Chapter 230
Athena
The tears came then and I couldn’t stop them. Everything from the past few days, the fear and the pain and the overwhelming love these people had for me, it all came pouring out.
too.
I turned to Orion first and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder. He held me tight and I felt him trembling
“Thank you,” I whispered. “For everything, for never giving up on me.”
“Never,” he said against my hair. “I would never give up on you.”
When I pulled back, Tristan was right there waiting. I walked into his arms and let him hold me while I cried into his chest. His
hands moved through my hair and he whispered that everything was going to be okay.
“You got me a motorcycle,” I said, my voice muffled against him. Though I had one before but it didn’t make it any less special.
“I got you freedom,” he said. “The motorcycle is just how you get there.”
I laughed through my tears and looked up at him. His eyes met mine and I saw everything there, the love and the pride and something deeper that made my breath catch. I couldn’t look away even though my vision was blurred with tears.
“I love you,” I said.
“I love you too,” he replied, and the way he was looking at me made heat spread through my chest and down into my stomach. He kissed my forehead softly and I felt the warmth of his lips linger even after he pulled back.
Someone cleared their throat behind us and I reluctantly tore my gaze away from Tristan to see Derek holding a small wrapped box.
“I got you something else too,” he said,.holding it out. “It’s not as flashy as a motorcycle or a car but I thought you might find it
useful.”
I took the box and unwrapped it carefully. Inside was a small silver bracelet with a single charm attached. The charm had a symbol engraved on it that I didn’t recognize at first, but when I looked closer I realized it was a simplified version of the healing symbol from the ancient texts he’d been studying.
“It’s a reminder,” Derek explained, his voice uncertain. “Of what you’re capable of now, of the good you can do.”
I put the bracelet on immediately and held up my wrist to look at it. The silver caught the light and the charm sparkled.
“It’s perfect,” I told him. “Thank you, Derek.”
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Chapter 230
He nodded with a small smile and stepped back into the crowd.
That’s when I noticed more people had arrived. Leah was there with some of the other women from the training grounds, all of them smiling and waving at me. Klara stood near the back with her arms crossed but her expression was warm.
“We wanted to come,” Leah said, walking over to hug me. “We heard what happened and we wanted to make sure you knew how proud
we are of you.”
I knew Tristan and Orion had probably told them what they felt they should know without revealing everything that actually
happened.
“You fought,” one of the other women said. “You faced something terrifying and you won.”
“Thank you,” I said with a smile, wondering exactly what they’d been told.
“We could all learn from that,” another added.
I hugged each of them in turn, overwhelmed by their support. These were women I’d only known for a short time, women I’d trained with and laughed with, but they’d shown up for me anyway.
Kiara approached last, her expression more reserved but genuine. “I brought cookies,” she said, holding up a container. “I figured if we’re celebrating we should have good food.”
“Thank you,” I said, smiling at her. “That’s really thoughtful.”
“Don’t mention it,” she said, but she was smiling too.
Everyone moved inside to eat and celebrate and the apartment filled with voices and laughter.
I sat on the couch with Tristan beside me and every time I looked at him I found him already looking at me.
Comments
R Visitor
Just realizing that we never found out why derek was going to athena’s house that night
11 hours ago
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
