38
Love destroyed and saved me in the same breath.
There once was a girl who dreamed of the sun.
When she closed her eyes at night, warmth coated her fingertips. It coiled up the lengths of her arms. Kissed her collarbone. She parted her lips, and the softest smile graced her face as she walked through an impossibly gorgeous flower field.
She felt alive.
Like God had opened His palms and crafted a world specifically for her.
A love that could only be described as pure swept around her. She raised her head, the thank-you never leaving her lips, but it poured through the layers of her soul. The gift of being alive made her lift her hands far above her head, reaching toward white clouds that gently smiled back at her.
And when she twirled, the wind danced in celebration.
Khalani’s head rested in soft grass as she gazed up at the sky, smiling as the heavenly vision lingered. The sun bathed her in its glory, and the distant sounds of fighting faded.
She couldn’t move anymore.
But that was okay.
All she had to do was lie back and let the earth carry her to a realm of peace, where her parents were waiting.
A tall figure entered her line of sight, blocking the sun.
He looked like a dark angel, waiting to take her home.
He had gossamer, unruly jet-black hair. Sharp cheekbones and a strong jaw made his face even more striking. But his obsidian eyes—what she imagined space might look like—stole her breath away.
His mouth opened, shouting something, but it all registered as a faint ring. She smiled, happy that she could look at someone so beautiful at the very end.
“Khalani!”
His large hands cupped her face, staring into her eyes with unwavering purpose. Like he’d find a way to fly into the sky and bring her back down if she tried floating away.
“Stay with me!” he demanded, tearing off his jacket, hastily covering the blade protruding from her stomach, as if that could fix her.
Khalani’s eyes were so heavy.
She slowly shut them. But the striking man wasn’t having it.
“No, you don’t.” He patted her cheek incessantly. “Keep those beautiful eyes open for me. That’s it.”
She gazed back up at him. The deep lines of worry on his face stood out, but his expression shifted into sheer determination. He carefully lifted her into his arms. But the sharp motion made her cry out.
The blade hurt.
Khalani reached for the handle, needing to rip it out of her skin, but he threaded her hand through his, stopping her.
“I know it hurts, baby, but we need to keep that in a little longer.”
Her head nestled comfortably in the crook of his familiar arms. That’s when she noticed a pale figure lying motionless on the ground. Before she could ask who it was, the dark angel took off.
He ran like a scorching fire blazed behind them. And even though they zipped past the white buildings, he held her so steady, she could’ve balanced a wineglass on her lap.
His magnetic gaze kept drifting down to her. Like she was far more than the girl who used to dream of the open sky. He stared at her like she was the sun.
But despite his urgent warnings, her eyes began to shut once more.
She dreamed of the surface.
The poems she used to write behind bars.
The family who reignited her soul.
And the man who set her heart free.
With her eyes closed, frantic yelling pierced the air, and she stirred in his comforting hold.
“Give her to me. We can help,” someone called in the distance.
The beautiful man tightened his arms around her.
“Try and take her from me and I’ll kill you.”
The words were bone-chillingly cold, but when she made a noise of pain, the softest lips brushed against her hair, his arms encompassing her with undeniable warmth.
Khalani agreed. She didn’t want to be anywhere else but in his hold.
A longer pause, and her mind drifted again.
“Friends have to wait outside until we finish.” The strange voice filtered back.
“She’s not our friend. She’s our family,” another woman said, someone so familiar to her, but she couldn’t remember her name.
“Fine. But can he at least stop pointing the gun at us? We already agreed to help.”
“I’d be more focused on your patient, Doctor,” the man snapped. “As far as you’re concerned, nothing in the world matters except this girl. And if you make the slightest wrong movement, I’ll take your life and won’t regret it in the slightest.”
Something in her chest tightened at his words, and she desperately wanted to open her eyes. To memorize the face that hovered above her with desperation and unwavering protection.
And love.
He held her with love.
Somewhere deep in her fading mind, Khalani knew she loved him too.
She winced as a needle pierced her arm, and the sharp taste of chemicals invaded her mouth. The last thing she perceived was the man whispering in her ear to not give up. His strong arms held her closer, a silent promise that he would battle heaven itself if he lost her again.
