Diffused light from the sunrise began to fill the library. Mike stirred, smelled Mikael behind him, felt his arm across his chest, his body pressed against Mike’s back.
Mike snapped open his eyes. He went over the actions of the night before. How Mikael had sacrificed for strength, and professed his love to Grim – and Grim, in a moment of pure and utter weakness, admitted he loved Mikael as well. Oh, shit – what have I done?
You fool, you damn fool.
All his distance, all his walls were broken, just like Kael had done, just like Stefan had done…Mikael professed “forever” but then, so didn’t Stefan. And Jade.
Yet something, deep in his heart, something said to him that Mikael wasn’t lying, and he would do everything he could to fulfill that promise. It was a tiny voice in his mind saying, “Let go.”
Surrender was not in Mike’s vocabulary. But he knew it was a sweet surrender, one where it would be returned to him as well.
He closed his eyes, bent his head, and took Mikael’s hand in both of his. He kissed it, held it close to his heart. “You’re not like them.” Once his heart realized that, he could surrender.