“It’s okay.” He lifted his hand slowly, making sure I saw him before he touched my cheek, and I almost started crying again. That was further proof that this was my Zayne. “I would’ve done the same thing—would’ve agreed to anything.” He gently traced the line of my cheek. “What I was like is going to get to me and it’s going to sit in the back of my mind. I’m sure some moments are going to be worse than others, but I’m going to deal with it. I’ll make sure of it, because enough has already gotten between us.”

“That is so true,” I whispered. We had so many hurdles between us, and I wanted our very own happily-ever-after, like the ones in the romance books my mom had loved. We didn’t need to be our own obstacles.

His fingers stilled near where my jaw was still slightly swollen and bruised. “Is my touching you causing you any pain?”

“No. I don’t feel anything bad right now.”

“You look...more banged up than the last time I saw you.”

“Well.” I drew the word out. “I sort of had a run-in with Gabriel.”

Every part of him seemed to grow impossibly still. “When?”

“Last night.” I quickly told him what happened. “Good news, no one is going to be allowed in that school for a while, and I think he’s weakened somehow.”

“I should’ve been there.”

“You’re here now. That’s all that matters,” I told him. “I’m not hurt. Seriously.”

He gave a small shake of his head as his gaze continued to trek over my features. “I can’t believe that. Not when you...” He looked up briefly, his chest rising with a deep breath, and when his gaze met mine again, I would swear the glow behind his eyes was brighter. “How are you up, walking around so quickly?” His gaze traveled the length of my arm, to the numerous bruises that were now barely visible. Then his eyes narrowed. “Better yet, what in the Hell were you even doing here by yourself the night I came back? Even right now?”

I recognized that tone. He sounded just like he had the night I leaped from rooftop to rooftop without warning.

“You really shouldn’t be out here alone. Not with Gabriel still out there,” he continued. “He sent those demons after you. Shit. They were at the apartment.”

He had that same tone when I roamed off ahead of him in an unfamiliar area.

“At least the other night Dez was with you.” A slight frown pulled at his lips. “Is Dez okay? I think I—”

“Threw him into a fountain? Yes. He’s fine.”