Whatever little cover-up we needed now to protect Sky, he was not going to call us on it. It was the closest he would ever come to apologizing, I suspected. But closer than I had ever expected. It felt surprisingly good, like he still had our backs. Like we were safe.
#
By the time everything had been taken care of, most of the night had passed. It wasn't worth driving home, and not necessarily safe, either.
Tomorrow we'd fly out to the Extra Sensory Regulatory Bureau's training center, and after that, to our new life together. It was both exciting and unnerving. I tried to focus on the here and now, to be there for Sky.
We went back to the hotel room. Our guards were back, keeping an eye on us. We didn't speak to them, and the frustration seemed to be mutual. They didn't look at each other, either.
Yep, they were going to be in trouble. I had a feeling they were going to get their wish and not be guarding assets anymore.
As soon as we were alone, Sky burrowed into my arms, hugging me close, as if that was the only way he could breathe. "I was so scared," he said in a soft voice that didn't quite hide the remnants of his old lisp.
"It's okay. You're safe now."
"I kn-know. But … but don't tell, okay?"
"I'll try to keep it secret."
"It was only — only once, you know? I've never had that before. It was him, and all the old things he did, and I knew him so well, and … and it was just him. I don't think I could do it to anyone else, not unless we had years of history like that." He looked me in the eye, guilty and scared. "I'm sure I couldn't hurt you."
I laughed softly. "Do you think I'm scared of you? Come on."
He looked at me, bit his lip and shook his head. "I don't even know how it happened. It … he … he was scaring me so much. And I remembered all the old times when it was always my fault, even though he was the one hurting me. So much pain and fear. And then I got mad all at once — because it wasn't just me he was trying to hurt now, it was you too — and then it was like some part of me reached out and slapped him … slapped it all right back at him, so he was carrying it instead of me. I never did anything like that before — I mean, making someone feel something, instead of just feeling what they're feeling. I — I don't think I could do it again, b-but I don't want to find out. I don't want to become a weapon, or an … an experiment."
"You won't be. You're just one really powerful empath, and we're going to do amazing things together. Nobody has to learn about all of that, and even if they do, I won't let them study you like an experiment or turn you into a weapon, okay?"
He nodded sheepishly. "Thanks. I — I know you'll keep me safe. But...it was kind of scary, you know?"
I nodded. "I was scared, too — but also proud," I admitted. "I'm glad you fought back, even if it was unnerving. And I'm glad we're starting fresh. Maybe there won't be too many questions." I scraped my hand back through my hair and sighed. "Um, but maybe we should sell the house after all. What do you think?"
He laughed softly. "Yeah. Maybe. But let's not decide anything else important tonight, okay?" He stroked a hand wistfully up my chest and looked at me with hopeful eyes.
"Okay," I said, surprised at the frankly desire-filled look in his eyes. Did he really want to, after everything? He had to be as exhausted as I was; maybe more so. He'd nearly died tonight. He'd been held at gunpoint, traumatized, trembling in fear…
"Honey, it's my wedding night," he said teasingly. "I'd really like to get some."
I laughed at him, and drew him gently to bed. Maybe we could at least make out a little or something.
"Thank you," said Sky softly, squeezing my hand before releasing me to begin undoing his clothing. "For earlier. I — I knew you believed in me. No matter what he said or did, I knew you would always love me. That means more than anything."
"It's true," I said softly. "I do love you no matter what. And it's going to be true for the rest of our lives." I drew him into a kiss.
He sighed softly. "I hope so. It's hard for me to believe in anything real and good lasting. But when I look at you, when you look at me … I believe in you. I'm not sure I believe in anything else sometimes. But I believe in you."
That was enough for me. "I'll always love you, Sky. It's a promise." I drew him into a gentle kiss. "And I believe in you, too."
It was true, for both of us. Whatever the future held, we would face it together, safe because we had each other.
the end
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SAFE (Men of the ESRB Book 1) Page 14
