I pushed a lock of hair behind her ear, focusing on nothing else but her in that moment. My light, my girl. I'd been so clouded by the need to run to Mariella and rip her from this world, that I hadn't realised how important it was that Elise went with me. She grounded me, made me hope for a future that wasn't endlessly dark. And after tonight, maybe that future would shine even brighter than before. "I couldn't do it without you, baby."
