Chapter 24 Sienna's POV
It had been days.
Days since Ronan looked me in the eye and told me, with that holier-than-thou attitude of his, that Kael would be back “after his interrogation.”
Days since he told me Friday.
Today was Friday.
And Kael still wasn’t here.
I kept checking the hallway every time I heard footsteps. Kept staring at my phone like it was personally trying to ruin my life. I’d even texted Ronan this morning:
Me: When’s Kael being released?
Ronan: Today. Stop texting me.
Asshole.
I’d been restless all morning, pacing around my shop like some sort of feral cat. Every time the bell on the door chimed, I looked up a little too fast. It was pathetic. I was pathetic.
Missing someone I’d known for what? A little over a week?
Ridiculous.
But here I was.
The day crept by slowly. I was in the middle of organizing ink bottles, pointlessly, obsessively, when a knock sounded at the shop door.
I turned, expecting Lucien maybe, but instead…
“Danny?” I blinked.
My former foster mother stood there, warm smile and tired eyes like always. She looked me up and down. “You look thin. And stressed. Are you eating?”
Here we go.
I smiled and hugged her. “I’m fine, Danny.”
She pulled back, still scrutinizing me. “Hmm.”
“What are you doing here?” I asked, leading her inside.
“Ah, yes! The reason I came.” She clapped her hands together. “We’re hosting a fundraiser tomorrow for the kids at the center. We need someone to help with face painting. You know, butterflies, superheroes, the whole thing.”
I blinked. “Face painting? You want me to do it?”
“Well, yes,” she said, patting my cheek. “You’re good with art. And kids love you.”
Kids do love me. I love kids. But I was still stuck somewhere between anxious, worried, and ready to fight someone if Kael didn’t come back by tonight.
Still, I couldn’t tell her that.
“Yeah sure,” I said. “I’ll come.”
She smiled, relieved. “Good. I knew you would.”
We chatted a bit about the kids and then about the financial situation of the home, before she squeezed my arm. “You’ll be alright, sweetheart.”
I nodded, forcing a smile. Once she left, the door barely shut before another familiar scent drifted in.
Lucien.
“Hey,” he greeted, grinning at me.
“Hey,” I replied, softer this time.
“You good?”
No. “Yes.”
He didn’t buy it, but he dropped it. “Your… mom?” he asked, nodding toward the door.
“Foster mom. Yeah.”
He nodded like he was filing the information away. “She seems sweet.”
“Sure.”
He hopped onto one of the chairs and swung his legs like a child. “So, remember how I said I wanted a tattoo?”
I grinned. “Now you’re ready?”
“As ready as a man going to his own execution,” he sighed dramatically.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not going to be that bad.”
“I’m fragile,” he said, placing a hand on his chest. “Emotionally.”
“Emotionally isn’t where the needle goes.”
He glared and removed his jacket. “Just be gentle, okay?”
“Oh, I’ll try.” I smirked.
He groaned.
I sketched out the design he wanted, a minimalistic crescent wolf with stars around it and he lit up instantly. “Yes. Yes, that’s the one. Make me look mysterious.”
“You? Mysterious?” I scoffed. “You look like someone who’s afraid of to of streetlights”
“Streetlights are dangerous!” he protested.
I laughed and set everything up. Once the machine buzzed to life, he tensed so hard his shoulders practically kissed his ears.
“This is going to hurt, isn’t it?”
“Probably.”
“Sienna..”
“Relax,” I said, touching his arm. “I won’t mess it up.”
He exhaled like he was preparing for war.
The moment the needle touched his skin, he yelped.
“Luci…”
“That HURT.”
“It literally just touched you.”
“You stabbed me.”
“Oh my god.”
The whole time I tattooed him, he hissed, winced, cursed, complained, prayed, and at one point pretended to pass out.
He was dramatic as hell.
And honestly? I needed the laugh.
After four hours of pure chaos, I wiped the area. “There. Done.”
Lucien peeked at it like a scared child. Then his face slowly shifted into awe. “This is, wow. Sienna, this is insane. It’s perfect.”
His genuine smile warmed me a little.
“Thanks,” I said.
He hopped up. “Alright, now that I’ve survived, we should go get drinks. Celebrate my bravery.”
I shook my head immediately. “Not today.”
“What? Why?”
I shrugged, trying to act casual. “Just… don’t feel like drinking.”
Lucien’s eyebrows pulled together, but he didn’t push. “Alright. Next time then.”
He waved and left the shop.
As soon as he was gone, the quiet settled around me again like a heavy blanket. I cleaned everything slowly, methodically, trying to shake off the strange buzzing in my chest.
Kael should be back by now.
Ronan said today.
But Ronan was a liar. And if Kael didn’t walk through my door soon, I might actually break something.
I locked up and headed home, my stomach twisting the entire walk. I didn’t understand myself. Didn’t understand why the thought of Kael being hurt or detained or… gone made my chest clench painfully.
I barely knew him.
He wasn’t mine.
He had someone he used to love.
I had no claim on him. No right to feel this weird, possessive pressure in my chest every time he crossed my mind.
But I did.
I felt like some desperate weirdo in a romance movie, waiting by the window for her crush to come back from war. Ridiculous.
I reached my apartment door and dug for my keys, hands trembling slightly from nerves I refused to acknowledge.
As I was about to unlock my door, the door next to mine, the one that used to be silent, empty, untouched, opened with a soft click.
Kael’s head popped out.
He looked… tired but still beautiful. His eyes softened when he saw me.
“I was just coming to pick you up,” he said, voice low and gentle.
Something in me snapped.
I didn’t hesitate.
I practically launched myself into his arms.
He made a surprised sound but immediately wrapped his arms around me, lifting me slightly off the ground. He held me tight, so tight I felt like he was afraid to let go.
I buried my face in his shoulder, and to my absolute mortification, my eyes burned.
Then a tear slipped out.
Then another.
He pulled back slightly, cupping the back of my head. “Hey… hey. I’m here.”
“I missed you,” I whispered, voice cracking.
His arms tightened around me. “I missed you too.”
The hallway felt too exposed. My heart hammered against my ribs, and for a second, the world just paused.
He brushed his thumb over my shoulder gently. “Come inside. I made dinner.”
I blinked up at him, sniffling like a child. “You made dinner?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Thought you’d be hungry.”
And just like that, all the anxiety, all the days of waiting, all the fear
that had been clawing at my chest, everything melted.
“Okay,” I breathed.
I followed him inside, excitement bubbling in me so hard I could barely contain it.
Kael was back home safe
Everything felt right again.