Chapter 66 Harper
Harper
The world outside could’ve been burning and I wouldn’t have cared. Wrapped in Carter’s arms, the only sounds I heard were his heartbeat slowing under my cheek and the steady rhythm of his breath against my hair.
The storm in my body—fear, adrenaline, longing—finally ebbed, leaving me bone-tired but unwilling to close my eyes. If I slept, I’d wake up, and it would all vanish. He’d be gone, swallowed by gunfire and shadows.
“Harper,” he murmured, his hand tracing lazy circles along my spine. “You’re trembling.”
I forced a smile, pressing closer into his warmth. “Maybe I’m afraid you’ll disappear if I let go.”
His arm tightened around me, his mouth brushing the top of my head. “Not a chance.”
The words should have been enough, but the pain inside me deepened. The truth slipped out before I could stop it. “I wasn’t strong when they took me. I was terrified. I thought if you saw how weak I really was, you’d—” My throat clenched, shame burning in my chest. “You’d look at me differently.”
Carter shifted, pulling back just enough to make me meet his gaze.
His eyes burned in the low light, fierce and unyielding.
“Weak?” His voice was a low growl. “Harper, you were chained, drugged, surrounded by men with guns—and you still fought. You’re here.
That’s not weakness. That’s strength I’ve never seen in anyone else. ”
Tears welled, but this time they weren’t from fear. They were from the way he saw me—like I was more than what had been done to me.
I swallowed hard. “And what if I can’t shake it? The nightmares, the fear… what if I’m always marked, Carter?”
He cupped my face in his rough hands, his forehead pressing to mine. “Then I’ll be there every time. You don’t face it alone. Not ever again.”
The vow sank into me, deeper than bone, deeper than blood. And for the first time since the abduction, I felt something like peace. Not because the danger was gone, but because I finally believed I didn’t have to carry it by myself.
I let out a shaky breath and whispered, “I love you.”
His arms locked around me, fierce and unbreakable. “I love you too. More than my own damn life.”
And as sleep finally stole me, I knew those words were my anchor. No matter what came next, Carter and I would face it together.