I hoisted myself up onto one of the smooth, glistening stones lining the lake’s edge, my body nearly soaked through with sweat. I wasn’t sure if it was the lingering fire-magic or Leonardo’s soft, insistent words that had set a flush of heat racing through me. Seeing Leonardo awestruck, with a wonder I’d never witnessed before, was something new. To be the source of that awe, that silent reverence-it was a feeling I hadn’t realized I craved. Like my soul was finding its missing half.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warned, eyeing Leonardo as he swam toward the stone beside me.
As expected, he ignored my caution, pulling himself up onto the stone. I caught a glimpse of his pale skin before I quickly turned my gaze upward, focusing instead on the stars, which were scattered like gemstones against the night sky. Above us, the clusters of flames I’d conjured still floated like enchanted lanterns.
“Have you always been this innocent?” he asked with a smirk, settling himself against the cool stone.
I turned my head to glare at him, fighting the heat that spread across my cheeks as he stretched out, casually resting his arms behind his head. My gaze lingered on the muscles of his arms, my fingers twitching as I imagined what it might feel like to be held within their strength. I snapped myself back to reality, forcing a scowl.
“Have you always been this indecent?” I shot back, rolling my eyes when his smile widened.
“Decency?” he chuckled, his voice dropping to a low, warm rumble. “Not when I’m with you, kitten. When I’m with you, I want to be entirely indecent.”
“You’re used to being indecent, aren’t you?” I muttered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Regret surged within me as I spoke, but the pain of the past wasn’t so easily silenced. No amount of sweet words or whispered promises could erase the hurt I’d endured. And yet, here he was. Leonardo had abandoned his pack, followed me to Cervinia, stayed even as I’d transformed into something unrecognizable.
“You’re different, Isabella,” he said quietly, conviction in every word. “My biggest regret will always be that I didn’t realize that sooner.”
Swallowing back the ache in my chest, I replied softly, “I’m sorry for what I said. You’ve given up so much to be here, and you’ve accepted me, even as I’ve changed.”
“Kitten, I’d follow you anywhere,” he said, and his words coaxed my gaze back to his face.
His crystal-clear eyes glowed with sincerity, erasing the old ache that had been lodged in my chest. Only faint echoes of it remained, like memories of a wound that had finally begun to heal.
“I think I believe you now,” I admitted, looking back up at the stars. “I can’t erase the past, and I can’t just ignore everything I went through. But I’m trying.”
“That’s all I could ever ask,” he murmured. “Someday, I hope I’ll earn your forgiveness.”
Taking a deep breath, I allowed myself to lean a little further into the warmth of his presence. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t risk my heart again-not after Carlo. I’d learned the cost of vulnerability and vowed to never open myself up like that again. But with Leonardo, I knew he wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Nearly losing me was a mistake he wouldn’t make twice.
“Then don’t stop trying, Leonardo,” I whispered, my voice almost lost in the night.
His answer came instantly, sending a shiver through me. “Never, kitten. No matter how long it takes.”
Silence settled around us, but the fluttering warmth in my heart didn’t fade. Here, in this enchanted cocoon of shimmering fire and starlight, I could almost pretend the outside world didn’t exist. After what felt like an eternity, Leonardo shifted, resting his head on his hand as he looked over at me.
“I meant to ask-how are you really handling everything?” His voice softened, and I saw a shadow of pain cross his face. “I can’t imagine what all this change must feel like.”
The question took me by surprise, and when I turned to meet his gaze, I found his lips curved in a gentle, almost vulnerable smile. The weight of his words hit me, and I paused to collect my thoughts.
“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted finally, hesitant but feeling strangely safe under his gaze. “I think what’s hardest is knowing I won’t age. I’ll never see my parents again. A hundred years from now, maybe even a thousand… I’ll still be here, just as I am.”
The unspoken truth hung in the air, dimming the flames around us. I would remain unchanged, an echo across time, but Leonardo wouldn’t. How could I find the potential for something so profound, only to one day be forced to part from it? It was a cruel twist of fate. As the thought surfaced, I realized how foolish it was to cling to old wounds when time itself was slipping away.