Faith (Book Two)

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

The dress fits me perfectly and I can't believe how feminine I look. I don't recognize the person staring back at me and I know there is a chance I will never see myself like this again. I hear him enter the room and I don't resist when he wraps his arms around me. His body is shaking violently, and I can already hear the thoughts as they buzz through his mind.

"I have to," I say in a whisper and a silent sob wracks through his frame.

"I just got you back," he says.

"I'll be back again," I say and there is confidence in my voice I don't recognize.

"Fay," he says softly.

"There isn't another way," I say firmly, and he sighs.

"I will come and rescue you, I just need a signal," he says.

"I won't need rescuing, I'm going to need the entire police force of Arizona," I say, and I can still feel him trembling.

"Faith," he says again.

"Orion," I say.

"Be careful," he says softly and his lips land against my forehead.

"I will," I say, and he lets go of me.

I see the emotion swirling through his eyes as if they are a basin of water. The fear is so strong, sadness, and compassion come forward before the fear returns. He cares for me, I could tell from the moment I went to his apartment, but he knows just as much as I do, that there is no room for compassion in our lives. Everyone we ever care about will always be under fire, it just is our curse to bear.

"I should go," he says, and I nod.

"This isn't goodbye," I say, swallowing hard.

"But it is," he says, and I cock my head to the side.

"It's goodbye to this Faith, the happier Faith, and if we ever meet again, it will be like I am speaking to a completely different person. You won't come out of this unscathed. They are going to destroy you, they will break you down to your very core until Faith doesn't exist anymore," he says.

"We were born to be broken and rebuilt," I say numbly, and he nods.

"Goodbye Faith," he says.

"See you later Orion," I say, and he is gone.

A knock on my door calls my attention. Opening it slowly I see Ruka standing on the other side looking like a queen with her hair pinned up and her dress fitting her perfectly. She pulls me into her arms and holds me close. We haven't talked a lot about what has happened, and now I will never be able to. But I am thankful for the time I had with Dax and Ruka. The letter I left them will say everything I can't say right now.

"We love you, Faith," she says softly into my hair, and my body tenses.

"I am so thankful to have met you two," I say and she releases me.

"Let's get going, we have a wedding to attend," she says, and I grab her hand, and Dax joins us at the door.

The car ride over is quiet and I am mostly consumed by my thoughts. Ruka hasn't let go of my hand and I don't release hers. Once we arrive at the beautiful garden outside of the city, Ruka and I tend to the little things while Aviva and Cathleen are getting ready.