Roar did not answer, but pressed her face closer to the hollow of his neck. He thought she might stay there forever, and he found he did not much mind the idea. But eventually she did speak, whispering, “I need to tell you the truth about my past, about my life before I left with you.”

He swallowed, and it was suddenly difficult to remain still. He needed to pace, to do something with his hands, to do anything to keep himself calm through whatever was coming next. But somehow he stayed right there, still folded together with her like the pages of a book.

“I am going to tell you everything,” she continued. “And then tomorrow, I have to meet someone. I’d like you to come with me, if you still want to when I’m done.”

Skies, he hated the anticipation of not knowing, of fearing the worst. Though, honestly, he truly did not care about her past. He did not care who she had been before or what she’d had to do to survive. He only cared about who they were to each other moving forward.

Slowly, she pulled back to look him in the eye. “Before I tell you. Can you do one thing for me?” she asked.

“Anything.”

“I just need one moment where the rest of the world does not matter. I need one moment that’s only about you and me. I want … a pause. I want the eye before the storm continues.”

“And how do I give you that?” Kiran asked.

She smiled, a full smile—not the nervous one he’d seen all day.

“That’s simple. You kiss me.”

Kiran searched her eyes, the brilliant blue hue swimming with emotion, and then he stepped back and moved toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Roar’s voice wobbled a little.

He stopped next to the door and looked back at her. Then he reached up and turned the lock.

“I’m pausing the world.”

Aurora’s breath caught in her throat at the warm look in Kiran’s eyes. He looked at her like … like a man who loved a woman, and all at once, she felt very grown up. When she had left Pavan, all she had was a lifetime of waiting—waiting for her magic to manifest, waiting to come of age, waiting in fear of her secret getting out, waiting for some day in the future when she could finally be the true Aurora.

And now … here she was. She had discovered so much about the world and herself. She’d faced danger and taken control of her own choices. She’d seen deserts and mountains and walked unfamiliar roads. She knew what it looked like when someone loved her. In some ways, Aurora had lived more life in her few short months with Kiran than all her previous years combined.