She didn’t need him to complete her. She was already whole. But having Daemon like this—knowing she had someone by her side who would always be the mountain supporting her—amplified what Sora could be on her own.

Together, they could do anything.

He smiled, and then he kissed her again, his mouth like water in a brook. Sparks crackled all around them, lighting them with a blue glow. With every touch of his lips, Sora shined brighter on the inside and the outside.

“I don’t ever want to lose this,” she said.

Daemon pulled her in tightly against him, both arms wrapped around like he never wanted to let go. “I am yours, and you are mine. No matter what happens, that’ll always be true. I promise you.”

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Hana watched Sora and Wolf come back from wherever they’d gone. They were the same, inseparable, yet there was something different between them. She couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

Broomstick smirked. “You two finally figured out that you like each other, huh?”

Wolf shot him a dangerous look.

Sora, on the other hand, blushed. Hana made a face. It was bizarre seeing her tough sister embarrassed about a boy. But then she saw how Sora avoided Fairy’s gaze, and she understood that there was more to this story than just Sora and Wolf.

“It’s all right,” Fairy said, smiling. “I’m happy for you guys.”

“Really?” Sora asked, daring to look at her.

“Really,” Fairy said.

Sora exhaled, and Hana found that she did, too.

“Thank you,” Wolf said to Broomstick and Fairy. “I’m lucky to have friends like you.”

“Yes, you are,” Fairy said, winking. “Now get going. You have a heavenly island to break into and a god to persuade.”

“Oh, um, right. I’ll be as quick as I can,” Wolf said. “I intend to get back to fight Prince Gin and the ryuu with you.”

“Hold on,” Hana said. She’d grown up in a camp full of people plotting surreptitiously; it had made Hana pretty sharp at seeing when someone was planning something different than his words conveyed. “What are you not telling us?”

“Nothing,” he said, a little too quickly.

Sora frowned. “Daemon?”

He smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Do you believe in me?”

“Of course.”

“Then will you let me keep this secret if I promise to tell you later? I just need it to be mine for now.”

She bit her lip but nodded.

Hana sighed. Love could really muck up your brain. Nevertheless, she trusted Sora, and Sora trusted Wolf, so Hana let it go. Besides, Hana wasn’t the one in charge anymore. She was a taiga now, not a ryuu.