her desire. “Not again, at least. It was horrible the first time. I still hear the echo of my screams ringing in my ears. Truly I saved you for me.”
Bastien stilled. He did not appear to be breathing. “You . . . remember the night I died?”
“I can’t set foot in Saint Louis Cathedral anymore, thanks to you,” she snapped. “It was one of the top three worst moments of my life, and I . . .” Celine’s voice trailed off when she realized what she’d just said. What she’d remembered. Her hands flew to her mouth, the color draining from her face. “Oh,” she breathed. “Ohhhhh.”
Everything came to her in a sudden rush. All the answers she’d sought for so long. All the hopes and feelings and dreams she’d yearned to know again. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as she looked at Bastien. As he watched her take back her lost memories. The weight of it fell on her shoulders, causing her to double over, her arms wrapped around her stomach. The remembrances of what she’d seen—what she’d done, what she’d felt—flooded her mind.
And she knew. She knew. Not because her memories had been returned to her. But because Celine understood that it was never about seeking the truth from others. It was about finding it within herself.
“Bastien,” she whispered.
He was beside her before she could blink. “I’m here.”
Celine buried her face in his chest and let the tears fall. Bastien held her. He did not offer words of affection or promises to make the sun shine on her always. It was as if he knew what she needed. A place to feel safe. A place to call home. A place to be herself.
That’s what Bastien had always offered her. It didn’t matter if Celine dwelled in darkness or basked in the light, so long as she could be who she was, for better or for worse.
“This shirt,” she said against his chest, her words muffled, “doesn’t suit you.”
His low laughter rumbled against her ear. “A shame, because it’s quite comfortable.”
“It would look much better on Arjun.”
“Should I feel insulted?”
“Yes. You should always feel insulted. I like you best when you’re slighted.”
Bastien tilted her chin upward. “And you’re sure you don’t need me to send for that goblin with skin like the bark of a tree? He fed me a ghastly drink that helped me heal quite nicely.”
Celine shook her head. “No. I don’t need anyone or anything else.” And in that moment, it was the truest thing she could think to say.
He pressed his lips forward. And began to pull away.
Celine held him there, her fingers twined in his silk shirt. “Stay.”
“I can’t. You should rest.”
“How long have I been asleep?” she asked.
Bastien tucked an ebony curl behind her ear. “Two days.”
“Then there’s no reason for you to go.” She drew him closer, her fingers tracing along his jaw.
“Are you not hungry?”
She bit her lower lip. “I am. Quite hungry,” she murmured, her eyes bright.
“Celine, I don’t think—”
“You love me. And I love you. Enough of this nonsense.”
“It isn’t nonsense,” Bastien argued. “For the second time this year, I watched you endanger yourself to save me. We come from opposing worlds, Celine. My kind and your kind . . . we kill each other. After our time in the Wyld, I thought you understood. What part of us being together makes sense?” He paused, his fingers clenched around hers. “We are blood foes, Celine. My uncle and your mother . . . they’ve conspired to destroy each other for generations. That won’t end anytime soon. Especially when your mother wants you to—”
“I don’t give a damn what my mother wants when it comes to us. The only thing that matters is what we want.” Celine sat up. “Everything you’re saying now is an excuse. I never thought you would be such a coward, Sébastien Saint Germain. This is my world, too. If I’m going to be in danger anyway, I would rather be in danger with you.”
“Your mother will never allow this,” he said softly.
“My mother is not my keeper.”
“Nicodemus will—”
“I’ll handle Nicodemus. I promise I won’t let him hurt you.”
Bastien laughed, his palm coming to rest on her cheek.
“I learned something in the time I lost sight of my memories,” Celine said. “I should not be looking to others to uncover my truths, no matter how dark or twisted they may be. I need only look inside myself. Everything I need is here.” She placed her