation?"

My mouth hangs open.

I wouldn't have dreamed that Kellan Romero would ask me to go on a vacation with him.

"What?" I whisper. "But I thought that we're not allowed to go out unless we're on a mission."

Kellan shakes his head, and I'm surprised to find amusement in his eyes. "It doesn't apply to the leaders. You couldn't possibly think so."

I suddenly feel stupid. I'm still at a loss for words. The idea of getting out of this suffocating place—even just for a while—is too good.

I can't help but ask, "Where do you want us to go?"

"A place where my family used to go," Kellan says.

I can figure out from the way he said it that he treasures it. It must be a memorable place for him and his family.

"I haven't gone there again for quite a while," he says. "I think it's about time for me to go there again."