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Of course she was. Lily always ended up surrounded by books when she was anxious. Soren quietly made his way through the house. The library door stood partially open, and he paused just outside. Lily sat curled into one corner of the oversized sofa with a blanket wrapped around her legs. She wasn't reading. The book rested unopened in her lap. She was simply staring out the window—waiting for him. His chest tightened because she'd waited for him again.

He gently knocked against the doorframe, and her head snapped toward him. Relief washed across her face so quickly that it stole his breath. "There you are." Three simple words, yet they'd never meant so much.

Soren crossed the room. "I'm sorry it took so long."

"You came back; that’s all that matters,” she breathed.

"I told you I would."

"I know.” She stood before he reached her, and for a moment they simply looked at one another before she wrapped both arms around his waist. She didn't say anything. She just held him. Soren closed his eyes and rested his chin against the top of her head. God, he'd missed her. His home had never truly been a home before Lily. It had been a fortress, a headquarters, and a place to sleep between battles. Now, someone was waiting for him. Someone worried if he skipped dinner. Someone smiled when he walked through the door. Someone hugged him simply because he came back alive.

He tightened his arms around her. "I've got you, babygirl,” he whispered into her ear.

"I know." She pulled back just enough to look up at him. "Did you eat?"

Soren laughed, and she smiled up at him sheepishly. “I didn’t really have time to eat, babygirl,” he admitted.

“Then we’ll have breakfast together,” she insisted. She reached up and smoothed the front of his shirt, and only then did she notice the dried blood on one cuff. Her smile disappeared. "Soren."

"It's not mine."

She froze. "Someone was hurt."

"Yes,” he said.

"Was it Rachel?"

He nodded. "She survived."

Lily let out the breath she'd been holding. "Thank goodness."

Soren took her hand. "We need to talk." The words instantly changed the room, and fear flickered across her face.

"You found out why my name was on the list." It wasn't a question.

He nodded. "I did."

She squeezed his hand. "Tell me."

Soren led her to the sofa, sitting beside her instead of across from her. He wanted her close for this. He reached into his jacket and removed the manila folder. Her name, written in red ink, stared back at both of them. Lily's face turned pale.

She looked at him. "I'm ready."

Soren wasn't sure anyone could ever be ready for what she was about to hear, but he also knew one thing with absolute certainty. She would never face another terrible truth alone. Not anymore.

Chapter Sixteen

Lily

Soren didn't rush. He didn't dump the truth into Lily's lap and expect her to carry it alone. Instead, he sat beside her on the library sofa, her hand wrapped tightly in his while the folder with her name rested on the coffee table between them. Neither of them reached for it—not yet.

"I need you to remember something before we start," he said quietly.

Lily looked up at him. "Okay."

"Nothing I'm about to tell you is your fault." Her stomach twisted painfully. He already knew her well enough to know exactly where her mind would go.

"I'll try,” she promised.