Kayla was back in my arms where she belonged. For a few blissful hours, I would let myself believe all was right in the world. I would pretend we were somewhere other than Central, and we weren’t in grave danger.

“Mason?” She whispered my name.

“Yes?” I would never tire of the sound of my name on her lips.

“You came after me.” She lifted her head, and her hair brushed against my neck.

“Did you really doubt I would?”

She said nothing.

“Kayla?” I looked at her face in the dim light.

“Yes?” She settled her head back down again.

“Please answer me. Did you really doubt it?”

“I didn’t know…”

“What you need to know is I will always follow you. I could never let you go, especially not to a place like this. If I truly believed you were happier and safer without me, I could make myself leave you, but even that wouldn’t be easy.”

“I wouldn’t be happier without you.” Her voice was strong and certain.

“I know I would be miserable without you.” I couldn’t even entertain the thought of losing Kayla without spiraling down to a bad place.

“You aren’t who I thought you were at first.”

“Who did you think I was?” I didn’t even know who I was anymore. So much had changed so quickly, and the wisps of memories I’d never realized I had were at the edge of my mind.

“Not this.” She touched the spot over my heart.

“You are so much more than I imagined.”

“Only because I’m rare.” There was a deep sadness buried in her voice.

“No.” I hated that she thought that; she didn’t understand it was her as a person that I loved. “That has nothing to do with it. It’s you. It’s your heart. You are right, your heart is rare, but it would have been rare even before everything changed.”

“Do you ever imagine what life would be like if we lived back then? If we lived before?”

“I never did.” My thoughts before had been centered on survival and staying as close to the top of society as I could.

“Did? As in past tense?”

“I have since knowing you. I’ve thought about what it would be like if we could actually live together without fear.”

“I didn’t let myself imagine it before, but now I can. I can picture having a life with you. Maybe one day we can all settle somewhere.”

“That would be nice.”

“There is so much I wish I could say, so much I wish we could discuss.”

“I know.” I kissed her head. “For now that will have to wait.”

“Okay.” She ran her hand up and down my chest.

My lips found hers, and I savored her sweetness. I cradled her head in my hand, pulling her on top of me. I needed her closer. I cared nothing for whether we were being recorded or watched. I needed to express feelings my words couldn’t possibly achieve.

“Mason.” She moaned my name against my lips.

Her nightgown rode up, exposing much of her body to me. I pulled the blanket up to cover her; I refused to let anyone else see an inch of her. No matter what the doctor said, someone could be watching. I slipped my hand under the thin nightgown, cupping her breast. She moaned lightly, until she started to push me away.

I released her. “What is it?”

“We can’t do this here. Not now.”

“I understand.” I did, but that didn’t make it easy to resist her. I’d been so afraid, terrified of losing her.

“Once we leave. Once we have a chance to start over.” She yawned softly.

I gently eased her nightgown down her body, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart and my impossible to hide arousal. “Go to sleep, my love. You are safe with me.” I rolled her to the side so she could sleep the way she preferred.

“I know I am.” She rested her head on my chest. “Thank you for that.”

“You don’t have to thank me.”

“Yes I do.”

I dropped the argument as I heard her breathing even out. I pulled her tightly against me. Kayla was back in my arms, and it’s where she would spend every other night from now on.