Kas stared at the dog as it continued to sniff me, then braced his shoulders. “Me and Fang here had a rocky beginning.”
“Fang?”
His lips tipped up. “Didn’t know what else to call him, and...well, he bit me, so I’m well acquainted with his teeth.”
“He bit you?” I grabbed his bloody bandage again, throwing a scowl at the dog. “We need to get you to a doctor, so they can administer a rabies injection and get you started on antibiotics.”
Kas chuckled under his breath. “Gem...I’m fine. Nothing some soap and water won’t fix.”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you a doctor now?”
“No, but I know what wounds my body has overcome, and a few teeth punctures are nothing.”
I winced. “Of course...I just...” I shook my head, trying to dispel images of Kas bleeding worse than he currently was, accepting a rabid bite as flippantly as one might tolerate a scraped knee.
“I’m fine, Gem. Honest.” He smiled properly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Honestly, I feel better than I have since...since I can remember. I’m lighter. I’m...steadier.”
I let his arm go, staring closely into his eyes.
He wasn’t lying.
The shadowy depths were crystal clear, the wary guardedness replaced with open trust. Tilting my head, I cupped his cheek. “I believe you.” I ran my finger over his bottom lip, my heart fluttering with every feeling possible. “What happened out there with you and Fang?”
Kas kissed the tip of my finger. “We...recognized each other.”
“And that helped?”
“More than I can say.”
“But he bit you.”
“I would’ve done the same.” Kas sucked in a breath. “I did do the same...to you.”
Goosebumps pebbled over my arms as he captured my fingers from his mouth and squeezed so damn hard. “I bit you in my way, Gem. I bit you out of fear and self-defense. But no matter how hard I bit, you never stopped seeing what was beneath my violent fear.”
Tears obscured my vision again.
Kas kissed my palm, breathing into my skin. “Fang had a rope around his neck—just like I had a rope around mine tying me to Fables. The moment I freed the dog, he gave over his entire heart—every molecule of trust without a moment of doubt.”
He inhaled me, shaking his head a little. “You were the one to free me, Gem, but I wasn’t capable of giving you what Fang gave me tonight. It’s taken me so much longer to reach his unconditional belief that things will be...okay. That we can’t predict the future or control every aspect of our lives, but we can choose to take it one step at a time. He showed me that no matter what he’s gone through at the hands of people, he’s still willing to trust. To give his heart, never knowing if he’s going to get hurt again.”
His tone went rough and raspy. “He bit me to protect himself. He bit me and I let him because I know how it feels to still taste that helplessness. I know how it eats you up inside. Wanting to bite something. Kill something. Hurt something just because they hurt you.”
Kas cleared his throat and met my eyes. “But most of all, he taught me that in order to be happy, you have to let go. The fear, the anger, the pain. Just let it all fucking go and move on.”
I brought our joined hands to my mouth, kissing his knuckles. “You truly mean that.”
“I truly mean that.”
“Kas, I-I don’t know what to say...I’m so relieved. So—”
“I’m ready, Gem. I’m ready to be real with you. To live my life with you. To accept everything—the good and the bad, no matter what.”
“I’m so, so proud of you.”
He smirked. “Does that mean you forgive me for running off and making an ass of myself?”
“If it leads you to epiphanies like the one you had tonight, then yes.” I grinned. “So long as you promise me, you’ll always come back.”
He gathered me in a hug, pressing his lips to mine. “You’re my home, Gem. Of course, I’ll always come back to you.”
I moaned into his kiss, letting him sweep me away with his tongue, his truth, and his healing. By the time he let me go, my insides were melted, and I’d completely forgotten about the mutt still sniffing my dress.
Fang’s cold, wet nose nudged my bare foot as Kas pulled away. Glancing down at the stinky, dirty dog, he tensed. “Eh, we’ve never had the conversation on where we both stand with pets and kids. You know I can’t physically give you kids—not after what they did to me—but I can’t deny that...caring for others brings out the best in me. It lets me see just how fucking lucky I am by helping those who need it. And I—”
“I understand, Kas.”
“But I haven’t asked—”
“I get it.”
“I want to keep—”
“I know.”
“You do?” He frowned. “And you’re okay with it?”