The night stretched around me and Magnus.
After a while, the lake's surface stilled once more, reflecting the soft glow of the moon. The only sound was our labored breaths, while the world itself held its breath, as if watching us.
I felt as though I were floating—not in the water I had nearly succumbed to, but in something else. Magnus's presence felt like the answer to the chaos that had been my life.
I pulled back just enough to look at him properly, my hands still clutching the fabric of his shirt. Magnus's gaze roamed my face, as if memorizing every curve. He looked so afraid that I might vanish if he dared to blink even once.
"Magnus," I whispered, my fingers ghosting along his jaw. "I searched for you, but…"
A shadow flickered across his face. "You shouldn't have…"
My brows knitted together. "Why do you keep saying that?"
