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“I don’t have time for whatever this is.” I wave my hand in the air between us, letting my annoyance soak into every word so he can’t miss it.

Still, he says nothing as he watches me, his annoying ass little smirk morphing into a full-blown smile that makes me want to both punch and kiss him.

Whatever.

He can sit there. I’m going back to sleep.

The second my head hits the pillow, his fingers wrap around my ankle, yanking me down the bed until I’m right in front of him.

He cocks a brow at me, and I narrow my eyes as I push up on my elbows to glare at him properly, only to fall right back down to avoid being head-butted when he lunges at me.

His chest is over mine, one hand on each side of my head as he hovers above me.

He’s so close I can feel his breath on my lips, and I have to dig my teeth into my bottom lip to stop myself from leaning up to press our lips together.

Fuck, I’ve missed him.

My chest feels tight as I look up at him. I feel the tears as they build in the back of my eyes, and I will them not to fall.

I try to blink them away, but I know he sees them. His brows pull together, his lips dropping into a frown, but it’s his eyes that hit me the hardest.

They swim with emotion, so many that I can’t possibly weed through them all.

Storm doesn’t do emotions like this, doesn’t like being touched, or mushy shit…

So why the hell is he looking at me like this? His eyes shine with so much love that I can’t stop the tear that rolls down my face.

Storm moves to wipe the tear away, but I flinch, and he freezes. His hand hangs in the air only a few inches away before he curls his fingers into a fist, dropping back onto the bed.

I don’t move, instead watching him the same way he watches me. At this rate, I’m never going to get any more sleep because we're going to be in this stare-off for the rest of eternity.

It’s quiet for a long moment. The only sound is Sol’s deep breathing as he sleeps through all of this.

Fucker.

Storm rolls his lips before blowing out a deep breath, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m sorry, Serena,” he says, tugging at his hair.

I have to fight the urge to go to him and make him stop.

“I was a coward. At first, I stayed away because I didn’t want to see my brother laying in bed, clinging to life…

” He sighs, looking down at the bed, his shoulders curling in, making him look smaller than he is and breaking my freaking heart.

“I was upset with myself, with the world, and then I was sad. Worried that I could lose anyone at any time. I thought I could get over it, deal with it, and then I’d be okay, but I was wrong.

” This time, when he looks up, there are tears in his eyes.

Pushing to sit, I hold his gaze as I reach out, catching his hand in mine.

I want to forgive him.

There isn’t much these guys could do to make them unredeemable to me. That’s the funny thing about love.

It’s unconditional, so even though he hurt my feelings, I know we can learn and grow from this. I want us to move forward together and be better.

My chest feels tight again, and I’m pretty sure the bond is on the same page. He wasn’t wrong when he said it physically hurt for him to be away.

Storm looks down at where our hands are linked together, and I see his throat work as he swallows hard when I squeeze, letting him know I’m here.

When his eyes meet mine again, his cheeks are stained with tears, and I blink through my own as he blurs.

“Everything was too much, and I wasn’t okay.

I didn’t want to put more on you, so I stayed away, but I stayed away for so long I convinced myself that was what was best for all of us.

I spent the days dodging you, which should have been a lot easier in a castle this size, but it wasn’t.

If I wasn’t physically avoiding you, I was trying to not think about you, which is also damn near impossible.

” He barks a laugh, shaking his head, and I can’t help but chuckle.

I know all too well how that feels. “I was miserable. My beast is beyond fed up with my shit, and this damn bond wouldn’t let me breathe without reminding me of what I was missing, but I didn’t deserve you.

I still don’t, but I can’t keep running from what scares me, and you scare the shit out of me, Serena. ”

This time, when he reaches out to wipe the tears from my face, I let him, pressing into his hand, letting my eyes fall closed as his thumb caresses my cheek.

His scent wraps around me, and for the first time since that night, I feel like I can breathe a little easier, the hole in my chest closing a little bit.

“I was afraid to face you because I failed you. I should have done something. Instead, I stood there and watched as my best friend was turned into a monster and my brother almost bled to death—”

“That wasn’t your fault!” I yell, then wince. I hadn’t meant to yell at him, but damn, I hate the idea of him blaming this on himself. I’d blamed myself for a while, too. I mean, if we’re getting technical and want to blame one of us, it would be on me, but really the blame lies with Draven.

“I know that now, but it took me so much longer than it should have to see the truth in that. I knew that you would never blame me, even if it was my fault. You’re too good, too nice. I didn’t want forgiveness, didn’t think I deserved it. Then after that night…”

He doesn’t say which, but I don’t need him to, I know exactly what he’s talking about.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that, Serena. I was hurting, and I didn’t know what to do.

The bond really was pulling me to you. I could have dealt with it the same way you were, but I didn’t want to.

I wanted to see you. I just didn’t know how to fix it, but I want to.

Tell me what to do, Serena. Anything at all, I’ll do it. ”

His eyes shine with sincerity, and I shake my head, looking down at our hands with a chuckle.

“You don’t have to do anything, Storm,” I tell him, rubbing my thumb over his, watching the way his fingers tighten around mine, my hand so much smaller than his.

Storm remains quiet, and it’s not until I look back up at him, his eyes wide and so damn sad, that I realize the way he must have taken my words.

Damn, we’re both bad at this.

Fuck it, clearly words aren’t my best bet here.

I lunge forward, pressing my lips to his with a little more force than I’d intended. Thankfully, Storm isn’t a pushover and easily stays upright, saving us from tumbling off the bed onto the hard, cold stone floor.

Storm freezes, eyes wide, lips unmoving, fingers still tangled in mine. For a moment, I worry I’ve made a mistake.

Maybe he didn’t want me to kiss him?

I run back over our conversation, and I can’t think of anything that really made it seem like he was interested in more than just forgiveness.

Crap.

I pull away, falling back on the bed, his hold on my hand finally loosening enough that I can pull mine free.

My eyes go wide when Storm follows me; this time, his whole body hovers over me, his nose pressed to mine. His knee presses to my throbbing core, making my breath hitch and my heart race.

For a second I’m stunned, blinking up at him, unable to process what happened. I’d thought I read everything wrong, but judging by the feral look in his eyes as he stares down at me, I’m thinking maybe I had it right the first time.

So slowly it’s almost torturous, Storm closes the small space between us, not just with his lips but his whole body.

I feel every inch of him against me, from his muscular chest down to his hard length, that he doesn’t hesitate to grind against me.

I don’t even try to stop the moan this time.

I’ve missed Storm, and my bond sings happily in my chest, his touch making me feel almost giddy.

Storm groans against my lips, and I feel his chest rumble with the sound of his beast.

“Silly kitty,” I mumble against his lips, feeling the way his pull up in a smile.

“Fuck, I missed you, Serena,” he breathes against my lips, unwilling to move away. I can’t say I mind him this close, but I want to see his face.

I need to know he’s okay, not just trying to ignore his feelings. That’s what got us here in the first place.

Against my better judgment, I press a hand to his chest. It takes a second, but he moves back, his eyes unfocused, before his brows pull together in concern.

“Are you okay, Storm?” I ask before he can work himself up too much.

My heart skips a beat when his lips pull up in a rare full smile.

Storm is an ass ninety percent of the time, but when he cares about you, he does it with his whole heart, and right now, the way he’s looking at me, it’s like I can feel his love like a physical thing.

“I’ve never been better, Hops,” he assures me, and I see the truth in his eyes a second before he’s on me again. This time, I have no willpower left, no reason to stop him.