her precious face. “Female, you take my breath away.”
She blinked up at him. “Why are you so nice to me? Why do you…like me so much?”
He had to fight the emotion spreading, expanding in his chest. Jesus, she had no idea how amazing she was. None. “I never knew it was possible to miss someone I’d never met,” he said. “But I missed you, Luna. I missed you. I’ve been waiting for you, love, for so fucking long. Now you’re here and everything about you is perfect, wonderful, fucking breathtaking. Better than I ever imagined. I want to take care of you, protect you, make you happy.”
Another slow blink. “You’ve been waiting for me?”
“Yes,” he choked.
“Me?”
“Yes, love.”
“Why?” she whispered. “Why me?”
He chucked, and it was shaky as fuck. “Because you’re mine, Luna, and I’m yours.” He hadn’t planned to tell her yet, but he didn’t want to wait anymore, he couldn’t. “You are my mate. Like Eve is to Lazarus, Mia to Zenon, Meredith to Kryos, and Grace to Chaos. You are the half of me that I’ve been missing my whole life.”
She froze. “No, that can’t be…”
“You know it’s true. Think about it. You were drawn to me, weren’t you? You felt things you never had before.”
Her shaky fingers curled into fists as something he couldn’t name flittered through her eyes.
“And when you were locked in that basement, you called for me, didn’t you? I heard you, Luna. You called for me because you needed me.”
“Y-yes,” she said shakily, lips trembling.
“I thought you were dead. I felt you for just moments, a year ago, but I couldn’t get to you, and then you vanished.” He opened the bedside drawer and lifted the delicate chain he’d put in there the first day he brought her here. “I searched, and all I found was this.”
Her hand lifted to her throat, eyes widening.
“All this time, I thought you were dead, until I found you in that basement, until you called out to me.” He was shaking now as well. “I’m so sorry, love, so fucking sorry. I should have found you sooner, I should have come for you sooner. I failed you, but I’m going to spend eternity making it up to you, I promise you that.”
Chapter 21
Luna stared up at Gunner, trying to think of something to say, trying to think of anything at all.
Gunner was her mate.
Her mate.
Hers.
She took the chain he held out to her with trembling hands. “This was my mother’s. I took it before we were dragged from our home. I wore it every day, even when I didn’t understand why, anymore. The day I gained my powers, Azel made me take it off. He threw it away. He told me he was all I’d ever need.” She stared at it stunned. “You found this? You knew it was mine?”
“Yeah, Luna, and I wore it every day, because I wanted, needed, to feel close to you, in any way I could.”
“And you’re…you’re sure about this?” she asked, because it wasn’t sinking in, not really. How could it be true? How could something this…this wonderful be true?
He lifted his hand and gently cupped the side of her face. “I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life. There’s no question, no doubt. It feels this good when we’re together because we were always meant to find each other, to belong to each other.”
His words made her chest get that warm feeling again. But this felt so much more, so much bigger.
Warmth spread over her face. “And you want this…me?”
“Christ, more than anything. I want you, more than anything.”
She studied his face as he slipped the gold chain from her fingers and secured it around her throat. His eyes were bright, his gaze steady, the vein at his throat pulsing faster.
Truth. Every word he’d said.
She’d learned to read the cues of those who lied, she’d had to, living with demons. Gunner meant what he said.
He wanted her. Her.
“Have you suffered from any brain injuries, delusions, or hallucinations recently or in the past?”
His Adam's apple bobbed and his brow scrunched up. “What? No. Why?”
“Just making sure there’s no mistake. That you’re not confused.” She couldn’t bear it if he took it back.
He blinked at her, then tipped his head back and laughed, deep and rumbly. She smiled. He was beautiful when he laughed. He was beautiful when he wasn’t laughing as well.
When his laughter died down to chuckles, he lifted her hand and kissed her wrist. “Definitely not confused.