And as they did it, it hit Abel that, with what had just happened, like she said he gave to her, before he knew what he needed, she’d given him exactly that.

An anchor.

A safe harbor.

A sense of belonging.

The certainties of his world, love and life, all this inextricably mingled with loss, took new meaning.

It became nothing but a journey, a journey filled with beauty and pain.

A journey that led to her.

A journey that would never end, but now one thing would remain constant.

She’d be at his side.

He closed his eyes against the stinging he felt in them and bent his neck, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

He took in a deep breath, taking in more of her scent, letting the feel of her in his arms, the feel of being in hers, soak in deep.

Then he said into her hair, “I’m good to go back now.”

He again lifted his head when she tipped hers back. “You sure?”

He nodded.

She studied him for a moment before he felt her hands fist in his shirt at his back.

“He’s your twin,” she noted quietly.

“Yep,” he replied.

Her lips tipped up. “You’re hotter.”

That was when it happened. Something he couldn’t imagine happening so soon after he came face-to-face with the brother who, for centuries, he hadn’t known he’d had. Something he could imagine happening so soon after Delilah shared the depths of her love.

He threw his head back and burst out laughing.

“It’s true,” she said through his laughter, giving his shirt a tug.

His body was shaking and he was still laughing when he dipped his chin to again catch her eyes, and when he did, he caught her grinning.

“He looks just like me.”

“A mate can tell the difference. And anyway, every girl knows that scars are hot.”

“Right,” he said through his continuing chuckles.

“Though, I’d bet the farm she’s a biker bitch. That outfit, which, by the way, when this is done, I’m getting one just like that, screams biker.” She pressed into him. “She’s something.”

“You’re hotter.”

Her grin remained in place, but her eyes warmed, and seeing as they were already warm, the affection in them now was amazing to behold.

But she didn’t reply to what he said. She rolled up on her toes and kissed his throat.

When she rolled back, the warmth was still there, but the grin was only lingering.

“We should go back.”

He nodded.

She gave him a squeeze before she let him go with one arm, keeping the other around his waist. He did the same but with an arm around her shoulders.

Holding each other, they walked back to where they’d been.