She pressed her lips together. “Mist…”
“I mean it.”
And he did. For the first time, he understood what trust was and what it felt like. Because he trusted someone. He trusted Lily.
He knew she would never betray him. She would never use the brands to hurt or control him. There was no proof, no binding promise or irrefutable evidence, but he knew it nonetheless. He knew it because everything about Lily assured him of this.
She was the kindest, most empathetic and loving person he’d ever encountered. She’d taught him the meaning of those qualities in the first place, because before her, they’d only been vague, theoretical notions.
He understood them because she had demonstrated them. Because she had given him her love.
“Mist…” Her palm covered her mouth, and she blinked rapidly. “I swear I’ll never give you reason to doubt me. And I’ll never stop looking for how to get rid of the brands, not even for one day. I promise I’ll—”
He reached out, pulling her hand away and drawing her into him. “I don’t care.”
“No, I have to do this. I can’t just—”
“I want to belong to you.”
“Mist.” A few tears spilled over.
“I want to be bonded to you. That way, if you’re ever in danger, you can use the brand to summon me.”
“But the cuffs. And the heart brand. And—”
“I don’t care.”
“How can you say that?”
“You freed me from Paimon. Lily, I—”
To his surprise, his throat tightened, and he found it impossible to utter another word. He swallowed, trying to relax the constricted muscles. Simultaneously, he felt an intense sensation in his chest. Urgent yet comforting. Frightening yet addictive.
His face scrunched up. He didn’t understand what was wrong with him.
“You saved me,” he finally managed.
Something in one eye blurred his vision, and he felt wetness, so he released Lily’s wrist to swipe it away. Holding his hand up, he stared in disbelief at the single drop of water perched on his fingertip at the base of his claw.
It was a tear.
“Lily…” He looked at her and then back at the tear.
She took his hand and tilted it so she could see. She stared at it for a second, and then she surprised him by throwing herself into his arms with enough force that he nearly tipped backwards. Only his wing talons braced at his sides kept him upright.
“I love you, I love you,” she said over and over, her voice muffled against his chest. His skin immediately became wet with her tears, which were much less rare than his own. Yet each one was no less precious.
He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He wanted to say the words back because he’d seen in the human movies he watched with Eva that it was important.
One partner took the risk to say the words and then waited expectantly for the other to reciprocate. If it was the beginning of the movie, they would not, and drama would follow. If it was the end, they would, and the credits would roll shortly after.
But he wasn’t sure he understood what it meant, even now after everything he’d learned about humans and experienced with Lily. He might have said them anyway just to appease her, but his newfound understanding of trust made him want to be honest with her in all things.
So he chose to explain himself with words he did understand, and he hoped they would be enough.
“When I left to go after Paimon, I had convinced myself it was the only way. But I was wrong. After so long of having nothing, suddenly, I had everything, and I could not believe in it. Maybe I didn’t feel I deserved it. I felt certain everything would be taken from me, and so, to prevent my despair, I decided to end it myself rather than fight.”
Lily lifted her head and met his gaze with sorrowful eyes.
