As soon as his name echoed through my head, his voice echoed in my ears.

“Ellie!”

I turned my head and saw him darting across the snow-covered street toward me. He scooped me tightly into his arms and sent my body into flutters of joy and longing. I felt every contour of his familiar, warm body through his wool pullover. I ran my hands up his back and traced every ridge and plane, memorizing every part of him. There were holes in his sweater where his wings had grown through. I slipped my fingers through, touched his skin, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

“God, I thought you were gone,” he said hoarsely. “I thought they’d taken you. I couldn’t feel you anywhere. I flew over the city and then I felt you, but it was so small. I thought you were dying. And then I found your car abandoned. Ellie, I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m fine,” I said, my voice small. “Really. No wounds, I promise.”

He froze suddenly and gave me a strange look. Then the look turned visibly pained. In that moment, I knew he smelled Cadan on me. “Why couldn’t I find you?” he asked. “Were you hiding from me?”

The heartbrokenness in his voice made me feel like the worst person alive. “I’m sorry, Will. I just needed to be alone.”

He didn’t ask about Cadan. He knew, but he stayed silent. He wasn’t going to judge me. He never did. He was perfect, and I loved him so much it hurt.

I started to cry again. “I’m so sorry!” I sobbed, barely comprehensible.

He pulled me closer and made a soft noise into my hair. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be all right. Please don’t cry.”

“Why do you wait for me like this?” I begged, my teeth chattering. “All I do is run away from everything, from you. Why are you so patient and just take all of this pain, no questions asked?”

“Ellie …” He looked down and picked up my hands, examining them. He frowned and rubbed them with his. “You’re frozen. Your hands are like ice.” He lifted my hands and pressed them to his lips, closing his eyes and exhaling warm air gently against my fingertips. Everything in me melted.

“I’m screwed up,” I said exasperatedly. “And I’m cold.”

Without another word, he scooped me up and cradled me in his arms. We walked toward where my car was parked. I clung tightly to his shirt, shivering, and when we arrived, he set me gently on the cold hood of my car. My fingers shook as I dug through my purse for my keys. When I found them, Will took them and unlocked my car.

“I’ll drive,” he said softly.

I didn’t protest, and he scooped me back into his arms and carried me around to the passenger seat. I watched him, almost amused, as he buckled me in as if I were helpless, but I didn’t mind. Taking care of me was more than just his duty. He loved me as much as I loved him and we’d been through too much together not to have respect for each other. I’d disrespected him tonight by taking off, disrespected his loyalty and selflessness toward me, and still, even though he should have been furious with me, he wasn’t. He’d carried me when I was tired, cradled me to his chest when I was cold, and now he was buckling my seat belt even though I was perfectly capable of doing so myself. He wasn’t reminding me of how much I needed him. That wasn’t in his nature. Never, ever, in a million years would I find anyone who matched him in any way.

Will took me back to Nathaniel’s house instead of Nana’s. He opened the passenger door and began to carry me out, but I stopped him.

“I can walk,” I said, my teeth chattering as I climbed out of the car and into the bitter cold.

He didn’t contradict me, and he reached forward to take my hand and lead me toward the front door. His fingers threaded through mine as if nothing I’d said or done to him in the last several days had ever happened. Lauren appeared in the doorway, her hand over her mouth. She stepped aside so Will could lead me through, and once the heat of the cozy house melted my aching body, she scooped me into a tight hug.

“We were so worried about you,” she said into my hair. “I’m so happy Will found you.”

She pulled away and I watched Nathaniel step out of the kitchen, drying his hands with a towel. His expression was sympathetic and his small smile was genuine. “Hey, Ell. You hungry?”

I tucked my hair behind both ears and offered a forced smile. “Yeah.”

“Good.” His grin widened. “I made spaghetti and you’re just in time.”

Lauren took my coat and hung it in the closet. “He did something different with the sauce, so you have to tell him it’s delicious even if it tastes like motor oil and oregano.”

I laughed weakly. “Okay.”

“Come on,” Lauren said, and walked toward Nathaniel and the kitchen. “Let’s get some hot food into you.”

Everyone was kind to me during dinner, laughed at my pathetic jokes, and life seemed a little normal despite everything that had happened. I helped Lauren with the dishes as Nathaniel and Will cleared the table and put everything away. Once everything was cleaned up, I leaned over to rest my head on Will’s shoulder and yawned.

“You doing okay?” he asked as he bent his head to look into my face.

I gave him a little smile. “Just sleepy. It’s been a long day.”

“I’ll take you upstairs.”

“Good night, Ellie,” said Lauren.

“Good night. Thank you both.” I waved to her and Nathaniel, and followed Will out of the kitchen. He grabbed my duffel bag off the floor and carried it upstairs with him. When he led me into his room, I chewed nervously on my lip.