Page 49

WES

S he slept.

The glow of the moon shrouded her as she rested on her stomach, face turned toward me.

One hand tucked up near her chin, fingers slipping under her pillow.

Hair—deep brown with auburn hues—draped across her back in luscious swirls and soft waves.

The blanket rested at her waist, and I watched as her body moved gently with each delicate breath she took.

The moonlight caused the silvery flesh of her back to shimmer under the wisps of her hair.

How many times had she been struck in her life?

There wasn’t much “normal” skin left across the landscape of her bare back. Hundreds of times , I thought. Far more than I had ever received. Carefully, I ran my finger across the subtle rise and fall of her scars.

She couldn’t even feel me touch her.

I grimaced. Shook my head.

She thought I didn’t want her…

Thought that the scars of her past repulsed me…

I closed my eyes. Shoved back the frustration I felt with myself .

I loved her. There was nothing about her I didn’t love, including her scars. Not taking her sooner—not being with her sooner—had nothing to do with being repulsed by her body.

In my eyes, she was perfection.

I held back because I was afraid that if she knew everything about me , about my past, about the past we shared, she would regret giving something so special to me.

I shook my head again, grinding my teeth.

I was an idiot, and I had been weak. I should have told her the truth months ago, but it never felt like the right time. And in trying to be chivalrous, I made her feel awful about herself.

Fucking idiot.

She whimpered. Rustled for a moment and then nuzzled her face deeper into her pillow.

I swallowed, trying to muscle my guilt into submission as I pulled the blanket up further, covering most of her back.

I leaned down. Grazed my lips over the scars of her past, and then drew my face closer to her once more.

Softly, I brushed a swath of her hair off her shoulder, and kissed it too.

God, I fucking loved this woman. What wouldn’t I give for her? What wouldn’t I sacrifice to be like this with her every night of my life?

Everything. I would give everything.

I brushed my lips against hers. Felt her shift under the weight of my hand as I rested it on the small of her back.

I was the luckiest man alive, and I would never make the same mistake again.

I would ensure that Mara never regretted the grace and love she gave to me.

I would make sure that I supported her, that I helped her rise from the ashes of her past. That I helped her become the woman I knew in my soul she was always meant to be.

And I would become the man she deserved.

I was too crass, too brass, too bold, and I knew I was the cheap, crude replica of a better man. But after tonight…

After Mara gave me every part of her …

After she let me have something that now would only ever be mine…

I refused to let the story end there.

Because if Mara was still choosing me—after everything I’d kept from her—if she was still saying my name, then it was time for me to change.

She deserved a better man, and the time had come for me to become the person she deserved.

I would change. I would change for her.

Because I loved her. Always had, always would.

Always.

***

MARA

Daylight came too quickly. The alarm went off, and I listened as Wes turned to snooze it. Then his arms were back around me, his chest hugging the curves of my back, his arm wrapping around my waist and tugging me closer to him.

“Good morning,” he whispered in my hair, then pressed his lips into the hollow under my ear.

I smiled. My heart felt so full this morning, and the excitement and wonder of the night before came back in full force, flushing my cheeks. “Morning.”

He breathed deeply, chest rising against me, breath tickling the wisps of my hair. “How are you feeling?”

I shifted under his arm to slide my hand under my cheek. “Fine.”

“Are you… okay this morning?”

I wiggled, turning around under the sheets to face him. My cheeks were flaming—I could feel the heat radiating off them—but I forced myself not to bury my head under the covers. “I’m a little sore, but…I feel like the world couldn’t be more perfect.”

His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me into his chest. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “But it…gets better.”

I lifted my head with an arched brow. “Are you saying that practice makes perfect?”

And there it was…the devilish gleam in his golden eyes, lighting me aflame. He rested his forehead against mine. “I’m definitely saying practice makes perfect.” And then he kissed me.

The alarm called out again, and Wes groaned. He moved to silence it before rolling back over to face me.

Tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, he said, “I’ve gotta get up, love. I wish I could just lie with you all morning, but—”

“You’re leaving,” I finished for him.

He nodded.

“Three days, right?”

“Three days,” he confirmed. He sat up, the sheet falling to his waist, and I had to do everything to keep from staring at the taut muscles of his back and smooth waistline. “I have to visit several towns that were attacked a few days ago.”

I sat up slowly, holding the blanket to my chest.

Towns had been attacked? A few days ago? I realized then that I had no idea what was going on. I’d been so wrapped up in my turmoil, I’d lost touch with what was happening beyond the walls of the estate.

“ Several towns?” I frowned.

His body stiffened. “Yes.” One word. One syllable. One achy stab to the heart. “They struck a series of towns about five hundred miles from here.”

“ What? ” I couldn’t believe it. “What happened?”

Wes shifted in the bed to better face me. “It was a simultaneous attack—all three cities were assaulted at the same time in the middle of the damn day. By the time we figured out what was going on, it was too late.”

My jaw slackened. “Casualties?” I could barely say the word.

Wes grimaced, tipping his chin to his chest. “Schools”—my chest tightened—“hospitals”—my breath hitched—“all the soft targets”—my heart broke.

Schools filled with children.

Hospitals filled with the sick trying to heal.

“Look, I’ve got to get dressed, okay? But you can stay here as long as you’d like.” He leaned over and kissed my cheek. I looked at him, mind still spinning. “I’ll make sure to see you before I leave.”

Then he got out of bed and walked into his bathroom to shower. I sat there for a moment, my mind whirling like a tornado. Raúl attacked towns filled with civilians. And not just civilians, but children . The sick, weak, and dying.

Women. Children. Fathers. Mothers. Sisters. Brothers.

Jacob.

The memory hit me like a runaway train.

“They were kids! They just killed all those kids!” I had screamed at him. The carnage had been unreal.

So many little hands…

So many little faces…

So many lifeless eyes…

And blood.

I had frozen—become paralyzed—and I was so deeply afraid.

But Jacob took me into his arms. Forced me to look at him.

“And there’ll be more kids, Mara. And more kids after them.

And women, and babies, and families. This is just going to keep going, and it’s just going to get worse.

And that’s why we have to stop it… It’s got to end, Mara. And we’re going to finish it.”

It ends with us.

That’s what he told me. That’s what he said as he died in my arms.

And he was right. It had to end. This couldn’t keep going on like this.

Because Raúl was never going to stop, was he?

He was only ever going to continue to consume the nation until every faction was his.

And what about after that? With the power he wielded, what would keep him from taking control of other nations?

One by one, they would fall, succumbing to the power of NIT-V2. There would be no stopping it.

Jacob’s voice spoke so clearly in my head, it was like he was right there beside me. Finish it.

I took in a deep breath, feeling my inner fire burn hot and bright. “I will, Jacob. It’s gonna end. I’ll make sure of it.”