Chapter 47
ADELINA
Cezar was running around the house like a man possessed. I offered to help him several times, and he dismissed me every single time. Apparently, he was fine and I was supposed to relax. He was absolutely an over-packer. At least he’d be prepared for the apocalypse.
The anticipation gnawed at me. I wanted answers, but the enthusiasm buzzing off him was too sweet to ruin.
He was adorable.
Annoyingly adorable.
Once everything was ready to go, I waited for his signal to leave. Instead, he stormed back into the room, scooped me up without a word, and—rather than sweep me romantically off my feet—threw me over his shoulder and smacked my ass.
I should’ve been offended. I wasn’t.
He deposited me into the car like I weighed nothing and closed the door with a stupidly handsome grin. I sat there, blinking like an idiot.
The supposed Nycto Reaper was reduced to a flushed mess by an unhinged man.
The first hour of the drive passed quietly. I could feel his nerves radiating off him in waves. We’d been alone plenty of times, but this felt different—stepping into a version of our lives that didn’t revolve around killing people. Well. Hopefully.
“Tell me a story,” I said, adjusting my position in the seat to face him.
“A story, huh? All right, I’ve got one for you.” His eyes glinted almost immediately.
The story was a bit sad, but it was also full of hope. It took us a while to get through it, and somehow, everyone in the story had a happily ever after. That never happened in real life, especially ours.
Still… it was beautiful.
“You’re a pretty good storyteller,” I uttered, rubbing his neck.
“You think so? I don’t tell it like my mom used to.
She read it to my brothers and me all the time.
I never understood it until the night she passed.
For years, it haunted me. But after meeting you…
I get it now. My mother wanted us to find happiness.
” His voice deepened. “I just want her to be proud of me. And forgive me.”
It was so easy to fall into a pit so deep that all there was left to do was scream for help that would never come.
Not usually.
“Cezar, you do not need to be forgiven—” I started, but the car jerked violently off the road.
“Fuck, what are you doing—stop!”
Gravel hit the windows. The ditch caught us, shallow but jarring. My lungs needed a second to catch up, but he was folded over the wheel. Did he hit his head?
I unbuckled and reached for him, but he recoiled. “You have no idea what kind of monster I am, Lina.” His voice was barely a whisper, torn apart by something old.
I grabbed his face and forced him to look at me. The fear wasn’t fear of me. It was fear of himself. Something in his past had claws around his throat.
“Cezar,” I breathed, catching the tears on my thumb. “Whatever you’re remembering, you are not a monster. You did what you had to do. We all have. And certain moments… they were unavoidable.”
“Lina—”
I covered his mouth gently.
“Shh… Cezar…” I whispered and climbed onto his lap, one hand settling at the nape of his neck. His body finally relaxed beneath me as he collapsed into the back of the seat. I wished I could make him forget all the bad.
He held onto my legs, his grip tight and unsteady. I leaned in and kissed him. “You okay?”