Page 179 of The Secrets of Jane: Reborn

Soren reclaims my lips, licking my bottom one before he pulls back to carry me to the bed. I waste no time in getting settled into his arms as we both lie there, naked on the fur blanket, my eyes closing as there’s not a single worry in my heart while Soren rubs his fingers on my skin.

His icy irises are what I saw at the brink of death, engraving himself deep into my soul when he appeared. I don’t know if I could accept any other kind of love, honestly. I always feel like I belong when it’s just the two of us.

“So, what happens to us next? To life?” I ask, not wanting to leave this reprieve, and yet I’m itching to visit Dad and Kathleen.

“Visiting Skull’s Row seems important, given your ties there.” He slowly inhales. “I’m nearly ready to find Serena. The dust is settling, so I could leave again, even if it takes me a few months.”

I remember the first full moon appearing in the sky since I woke up here. Soren spent all night on the coast, staring outward over the sea, having told me everything Cypress shared with him.

He had felt his sister.

Finally.

And she wasn’t hurt. Or afraid. He said she felt normal, as if living a real life. It took an immense amount of pressure off his shoulders, knowing she didn’tneedhim to find her. Not with such urgency.

He could recover, first. Tend to the mourning families, and get his affairs in order.

“What about here?” I ask, knowing that travel is in our future, no matter where we go. “What goes on here when you’re gone?”

“My mother runs it. I only trust her to do so. It’s best done if I have a presence for a time, before leaving again.”

I nuzzle into him, my arm stretching across his chest. “Serena is across the Black Sea, right?”

“Yes. Near Grimstone, where Basilisk lives.”

“I’m going?” I ask, nearly tightening my grip as if to say I’ll fight him over it.

His laugh is so calming as his chest moves against my head. “You already said you’d help me. You can’t back out of that now.” A deep sigh escapes him. “There would be rules.”

“Of course,” I mock.

“If you travel with me, and it’s not for luxury, there’s protocols for how we move as a unit. You’d have to adhere to it.”

Like an addict, my heart is willing to agree to anything if it means being by his side. I mean, can this really be my life now?How is it fair that I live while someone like Maryanne is burned, her children still scorned out there?

Soren stiffens in a way that’s akin to an unspoken reminder that I’m to tell him what bothers me—unprompted—which is a new concept for me. “First, I’d happily go and help you and do what needs to be done,” I state with full confidence. “I just… I also feel,wrong. Guilty, maybe?” I press my lips together, trying to muster the words to leave my tongue. “Maryanne’s children are out there, somewhere, bitterly enraged. Iknowthat feeling. And I’m the reason their mother was killed.”

His chest rises high before lowering with a deep exhale, my head moving with the motion as I can hear the faintest echoes of his heart beating. “That’s why we never have peace. As long as there is revenge to be had, blood will be shed. It’s why we enjoy the quiet while it exists.”

I give a sad, bitter half-smile. I appreciate that Soren doesn’t treat me like I’m all rose petals and no thorns, but the gratitude is weighed down knowing that he’s right.So manywere irrevocably damaged in the wake of whatever the fuck just happened to us.

“Do you think finding your sister will be dangerous?” I ask, wanting to focus on something else.

“Somewhat. The path feels clear. But not without fightingsomeone.”

I move so I can glance up at him, Soren’s chin dipping to he can lower his gaze to look at me.“We should bring back a pet,” I suggest, trying to give him a sweet gaze.

He raises a brow, hiding his amusement. “A pet.”

“Like one of those shadow cats. Basiliskloveshis.”

“He doesn’t love it because he loves his cat, it’s who gave it to him.”

I frown, eyeing his stubble and the new streak of blank growth from a scar he gained when coming for me. “He was pretty passionate about that cat’s welfare.”

“It’s because it’s the only thing he possesses of the woman that gave it to him, and she wanted him to take care of it. I think he fucked something up, and he’s trying to make up for it.”

My eyes flash with intrigue. “Oh, well, this sounds interesting.”

Soren’s eyes hold no play. “He is what I would be if you left me. Took alotto learn that from him.”

I can’t help but smile. “We definitely need to get a cat now.” I lay my head back on his chest. “You’re also not allowed to leave me, either,” I state matter-of-factly. “I let you in, so now you’re staying.”

My heart is filled with so much peace that I kiss his chest, to which he turns us so I’m on my side, facing into his body as he also turns on his side, my head nestling into his chest. Those large, powerful arms wrap around me as one of my legs intertwines with his. I will never not love the girth of this man, especially when I’m up against the expanse of his chest.

“Don’t worry, love. I feel your heart as if I’ll know it for decades.”

I breathe slower, my eyes closing as my body completely relaxes. “I’d like to grow old with you, Soren. My parents were robbed of that.”

He holds me close, no need for anything other than love and adoration in his touch; it’s pure affection. “Then we will.”