Chapter 82 Noelle
NOELLE
Noelle stepped into the warmth of Burn and Bright’s suite and took in a deep breath. The clean, citrusy-vanilla scent of the Mother Ship wrapped around her like a weighted blanket and soft lighting glowed from above, casting warm golden tones across the plush indigo carpet and silver-paneled walls.
She was home at last.
Her boots made no sound as she crossed the threshold, flanked by the two towering warriors who still hadn’t said much since they boarded the shuttle.
Though both had kept her protectively sandwiched between them on the flight from Earth—Burn’s hand warm on her thigh, and Bright’s shoulder pressed lightly to hers—their silence had felt thick, like something unspoken hung between them.
Noelle looked at them uncertainly. They were speaking again…weren’t they?
“So I guess the two of you are on speaking terms again?” she asked, arching an eyebrow as she paused just inside the door. She turned to look at both warriors in turn, almost afraid to feel hopeful.
Bright glanced at Burn. His hazel eyes caught the low light and shimmered like warm amber.
“I hope we are,” he said simply.
“If you’re not,” Noelle continued, folding her arms loosely beneath her breasts, “Then how did the two of you know to come for me?”
Burn ran a hand through his thick dark hair and looked at her seriously.
“The Goddess came to us both,” he said. His deep voice was quiet, but it carried weight. “She told me to quit it with the self-pity routine.”
He looked at Bright directly. The muscles in his jaw worked for a moment before he added,
“I’m truly sorry for what we had to do to each other, back at the Trollox’s place.”
“I’m not,” Bright said, without hesitation.
Noelle blinked at the force behind those two words. Burn looked startled too, but Bright kept going, his voice firm.
“I love you, Burn—as a friend but also more than a friend,” he said. “What we did, it didn’t make us less in my eyes—it made us more.”
“Well…” Burn rubbed the back of his neck, clearly caught off guard. “I, uh, didn’t think of it that way,” he admitted.
“I know,” Bright said gently. “Because you were too busy feeling upset that we got a little closer than we ever had before.”
He leaned in a little, and Noelle could see the pain and earnest longing in his eyes.
“But I don’t care how close we have to get—I just don’t want to lose you again.”
Burn’s dark gaze shimmered suddenly, a deep shine of unspoken emotion glistening in his eyes. His broad chest rose in a deep breath, then he muttered,
“I don’t want to lose you either.”
And with that, he took a step forward and wrapped Bright in a fierce, bone-cracking hug.
Bright went willingly into his arms, clutching him back just as tightly, their enormous bodies locked together with a desperate, wordless affection. It was rough and raw and real, and something about it made Noelle’s throat tighten and her eyes sting with tears.
It did her heart good to see this—to see them coming back together. After everything the three of them had been through—everything they’d done to survive—the Dark Twin and the Light Twin had found their way back to each other at last.
When both men turned their heads and reached for her wordlessly, she didn’t hesitate.
She walked straight into their arms and let them wrap around her like the safest cocoon in the galaxy.
Burn’s hand slid down her back, warm and solid, while Bright’s fingers found her waist and held her with quiet caring.
Their combined scent surrounded her—spicy and dark and grounding—and their heat sank into her bones.
And in that moment, Noelle knew she was exactly where she was meant to be. She belonged to them. And they belonged to her.
She closed her eyes, resting her cheek against Burn’s chest as Bright rubbed her back in slow, comforting circles. A sense of calm settled in her heart. She had come through fire and darkness, pain and captivity, and found something precious waiting on the other side.
But she wasn’t done—not quite yet.
After a long moment, she pulled back gently.
“I need a quick rinse,” she murmured, her voice husky from emotion. “All that Earth dirt and adrenaline needs to come off.”
Burn nodded, brushing a thumb down her cheek.
“We’ll be right here, baby,” he rumbled, his voice low and certain.
“We’ll be waiting for you, sweetheart,” Bright agreed.
Noelle gave them both a lingering glance—Bright, with his hazel eyes soft and full of light…and Burn, with his brooding gaze and fierce loyalty—and then turned and slipped into the adjoining bathroom.