s synchronized with the persistent rumble of thunder. The image in the mirror was not one of pristine elega

ically, locking the door without taking a single glance at her, determined to distance himself. How

ou still kee

made her appear ghostlike and ethereal. "Don't start.

on sightseeng not contemplati

explain why there happens to be a dozen hand painted star

e past is healthy for the bod

ean turning the globe upside down,"

most importantly, a serum

re a la

anymo

rely harnessed. Her scent had shifted too; she was no longer the mafia princess sweetly scen

"If the Morettis figure out that you surviv

ed, "which is why I ne

sted you, you suitable vanished and let me

ng everyone. If they knew I had made contact

hat easy t

e." Voice trembling, she add

ed around them like thunderclouds brewed abov

Damon, still breathless, "You r

about love. It was about the cont

ocre version of myself-an unaccomplished boy, who lacks agency-and the fortitude to face the world rallying agai

looked at her. "Now, what do you wish

wer. Freedom. A life whe

d again,

"I need you beside me. Not as my protector. But as my

surface. A primal growl simmered deep in

this," Damon said,

up like a firefly in the night sky: dazzling and intricate all at onc