This and Every Life

by Emmy Sanders

His hands tug at me, and I plant my palms on the ground, seeking to imprint myself inside his very being so that he’ll never again be without the memory of my touch.

“Don’t lose hope,” I beg of him quietly. “Never that. When you feel lost, look at the stars and know I am looking at them with you.”

“My warrior.” “Forevermore,” I vow.

He kisses me soundly, a lingering smile on his lips, the shape of him so familiar I’m more than certain I could pick him out in the darkest of nights.

Maybe ruin isn’t the right word for what Jasper has wrought by coming into my life. There’s another that feels far more appropriate. Rebirth.

“Will… Will I ever see you again?” My swallow is harsh. “In this life? I am not certain. If there is a way for me to safely return to you, I will find it, Abraham. I promise you that.”

“Jasper.” He rocks me, his face buried in my hair. “My heart. My star. My love. Whoever it was that wove the fabric of my being did it with you in mind. I was made to love you. And I will do so no matter where on this earth you are. My love for you will never, ever flicker out.” “Then I will look at the stars,” I say, voice catching, “and be reminded of it every day.”

“I will love you no matter where. No matter when.”

“Turn around now,” I whisper. “And don’t look back. The next time you see me, it will be upon my return to you.”

“You look lovely, my dear Charlotte. I’ve never in my life been graced by a more beautiful sight.” “I look like a powder puff.”

His eyes dance, his handsome face the picture of devotion and joy. Plus no small amount of mischief. I would capture it for all of eternity if I could.

“Let me love you, Charlotte Kane. It’s the only thing in this world I desire.”

The day Arthur Kane came into my world was the most fortuitous of my life.

It is you who holds my very heart in your palm. You own me with every flex of your hand. And I am your willing captive.” “So if I demand for you to kiss me?” “I would ask where.”

I’ve often thought Charlotte wasn’t born for this time. Or perhaps, she was made to change it.

“I’m a Kane, after all. Am I not?” “For the rest of our days,” I promise. And surely far beyond that.

“I love you.” He peppers me with kisses amidst his words, the onslaught most welcome. “I love you. I love you so.” “My heart,” I say, my insides light. “I pray you never stop.”

“Seeing you happy is a gift you need never repay. I don’t quite think you understand, my dear. I would give all of myself, freely, if only to ensure your smile.” His expression flickers. “But then you would be left with nothing.” “No,” I disagree, straightening his cravat. “I would have gained quite a lot.”

I quite think I’ve found my match in Charlie Kane.

I would choose you countless times over. I’d take a lifetime of being loved by you, Arthur Kane, over any life lived without. I’m more than certain there’s not a storm I couldn’t weather, so long as I have you at my side.”

it will be my honor to stand at your side through rain and thunder, my dear heart. Sunshine, too, for I hope we have plenty of it.” “I have no doubt,”

For the first time in his life, he’s being granted the opportunity to let his inner self shine through. And it’s absolutely breathtaking. I loved him before. From almost the very start. But what I feel now seeing Charlie find the person he was always meant to be? It can’t be categorized by four simple letters. It’s so much grander than love. Far more vast and dangerous. I fear I would burn the world down just to watch Charlie walk free. Maybe, one day, I’ll be able to.

“Covetous.” “Is it your husband you covet, dear Charlie?” His lips touch feather-soft to my own. “Always.” “Then take what you will from me, my heart. I am yours in every way.”

I don’t speak it aloud, but what I’ve always known is that Charlie and my heart are one and the same. There’s no splitting the two apart. I was made to love Charlie Valentine, now Kane. No matter the form in which he came to me.

“Perhaps we should wish upon the stars. One is never too old to wish, don’t you think?”

If I could wish for anything, it would be for Arthur’s love to follow me into whatever is waiting next. Heaven. Hell. I don’t much care, so long as we can be together.

The Sword of Leandros.”

“And what of our love, dear heart?” Charlie’s head turns my way, his eyes specks of light in the dark. “It will outlast all the stars, Arthur. Every last one of them.”

“My heart,” I say softly, more than ready to offer every fiber of my being to the person most deserving of it. “Have me as you will. Have my body, my love, and my everlasting soul. For there is not a single other in this universe I wish to share eternity with.”

I pray I can show you the stars.” I turn my head, pressing a kiss to the pad of his finger. “None will ever be as exquisite as you.”

“I love you wildly.”

“Charlie, you will always be my heart, no matter how many times your name may change. No matter your body or age or the years we see pass. There is nothing in this universe that would stop me from loving you. Dare I say not even death.”

“I didn’t fall in love with you for your petals, my dear heart. So let them fall. Summer is but a season, and I suspect it’s long since passed.”

He stands behind me, my sword and my shield, every ounce a Kane, whether by blood or sheer determination.

Love. The most powerful weapon there is. For no one, not even a god, can take it away.

If you keep people at a distance, well, then they can’t hurt you where it matters, can they?

Madison wanted me to do something for myself this weekend. Something that would make me happy. Somehow, I doubt moving in with fellow movie star Ezra Gold was what she had in mind.

It’s…cataclysmic. Ruinous and miraculous.”

“He’s ace, Madison. And aro. He’s not interested in anybody like that. Not sexually. Not romantically.”

“Do you know what I felt when I first met Gray? It was like I’d found a piece of myself that had been living outside of my body. And I didn’t even know it until he was close enough to bring it home. If soulmates are a thing, he’s mine. It’s not romantic. It doesn’t have to be. He’s part of me, and I would no sooner cut out my own lungs than be without that man in my life.”

If charisma had a face, it’d be my best friend’s.

“It’ll be worth it,” I put in, knowing it’s the absolute truth. “It’s hard to understand for you, I get that. But spending the rest of my life with this guy?” I tip my head in Ezra’s direction. “Worth everything coming our way.”

But every bit of the attention will be worth it at the end of the day. Because I’ll have Ezra. Close, like I’ve always wanted, even before I understood it.

“Gray, buddy. If people can’t see how much I love you, they haven’t been paying attention.”

Ezra Gold. Can’t take him anywhere.

“Your dad, on the other hand, is an unfortunate passenger in my ridiculous life. I’ve kidnapped him, I’m afraid. And I’m loath to let him go.”

“We’re inevitable, Grayson Fox. Bound by fate or luck or maybe even gravity. The moment I found you, I knew there was no escape.”

“There’s a name for that, you know,” I tell him, my heart so full it’s a wonder I can speak through it. “When two stars are drawn together. Their energy shared.” His head lolls my way. “Yeah? And what’s that?”

Cataclysmic. Ruinous and miraculous. No words better describe what Ezra is to me. There’s a smile on my face when I answer my friend, the world around us dark. “Supernova.”

“What about friendship? What about family? Why can’t a person feel fulfilled if they never marry? Why can’t the absolute love of my life be my best friend?”