Kieran
The moment I stepped through the library doors, I saw her.
Cassidy.
Alive.
The rest of the world blurred.
Her body launching into motion before either of us could think. The impact of her crashing into me nearly buckled my knees.
I caught her.
Hard.
Tight.
She trembled in my arms. Not from fear, but from the weight of everything she had held together—only to break now. In my arms.
"I'm here," I whispered into her hair. "I'm so sorry I left you. I should've been here."
I held her through her sobs. Felt her heart beating against mine. Felt the heat of her tears on my throat.
She was alive.
She was safe.
And that was everything.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice raw.
I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. "You have nothing to be sorry for."
She shook her head. "Mara…"
I stilled.
I saw her body on my way up here. It shattered me.
Mara. Motionless. A clean shot to the forehead. Blood like a halo.
I closed my eyes.
Dammit.
