Luna. Chapter 165

Kael was halfway to the back door when I caught his arm.

"Wait."

He turned back to me, and I saw something in his eyes that made my heart race. The same hunger I was feeling. The same desperate need.

"Lyra..."

"We don't know when we'll see each other again," I said. "After tomorrow, everything changes."

"It's too dangerous. If someone sees me here—"

"I don't care."

I pulled him back into the kitchen, then led him upstairs to my bedroom. My hands were shaking as I closed the door behind us.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I'm sure."

He crossed the room in two steps and kissed me like he was dying. Like I was the air he needed to breathe.

I had forgotten how good we were together. How perfectly we fit.

His hands were gentle as they found the hem of my shirt. "The baby—"

"Is fine," I finished. "She's fine."

I helped him lift the shirt over my head, then worked on the buttons of his jacket. We moved slowly at first, relearning each other. Then faster as the need became overwhelming.

"I've missed you so much," he whispered against my neck.

"Show me."

He did. With his hands, his mouth, his whole body. He showed me how much he'd missed me, how much he loved me, how sorry he was for everything that had gone wrong between us.

I showed him the same thing back.

We made love like people who might not get another chance. Desperate and tender and fierce all at once.

Afterward, we lay tangled together in my bed, breathing hard.

"That was—" he started.

"Amazing."

"I was going to say necessary."

I laughed. "That too."

He traced circles on my bare shoulder. "I forgot how good we are together."

"I didn't forget. I just tried not to think about it."

"Did it work?"

"No."

He kissed the top of my head. "I want this back. All of it. You, me, our family."

"So do I."

"When this is over—"

"When this is over, we'll figure it out." I turned in his arms so I could see his face. "But right now, we focus on surviving."

"Deal."

We made love again, slower this time. Like we had all the time in the world instead of stolen moments in the middle of a war.

When we finished, I rested my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat. Strong and steady and alive.

"I love you," I said.

"I love you too." His arms tightened around me. "Both of you."

The baby chose that moment to kick, hard enough that Kael felt it too.

"She's strong," he said.

"Takes after her parents."

"Let's hope that's enough."

We lay there in comfortable silence until Kael's phone buzzed with a text. He checked it and sighed.

"Cordelia. I need to go."

"I know."

But neither of us moved. Being apart had become almost impossible.

"Promise me something," I said.

"Anything."

"Promise me you'll be careful. Whatever you're planning with Cordelia, whatever intelligence you're gathering, promise me you won't take unnecessary risks."

"I promise."

"I mean it, Kael. This baby needs her father."

"She has her father. And she always will."

He kissed me one more time, long and deep, then forced himself to get up and get dressed.

I watched him from the bed, memorizing every detail. The way he moved. The concentration on his face as he buttoned his shirt. The gentle way he touched my belly before he left.

"I'll see you soon," he said.

"You better."

After he left, I lay alone in the dark, feeling the lingering warmth where his body had been. We'd crossed a line tonight. Made a choice.

Whatever happened next, we were in it together.

The baby moved restlessly, as if she could sense my mixed emotions.

"It's okay, little one," I whispered. "Daddy and I are figuring things out."

A gentle flutter, like reassurance.

I fell asleep with my hand on my belly, dreaming of a future where my family was whole and safe. Where we didn't have to steal moments in the dark.

Where love was enough to protect the people we cared about.