She pressed her face tighter against his neck and gripped the front of his shirt with her fingers. No matter how hard she squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears still trickled down her cheeks. If only she could take away the pain in this world. Pain brought by death, sickness, war, even the hands of others.

If only she could heal instead of hurt.

Before she could react, Damien turned around. “Selene,” he said in a hoarse voice.

She looked up, tears coating her lashes, her arms still beneath his.

His blue eyes were dark, reflecting only a speck of light from the fireplace. His mouth opened and closed, then he leaned forward.

Selene’s heart leapt into her throat. She could feel his warm breath across her face.

Was he going to kiss her?

He paused, his lips near hers, then he lifted his head and kissed her forehead instead, then pulled her in close and placed his head next to hers, his chin resting on her shoulder. His scent of clove, cinnamon, and sandalwood filled her nostrils. She could hear the comforting sound of his heart beating beneath his tunic.

“Thank you,” he said, his warm breath brushing past her ear.

They stood there next to the windows, the wind pounding against the glass as the winter storm blew in. Her fingers and toes were no longer cold. Damien had warmed her entire being.

21

No matter how hard Damien had tried to face the day, the anniversary of his parents’ and Quinn’s death still hit him like a fist to the gut, stealing his breath away and leaving a hole in the middle of his body. As the day drew near, the chill of sorrow siphoned away his strength and will until he finally succumbed to it and isolated himself. And it didn’t help that he was already feeling the weight of the two water barriers he had left up in protection of his people.

Then Selene had showed up, just when it hurt the most.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could take your pain away.”

The feeling of her arms wrapping around his middle, the warmth from her body, the dampness of her tears at the base of his neck. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been held close.

He could barely speak her name when he turned around. Her eyes glistened with tears, and his heart hammered inside his chest. Suddenly he wanted to kiss her, to show her how he felt, because there were no words he could say.

But a warning bell went off inside his head. She wasn’t ready yet. So instead he had leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead, then pulled her closer and breathed in the scent of her hair and skin.

In that moment, Selene quietly moved into that empty place in his heart left by the death of his family.

Minutes ticked by. The room was silent except for the wind outside and the crackling of the fire.