* * *
Khalani dreamed of a majestic garden until her eyelids flickered open. The pain was gone. Only a dull, aching sensation registered in her stomach.
Khalani realized she was lying on a bed, with thick white covers wrapped around her body. The lamp standing to her right emitted a warm glow that soothed her. The room had baby-blue walls and no windows, but the temperature was comfortable.
She blinked, trying to clear her vision. Then she gasped, reaching for her stomach, but the knife was gone. Khalani gently lifted her shirt, but only a thin bandage lay over the injured area.
Who had healed her?
What had happened to Alan?
Her pulse raced, her memory foggy after being stabbed.
But when her eyes drifted, Khalani realized she wasn’t alone. Someone sat right next to her bed.
It was Takeshi.
He occupied a weathered green chair, long legs stretched out, but his eyes were closed, head slumped to the side as he slept.
Her heart clenched, the image of Alan nearly breaking his neck haunting her. She wanted to leap into his arms, but the dark circles under his eyes told her this was the first time he’d gotten rest in days.
She obsessively studied him instead. He breathed steadily, and his skin was paler than normal, but other than a fading bruise, the cuts on his face were gone.
Khalani thought she was too late to save him.
What if she was still dreaming?
What if she’d already died?
She reached over to touch him, trying to see if he was real. But he stirred.
Takeshi let out a deep groan, his long black lashes fluttering. He slowly lifted his head, glancing over at Khalani, startling when he found her awake.
“Kanes!” Takeshi jumped out of the chair like he’d been electrocuted. He rushed over and sat on the bed, careful not to jostle her as he gripped her tiny hand in both of his.
“Are you okay?” He barely breathed, speaking fast as he scanned every inch of her body. “Do I need to call the doctor back?”
“I feel fine. Better than fine,” she answered honestly and frowned. “But…how’s that possible?”
“I carried you to the medical center in Genesis,” he answered, the grief in his eyes palpable as if that moment stole decades off his life.
“The injured were lining up at the doors, but I made sure the doctors treated you first. Well…threatened is the more appropriate term.” His tone was brutally honest. “They have medicine here that can heal wounds at a rapid rate, just like Hermes. But you were almost to the point of no return, with significant blood loss. It’s been seven days since they saved you.
The doctor said you’d still be sore for about another week, but he promised you would make a full recovery.
” Takeshi’s eyes darkened, like anything less was unacceptable.
“Seven days,” she repeated, shocked that so much time had passed. “And Alan?”
Takeshi’s grip tightened, and the temperature in the room spiked. But when Khalani gently placed her other hand on top of his, gliding her fingers over his rough skin, Takeshi inhaled a sharp breath, calming down.
“He’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“You did it, Khalani.”
She froze, afraid to say another word.
But Takeshi saw the abject fear in her face and leaned closer, letting her see the truth buried in his eyes.
“When you pressed the button, you activated Project Helix. Alan’s code was deleted. But it wasn’t just him. All his direct clones in the underground cities perished. And every person he’d controlled with chips became their normal selves again. Any trace of him has vanished.”
She shook her head, too afraid to accept his words. Scared that at any moment, the rug would be ripped out from under her. But even in her own mind, she no longer felt the Governor’s cold presence. The slimy feeling of him watching her was eradicated.
In her own skin, Khalani finally felt free.
“He’s truly gone?” she asked in a higher voice.
“Yes.”
“What about Penny and the rest of Desert Spring? Are they okay?” She dared to let herself pray that they didn’t go down with Alan.
“Derek took the vehicle to check on them. He just returned yesterday.” His lips curled in a gentle smile. “They’re alive and safe.”
The breath she’d been holding escaped. Khalani had been so used to experiencing nightmares, that she didn’t know how to handle living in this dream.
“And you?” She met his burning gaze, afraid to ask the question tearing through her mind. “Do you…remember?”
Takeshi’s body went so still, his muscles coiling tight with tension. She braced herself, fighting not to get her hopes eviscerated.
But then, he spoke.
“I remember everything.”
Khalani’s eyes widened, convinced she’d heard him wrong.
“Say that…again,” she sputtered, her shoulders caving in, feeling so small in the bed compared to his massive frame. Takeshi’s lethal hands, however, were unbelievably gentle as he smoothed them down her arms, like he needed to reassure himself that they were together.