We were both standing. Both surviving. We were the winners, not them.
Finally, I let the two women go and inhaled hard. “I’d like to be close again, too.” I smiled at Tony, then at Quell. “I’ll do whatever you need to help you find happiness like I have.” I caught Gem’s stare, tripping into even deeper love with her. “You’ve already unofficially met my wife, but let me make the proper introduction.”
My breath caught at the way Gem watched me with an unconditional, everlasting love. She made me burn from the inside out. For all the things that’d been done to me and Quell, I’d done bad things to Gem too. I’d trapped her, used her, made her fear and cry.
Yet she’d forgiven me.
She’d fallen in love with me.
She was my savior...in every sense of the word.
Never taking my eyes off her, I murmured, “This is the woman who saved my life. Gemma Sands.”
Quell—Goddammit Isabella—nodded at my wife. “I’ve been watching your videos online.” She smiled shyly at us both. “I’ve watched both channels actually. Climbing and survival techniques and, of course...your Survivors of Monsters.” She wrung her fingers together before stopping herself and bracing her shoulders. “Your videos helped me, Kas. You helped...just by sharing your story. I never knew how bad it was for you. You never let us see how much pain you were in.” She flinched. “Your nightmares told us that you weren’t coping, but when you were awake, you never once complained. You always took our place, even when you could barely stand.”
I shrugged, the back of my neck prickling with her misplaced praise. “I did what I could.”
“And not a day went by that we weren’t grateful.”
“And me,” Tony murmured. “I still can’t be near you without fighting the urge to hug you in thanks.”
I cracked a smile. “I’d say it was my pleasure, but that would be lying. But I would do it all over again for those I love.” I looked at Gem and took her hand, then glanced at Quell. “And I love you. Both of you. I love you, Gemma, for bringing me back to life and agreeing to spend the rest of your days with me. And I love you, Isabella, for giving me a reason to keep living...so I could one day know that life isn’t all darkness and pain. You gave me purpose. All of you. And it’s time that we find the rest of our family, so they can learn that too.”
Quell flinched and reached into the pocket of her baggy dress. The light blue material suited her complexion, but the size completely swamped her. I didn’t need her to tell me that she’d worn an oversize dress deliberately to hide her figure, still not comfortable with strangers’ eyes on a body that’d once belonged to so many.
“Here.” She passed me an envelope. “It appeared in our letterbox a few days ago. It was one of the reasons I agreed to come today.” She smiled at Gem. “First, to offer my congratulations to you both and secondly...on behalf of him.”
“Him?” I studied the heavy scrawl on the envelope, my heart instantly pounding.
Jareth.
His scribble was recognizable from all the graffiti he’d done on the dormitory walls. The lines of profanity he’d write describing Storymaker and the guests before scratching them out before he could be caught.
Gem touched my arm as Fang leaped up and sniffed the envelope with a soft growl. “Go into the house. Read it. Then come back to us.”
I scrunched the letter into my palm and grabbed her in a savage kiss.
My need for her overflowed, once again tangling with gratefulness, grief, and all-consuming love. “Forever, Gem. I love you forever.”
She smiled and kissed me back. “I know. Isabella and I will be out here waiting.” She smiled at my Fable sister. “We’ll even treat ourselves to the first piece of wedding cake...I’m sure you don’t mind sharing.”
I smiled. “I don’t mind at all. We’re all family, after all.”
Tony patted my shoulder as he nodded. “I’ll look after them until you return, Kas.”
“Thank you.” I shook his hand, squeezing his fingers hard, no longer struggling with contact. He was a good man. A great father. And he would protect the two women of my heart while I read Jareth’s note.
Staring at my gorgeous wife one last time, I gave Isabella a slight nod, then strode toward the house with Fang at my heels.
In a few moments, I would return to them.
We would talk, laugh, and heal.
Our future would unfold with family gatherings and all the things that had been taken from us, rich with good memories that so many people took for granted. Gem and I would help Quell live a full life. Fang would keep me in line. Josh would remind me that I wasn’t just a Fable kid but a man with friends and a following online that gave me validation that sharing pieces of myself had helped patch up parts of them.