It wasn’t just physical pain.
I knew what that felt like.
No, this was emotional turmoil that wouldn’t go away; it was the deepest separation I’d ever experienced. It only faded away when I was with Serenity, when I was united with love.
When I feared, it pierced my heart.
I looked into the flames as dawning realization shook me to my core. The Watchers were not tempted to do evil in order to regain the attention of The Creator. No, it was much worse than that.
They’d been walking around for millennia with a broken heart.
The thought haunted me as I took a seat, and when Serenity joined me hours later, laying her head against my chest, and peppered kisses down my skin, when I felt peace in her arms, I knew.
The war wasn’t over.
It had only just begun.
SERENITY
“It’s only a few days.” Mason took one look at my bag and smirked, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he watched me with interest.
“What?” I looked down at the duffle bag Hope had given me that morning. “This isn’t mine.”
“It has your name on the tag.” He grinned wider.
I huffed out a breath. “Hope gave it to me.”
“Likely story.” Aggravating wolf! “That’s enough clothes for a few weeks.”
“Well I would have gone back to my apartment, but somebody wouldn’t let me.” I gave him a challenging glare.
His smile fell. “My job is to protect you. I still don’t know who’s after you. If they can track you because you return, no, you won’t be seeing your apartment anytime soon. Everything you need is here.”
I crossed my arms. “I can’t just hide forever.”
“We’re not hiding.” His jaw flinched. “There’s a war, Serenity, and I can’t focus on leading my people, on even meeting with them, if I think for one second you aren’t safe.”
His eyes blazed blue as his chest rose and fell. Even now, I wondered if he realized that his right hand was more claw than man, that the heat emitting from him was anything but normal, but he didn’t seem to notice. His eyes had laser-like focus, and it was all on me.
I nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Damn it.” He turned around as if he was frustrated then stomped up to me and slammed me against the wall, his hands cupping my head so I didn’t get hurt. “I don’t want you to be sorry. I don’t want to order you around. I just—” Pain laced his eyes as he searched my face. “—I will not lose you.”
He didn’t even say can, as if it was an option.
It was a vow. An oath.
“I won’t.” He devoured my mouth, sucking the life out of my body as his hands palmed my ass, one talon digging a bit into my flesh. “I won’t.” He growled again against my mouth.
I pulled back. “I promise, Mason.”
He still looked worried as I slid down the wall out of his arms then side-stepped him and grabbed my bag. “So how do we do this?”
“What?”’ His confused expression was priceless.
“This.” I waved my hands around “Does Cassius just fly us over there?”
He barked out a laugh. “Well typically, we take a plane, but maybe Cassius wouldn’t mind a little transport…”