Falling in Love with the Man of My Nightmares (That's [Para]Normal #4)

by Camilla Evergreen

Pollux turns toward the front door. My heart jumps. I don’t know why, but I trip forward, grab the hem of his shirt, and stop him. Beautiful, dark, and monstrous eyes glance at me over his shoulder. “Yes?” “It’s gonna be okay, right? Everything is gonna be okay, right?” “It is going to be better than okay.” Facing me, he lifts my chin and kisses my forehead. “Do not worry, Kassandra. You are loved.” I drive home with Pollux’s words on repeat in my skull. They’re a gentle pound that overrides the things my mother said to me. They’re strong enough to fill my chest with air and guide me to rest once I find my way back to my bed. The idea that I’m loved isn’t foreign. After all, I didn’t grow up in a cold world like Zahra. But…something about the way Pollux said you are loved feels different. Like, for the first time in my life, being loved relies on nothing. For the first time in my life, all the weight of an expectation to play a role…is gone.