Chapter Thirty-Four The Last Pheonix #2
"Nox, you look like you've seen a ghost," she said, her voice light, almost mocking in that way she always did when she was teasing him. Her body already reforming before him--quicker than anything he could imagine.
"You—" His voice trembled as he cupped her cheek, the air heavy with disbelief. "How?"
She tilted her head, lips curving into that mischievous smile he loved. "Phoenix, remember? Rebirth comes with the territory." Her hands spread, the fire around her glowing brighter. "But I must admit, I was not expecting this much drama."
Nox stared at her, unable to speak for a moment as a rush of emotions flooded him—relief, disbelief, wonder, and the overpowering, impossible joy that bloomed in his chest.
"Adan..." His voice cracked again, the tears he had tried to hold back coming to the surface once more. "You—"
"Yes, Nox, it's me," she interrupted with a roll of her eyes, though her smile softened, warm and real. "And I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."
His thumb went to rub her scarred tattoo when he noticed it was gone. Her form stabilized before him, the fire shifting into something more solid, more her. The ashes fell from her like rain, the flames receding to reveal the woman he loved—reborn, eternal, indomitable.
His hand slid down her neck, to her shoulder, not wanting to let go of her just yet. There was no brand there--just silky smooth skin.
He reached for her, pulling her into his arms before he even realized he had moved.
His lips met hers in a desperate, consuming kiss, one that tasted like everything he had nearly lost.
When they pulled away, he buried his face in her neck, his body trembling from the weight of everything that had happened.
"You—" he whispered, his voice hoarse with emotion. "You came back for me. You came back to me."
She rested her cheek against his, her voice a quiet ember.
"I told you, didn't I? Phoenixes have to want to come back."
She paused for a moment before pulling back just enough to look him in the eye.
"And you—" Her hands cupped his face, her touch tender, despite the heat still radiating from her skin. "You made me want to stay."
Nox let out a shaky laugh, still reeling from the overwhelming surge of emotions.
Her eyes softened, and she smiled—a smile that was pure and unburdened by the weight of the world they had just survived.
"Why did you take your life at all, Adan." He held her tight to his chest, the memory still raw. He doubted it would ever leave him. "Especially when you had just given me my life back..." He wanted to scold her, take her over his knee and make her severely regret the decision.
"I didn't know if my tears would work." He whispered into his chest, breathing in his scent.
"It never worked for my mother..." His hand moved to cup the back of her neck, wanting to keep her pressed against the pounding of his heart.
To feel her own, synced in rhythm. "When it looked like you weren't coming back, I decided I would come to you."
Her finger dug into his tattered, bloody shirt.
"I can't live without you, Nox. I won't."
Nox's heart shattered again, this time for entirely different reasons.
The raw vulnerability in her voice, the weight of her words, left him breathless.
His hands trembled as they moved over her, not quite able to believe she was here, alive again, but feeling the heat radiating from her body, the pulse of her heartbeat, the steady rhythm that matched his own.
"I can't live without you either," he whispered hoarsely, his voice thick with the emotions that swirled through him, overwhelming and too much to contain.
She was still so fragile—new in a way that made Nox want to hold her together with his very soul, make sure she was real, that she wouldn't slip through his fingers again.
He kissed her forehead softly, his lips brushing against the sweat-soaked skin, the taste of her fire lingering even in the smallest touch.
He hadn't known what he was capable of until he almost lost her, until her absence had turned him into someone unrecognizable.
"Don't ever scare me like that again." His voice broke on the words.
Adan's fingers moved to the side of his face, her touch both soothing and grounding. "You don't ever scare me like that again!" Her gaze softened, the fire within her flickering with tenderness.
"Never," Nox growled, his grip tightening on her. His lips crashed to hers again, fiercely, desperately, as if he could imprint himself into her soul and make her believe it.
When they broke apart, he took a deep breath, his forehead resting against hers. Adan closed her eyes for a moment, taking in his scent again.
The world around them was still in ruins—blood soaked the sands where Cias had fallen, the arena a battlefield. But at that moment, surrounded by fire and ash, there was only the two of them. Everything that had once torn them apart now seemed distant, inconsequential.
Nox kissed her again, softer this time, a kiss that promised that no matter the cost, they would always find their way back to each other.
Adan smiled against him, the warmth of her fire burning brighter than ever before. "We're in this—together. Always."
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Nox finally believed it. They had risen from the ashes. And they would fight together, live together, love together.
Always.