KRYPTONITE
He came back after a few minutes, that worried look still on his face whenever he glanced in my direction. I could tell he was anxious about me. He thought I was in shock, because I’d seen him kill Bordas, because I’d shot Benson.
I wasn’t.
Neither of those things gave me pause.
It wasn’t Benson’s actions that haunted my thoughts — not the way he’d looked as he casually threatened thousands of innocent lives, or the cavalier tone of his voice when he’d declared Istvan was going to kill me. Instead, it was his words that stalked me, echoing in my mind over and over until I thought I might explode.
Because of you, he didn’t realize what was happening until it was far too late.
You’re responsible for his death.
The one who killed him.
“Red.” Wes was in front of me, his palms warm on my cheeks again. “He can’t hurt you ever again. There are agents on their way here as we speak — they’ll take Benson into custody and this will finally be over. You’re safe, now.”
“I know,” I whispered. “But you aren’t.”
His eyebrows went up. “What?”
“He said I was your fatal flaw. Your kryptonite.” I could feel my eyes watering. “Maybe he’s right — you almost got killed because of me… Maybe it was silly to think we could do this, without one of us getting hurt. Maybe we shouldn’t…”
“Hey.” He cut me off and his eyes were suddenly stormy with emotion. “Don’t say that.”
“But—”
“I used to think like he does — that love is a weakness.” His words were low, full of passion. “You were the one who taught me it’s not. Faith — you aren’t my Achilles heel. You’re not a flaw or a defect or a shortcoming; you’re a salvation. A strength. A cure. A gift.”
A few tears escaped beneath my lashes and slipped down my cheeks.
“You gave my something to live for. Not just exist — live. And that’s not something he can take away from us with a few words of doubt. No one can take that away from us, Red. Not ever.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressed my body into his, and buried my face against his shoulder.
“I love you,” I said, my words adamant. “Then. Now. Always.”
His lips found mine and he breathed a single word just before his mouth crashed down in a kiss that reassured me, in every possible way, that our love was unshakeable. Immoveable. Unrelenting.
“Always.”