Chapter 16
Gunn
Gunn stumbled to his feet against the kitchen counter, his mind spinning like a top. Cyra grasped her fingers tightly around his wrist to steady him.
“I’ve got you,” she said, her words reassuring. “We survived that somehow.”
Hearing her caring words filled him with a new sense of excitement about where his future was headed. And for the first time in the last two years, he didn’t feel alone, lost, or useless. He felt needed. “I may need a long holiday after this.”
After the shitstorm he’d just experienced, he was sleeping a week straight at least… with his little minx next to him. He drew her into the hallway. “Have you checked on Henry and Nora?”
“Not yet.” Her grip wasn’t loosening, and fear still bled into her expression.
He vowed to do everything in his power to keep her protected.
“I’m okay now.” He led her toward the living room, which stood empty. Cyra darted past him and checked behind the sofa. When she looked up and shook her head, his attention flew to the late afternoon sun pouring in through the window. Outside, he spotted the pair in the yard, hugging each other.
Cyra passed him and darted back down the hallway. Where was she going? Seconds later, she reappeared with both their leather jackets and handed him his. “We left them in the bathroom.”
“Perfect thinking.” He put on his jacket with strain from his injuries and opened the front door.
A crisp breeze brushed past, and the light fall of snowflakes created a picturesque landscape. It was morning, so had they gone through all that over the course of a full day and night? For the first time in too long, a new sense of adrenaline coursed through him. The kind where eagerness to tackle life nudged at his insides, and he hadn’t felt this way in a long time.
“I can’t believe we’re free.” She spun on the lawn, her arms outstretched, her steps making a circle in the snow.
She suddenly grabbed her phone from her pocket, at the same time Gunn’s buzzed crazily in his pocket. Cyra walked down the front yard, talking most likely to her brother. Gunn grabbed his phone to find nine missed messages from Chase. Fuck. He quickly typed a response to his friend.
We’re is safe. Got lots to tell you. Call you later.
Shortly after, Cyra she ran to Henry and Nora, who turned in their direction. Cyra hugged the old couple in a joint embrace.
Gunn closed the distance between them with a few steps. “How are you both doing?”
Cyra broke their hug.
“Heavens,” Nora said. “I still can’t wrap my mind around what happened in the house, but I’ve never enjoyed the outdoors as much as I do now.”
Henry stuck out a hand to Gunn, and he accepted it. “Son, you saved us. You risked your life, and for that I owe you anything you want.”
Gunn glanced over at Cyra, who was across the yard with her head tilted back, her mouth open, catching snow on her tongue. “I already have everything I want. But thank you.”
Henry tightened his handshake, drawing Gunn’s attention, then dropped his grip. “You gave me wise words when we were in danger, and now here are a few for you. Get out of the demon-hunting business. Live life with Cyra and don’t throw away your future.”
The words sunk in deep, because for too long he’d believed his mission was to eliminate demons and make up for what he’d done to Cherri-Anne. He never believed he deserved a happy ending. But now, it felt as if a doorway had opened up in his mind, where possibilities were endless. And maybe Henry had a point.
Cyra approached them, snow crunching under her boots, and pressed herself against Gunn’s side. Her warmth was a blanket as her hand massaged his lower back. “Who can we contact for you?” she asked. “You probably don’t want to stay here tonight, right? I spotted a nice hotel a few blocks away.”
“I’ve called my son. He’s on his way,” Nora said. “And we’re selling this house.” Her smile spread as she leaned against Henry, who had folded an arm around her shoulders and kissed her nose. “We’re moving to California.”
“Wow, that’s amazing,” Cyra responded, hugging Nora once again.
Henry offered Gunn a knowing nod.
“Well,” Gunn said. “I’m going inside to do a final check of the house, if you want to join me and pack a bag of belongings?”
Henry patted his arm. “I’ll come with you.”
Nora wasn’t moving, and he didn’t blame her, but Cyra had already sprinted into the house. “I’m grabbing my bag, too.” Suddenly, it felt as if he were going on a field trip with everyone packing at the last minute. He glanced over at his bike propped up against the tree, guessing he’d have to call a cab to pick him and Cyra up.
“I’ll collect my bike after Christmas,” he explained. “My brake lines are cut.”
“Leave it as long as you need. Probably best you put move it to my garage to keep it safe,” Henry said. Once they entered the hallway, he collected something from a bowl on the side table and placed it in Gunn’s palm. Keys.
“Take my car to drive the lovely girl home and return it after the holidays. It’s parked in the garage.”
Warmth hit Gunn’s chest, because the last time someone had offered him such a trusting gesture was when his foster parents had still been alive. He stuffed the keys in his pocket. “You’re a good man. Thank you.”
Henry smiled and made his way toward the laundry room.
Cyra approached and threaded her arm through her bag’s strap. “Shall we do a sweep together?”
“It’s the only way, isn’t it?” He drew her against him, an arm around her waist. Never in a thousand years would he have guessed he’d find someone who broke through his defenses, someone who craved
