Batista's POV
I was at her side in an instant. My knees hit the stone floor so hard I barely felt the pain. None of it mattered. All that mattered was her. My hands closed around hers, clutching them as if letting go meant losing her all over again.
Warm.
Alive.
Stronger than before.
The heat of her skin sank into me, undoing the cold that had been locked in my chest since the night she died. Tears blurred my vision, spilling down my cheeks before I could even try to stop them. I pressed her knuckles against my forehead, my voice breaking in half.
"I thought I lost you," I whispered, shaking. "I thought I—" The words cut off, strangled by the knot in my throat. I couldn't finish. I couldn't even breathe.
Her other hand rose. Trembling, but steady enough to reach my face. Her touch was light, almost fragile, brushing against my cheek. My whole body shuddered at that single touch. She smiled, faint but real, and the sight of it crushed me and healed me at the same time.
