Feather Dark

Chapter 28

Keira

There is a man on my balcony.

I felt him before I saw him, Leigh's presence like a physical pull on my body and my heart. I turned towards the small balcony attached to my vast tent.

Mom had insisted that I take the 'honeymoon' suite, seated on an elevated platform with its king-sized canopy bed facing towards the tent flaps and a magnificent view of the rolling valley. After so long on the run, the elegant perch felt like a sanctuary, but if I stayed too long in the romantic setting, I grew despondent. It was easier to focus on our upcoming mission than sit on the balcony's love seat, wishing for someone to share it with.

Leigh stood there, the same silhouette that had landed on my apartment balcony so many months before. It still amazed me that I hadn't recognised him that night when every detail of his outline was so familiar to me now: the little flick of his hair at the back, his open body language, the length of his steps.

I drew a trembling breath, conflicting emotions surging through me, like a pour paint project, endless contrasting colours that spread outwards in spirals. There was anger, longing, frustration, fear, love and lust, all swirling together. Swallowing hard, I readied myself. Despite the brave and calm face I'd been putting on, the stakes were so very high for my heart.

"Hello again," I said evenly. "Do you want to come in?"

He nodded, uncharacteristically stoic, then stepped inside.

I folded my arms and waited. I'd said my piece; time to hear his.

In those few moments of silence, I considered how much I had changed between now and the first time Leigh landed on my balcony. I'd been a girl then, running away from everything that seemed scary. I'd run from my mom when she tried to share the truth about my parentage with me. I'd run from both Noah and Leigh when the thought of hurting either one was too much.

But since then, I'd grown. I'd survived imprisonment, torture, hopelessness. I'd made peace with my mother and Noah, and I'd found a way to make peace with myself. I took pride in the work I was doing with the Squadron to protect my people and my future. I had developed resilience and cultivated an inner strength. Hell, I'd taken a bullet for someone – not something I'd ever pictured myself doing.

And strangest of all, I'd come to accept that my life might not involve a happy ending with Leigh. The thought of losing him was excruciating, like having my wings ripped off with no anaesthetic. But I could live without wings, and I could learn to live without Leigh too. I loved him, but I wasn't going to beg. What would the point be? If the only reason someone is in your life is because you were convincing enough, is that even real love?

"Say what you've come to say," I said, lifting my gaze to meet his eyes, their gold irises a deep brass tone in the low light.

He was breathing hard and fast, and his words were shaky. "I was on my way to see you, and I remembered that I still had this."

He lifted his hand, several sheets of lined paper clutched between his fingers.

"Ah, you found my note." I tilted my head. "Did you actually read it this time?"

He nodded, then held the pages towards me. "But I want you to read it to me."

"What?"

"Please, Keira." I noticed his fingers trembling and I could see he was close to tears. "I want to hear the words in your voice."

I'd begun to shake myself, a quiver in my chest I couldn't control. "Okay," I said reluctantly. This is going to suck. I'd wept the whole time I'd written the damn thing; no way was I getting through this without ending up a blotchy mess.