She heard him open the door, and close it behind him, walking down and touching a hand to her shoulder.
“What is it?” he asked.
She shook out from under his touch and walked quickly to the other end of the room, still pressing a hand to her mouth.
“Robin,” he said softly.
She shook her head, facing out the window, away from him.
“Talk to me.”
“I can’t do this,” she whispered, her breath shaking with a sob.
“What do you mean?”
Now that she’d started talking, her resolve had crumbled, and all of the pain and fear and anticipation she’d shoved away started pouring down.
“I thought I could do this,” she said, voice obscured by crying, “I thought I could go to Magnus, because it was the best option, but I can’t. I can’t do it, and now we’re on a boat and there’s nowhere to go, and-”
“Robin,” he said, walking over to her and taking her by the shoulders.
She turned her face away, wiping the tears with determined motions.
He took both her hands in his and pulled them down, cradling them. “It’s okay.”
She shook her head frantically. “It’s not.”
“There’s no choice.”
“I could have run!” she sputtered, sobbing again, and leaning her head against his chest. She could feel the wet, hot tears spreading out on his shirt. “I could have gone, and now there’s nowhere to go.”
Reykon wrapped his arms around her and hugged her, resting his chin on top of her head. “There’s nothing to do now.”
She cried, and he let her cry, holding her there until there were no more tears left.
“I’m scared,” she whispered.
“Me too.”
They hung there, swaying back and forth with the rocking of the boat. After a few more minutes, she sniffed, and wiped her nose. “There are so many things that I won’t be able to do. It’s not fair.”
He shook his head, and she saw the hints of anger and helplessness on his face, too. “It’s not fair.”
“I’m never going to get married, I’ll never have kids, I’ll never-”
“Shhh,” Reykon said, pulling her in close again, and squeezing her tightly. She was crying, tears soaking the same spot they had before. “Don’t think about that.”
“What else is there to think about?” she moaned.
“The Robin that I know finds good in anything,” he whispered. “I’m glad you didn’t run. Because if you’d run, I wouldn’t have had the happiest moment of my life.”
“What?” she mumbled, wiping her face on his shirt.
“Sitting on the boat with you, talking about all the things that could have been,” he murmured, putting a hand against the back of her head and stroking her hair. “That was the happiest I’ve ever been, and the happiest I ever will be.”
She pulled back, her tear-choked eyes red and inflamed, and searched his dark eyes.
She knew what she wanted to do with the rest of her time as a free person; the ticking minutes until she was in Magnus’s clutches.
“I love you, Reykon Thraxos,” she whispered.
His expression changed, something crossing over his face, before he kissed her so passionately that she forgot all about the fear, the impending arrival. When he pulled back, her body ached for him to return, and she looked into his eyes again.
“I love you, Robin Wright. Always.”
She crushed her face against his, and wrapped herself up in him, pressing closer and closer.
Reykon
Reykon pulled the covers down from Robin’s shoulders. She was watching the sky with a distant look. Her eyes were still swollen from crying, which infuriated Reykon.
As he watched the rise and fall of her chest, the smoothness of her porcelain skin, her was certain of one thing.
She was the most beautiful sight he’d ever laid his eyes on.
Her birthmarks were shocking at first glance, but the longer he looked at them, and as he saw the entirety of them, he saw how captivating they were.
He traced his thumb under the curve of her jaw, and she turned her piercing eyes to his.
In that moment, every belief he’d ever held disintegrated, turning to dust in his mind.
There was nothing but her. There was no Magnus, there was no duty, or honor, or consequences. There was a life with Robin, or none at all. There was Reed and her painting and his private plane that would take them high above the land and keep any vampires from every finding them, ever again.
His breathing caught, and she quirked an eyebrow, stroking her own hand against his face.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I can’t do this,” he whispered.
A scowl formed on her face, and she pulled the covers up, concealing her shoulders.
“No,” he said intensely. “I mean I can’t take you to Magnus.”
“What?” Robin gasped, shooting up in the bed.
“I can’t let him have you.”
She was nearly shaking with shock. “Rey…” she warned.
“No. It doesn’t matter. None of it matters without you. I can’t let him have you.”
“Are you sure?”
He crushed his lips against hers. “Always,” he vowed, ragged emotion in his words.
She returned the kiss, her eyes wide.
Reykon took her hands in his. “Run away with me?” he asked.
Robin nodded. “Yes. Always.”
He pulled away from her and threw his pair of pants on, leaving her there. His steps were quick on the stairs and he broke into dying daylight. It was nearly five p.m, and the sky was already turning orange.
Reykon spotted Willow and Dag at the wheel, and he sprinted up the stairs.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“We’re not going to Louisiana,” he said, panting. “I can’t do it.”
He and Willow exchanged a look of understanding, and she gave a sharp nod.
“Are you sure?” Dag asked, his brow furrowed.
“I’ve never been so sure of anything in my life.”
Willow and Dag spent a moment whispering, talking about options. Then, Willow turned to him.
“We’ll sail to New Orleans, then, and find a safehouse there.”
Reykon let out a breath, and nodded, hope brimming up in his chest. He looked at the siblings earnestly, a smile breaking out on his lips.
“Thank you,” he said.
Willow
