Belle glanced up to find Lily peering at her, a soft look in her eyes. No hatred. No disgust. “Don’t look at me like that,” Belle warned, her voice low and hard. “Don’t look at me like I’m a savior. I almost poisoned a person.”

“So why didn’t you? No one stopped you this time.”

Belle shrugged, looking down. Tears sparked in her eyes. She was determined not to let them fall, until Lily’s hand slid over hers.

A tear slipped from her cheek, landing on the letter below.

“Why did you decide not to frame Jack?” Lily pressed, squeezing Belle’s hand. “Why did you decide not to break Raven’s heart?”

Because you gave me back mine. Because you gave me a family, when I never thought I’d have a family again. Because Raven and Jack may have stopped loving me, but I never stopped loving them. I just told myself I had, because it hurt too badly to lose them.

“Because I’m not a killer,” Belle said finally. “I don’t want to poison people to feel protected. And I don’t want to live in a cage of my own making.” A pause, as she met Lily’s gaze. “I want to let someone in.”

“Then let me in.”

Belle swallowed, wrapping her arms around herself. “What if something goes wrong?”

“Something will definitely go wrong. But we’ll find our way back to each other, if that’s what we want. Is that what you want?”

“Yes.” No hesitation this time. No pause. Belle’s body was racked with fear, her breath coming out sharp and fast. But this time, the fear wasn’t strong enough to keep her from doing what she wanted.

Carefully, she guided Lily onto the bed. Lily’s body was languid. Her back arched as Belle crawled over her. “I will never let anyone hurt you,” Belle whispered into Lily’s mouth, just before she kissed her.

Lily looked up, a light in her eyes. “And I will always protect your heart.”

Then, a kiss. Belle tasted Lily’s lips, her fingers sliding into Lily’s hair, and there was nothing sweet or tentative about it. Lily was hers in that moment. Belle was Lily’s. And they would find each other, over and over again, because it was what they wanted.

Belle wanted this.

Her hand slipped under Lily’s sweatshirt, as if to lift it. Lily pulled back. “I can’t,” she whispered, her body gone rigid. “Just leave it on. Okay?”

Belle nodded, working around the fabric, because she would always give Lily what she wanted. But an idea occurred to her, just as her fingers neared Lily’s heart, and she pulled back. “Wait here a minute.”