Chapter 242 I’m Here


    Chapter 242 I’m Here


    ROWAN


    It has been a long time since I truly felt fear.


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    Thest time I remembered that depth of such fear was the day I realized I had lost Tessa for good. The moment she turned away from me, her trust and love shattered-I thought nothing could rival that pain. It reyed in my mind endlessly, a nightmare I couldn’t escape.


    But now, lying weak on this bed, my mind still fogged from the wounds I had taken, I felt it again. Not for myself this time-but for them. For the woman whose tears stained my shoulder, and for the little girl clinging to me with eyes that glimmered like stars.


    The wizards and witches we had fought were not many, but their strength had been greater than I anticipated. My body bore the proof of that mistake. shes across my chest, burns on my arms, and a head wound that had nearly pulled me into darkness for good. I had faced battles before, but none felt as costly as this one. Because this time, if I lost… I wouldn’t be the only one to suffer.


    I had fought through every torment of my own mind to make it back here. And now, as my eyes opened fully and met theirs, I knew with absolute certainty that I had to live. My life would never be fulfilled if I couldn’t be part of theirs.


    “Dad, you’re okay?”


    Ca looked up at me with wide, tear-brimmed eyes, and my heart melted into a puddle.


    “Dad’s fine,” I whispered. My hand found the back of her head, my fingers threading through her soft hair as I pulled her close. “Dad’s going to be with you for a long time.”


    The way her face lit up through the tears made me feel that going through the worst pain possible in this world was worth it. She had called me Dad like it had always been true, and it was the greatest gift I had ever received in this lifetime.


    I wrapped my arms around her fragile frame, careful not to strain my still-healing wounds, but needing her closer all the same. She burrowed against my chest, and in that moment, I knew I would burn the whole world if it ever tried to take her from me.


    Tessa sobbed quietly into my shoulder, her body trembling as she pressed herself against me. I turned my head slightly, resting my cheek against her hair. Her scent, her warmth-how had I ever lived without it? How had I ever thought I could?


    I didn’t deserve this. Not after everything I had done, not after the mistakes that had driven


    Chapter 242 I’m Here


    her away and all the pain I had caused.


    How lucky was I, after everything, to have this?


    To have them?


    :


    40


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    My arms tightened around the two of them. I closed my eyes, breathed them in, and vowed silently that no matter what came, I would never waste it again.


    I had been given another chance. And this time, I wasn’t letting go.


    ***


    I leaned against the doorframe for a moment, just watching her move around the small house. The second I stepped closer and tried to hug her, she wrinkled her nose and pressed a hand against me.


    “You need a shower,” she said firmly.


    I chuckled, tilting my head. “How, exactly? My shoulder still aches.”


    Her lips pressed together. She shook her head, muttering something under her breath, before cing her small hand against my chest and pushing me toward the bathroom.


    “Sit,” she ordered, pointing at the stool in the corner.


    I smirked but obeyed, lowering myself down with a slight grunt. The steam was already beginning to cloud the mirror. I had imagined this scene a hundred times in moments I was half delirious, moments when I was too broken to even think straight.


    She turned on the water, tested the temperature with her palm, and then reached for the shampoo. I opened my mouth to say something, to tease her again, but before I could even form the words, she hushed me.


    “Don’t talk,” she said. “Just sit still.”


    Her fingers worked through my hair, thether thick and soothing as she massaged my scalp. I hadn’t realized how much tension I was holding until that exact moment. My head lolled slightly as I groaned, the sound escaping before I could stop it. Her hands froze for a second, and I cracked one eye open, catching the faint flush that had spread across her cheeks.


    “Feels good,” I murmured.


    “Don’t get used to it,” she muttered, resuming her work, though her cars were still red.


    The water ran


    close, rinsing thoroughly, and I found myself staring at the little furrow in her brow.


    Shethered the cloth with soap, working it over my arms, my chest, my stomach. Her touch was gentle yet firm, every stroke leaving heat in its wake. I clenched my fists on my thighs, trying to focus on the rhythm of her movements instead of the fire crawling under my skin.


    And then-she knelt.


    The breath punched out of me as I stared down at her, wide-eyed. She didn’t seem to notice as she soaped my legs. My jaw tightened as she worked her way up, her delicate fingers moving with maddening slowness. I wanted to say something, but the words caught in my throat.


    When her hands reached my inner thighs, I nearly lost it.


    Her wide, bright eyes lifted to mine for a brief moment, innocence painted across her features. Bunny eyes-that’s what they were. Soft, round, and impossibly pure, as though she had no idea what she was doing to me.


    A smirk pulled at my lips instinctively. I leaned down, lowering my voice to a husky whisper. “Don’t you want to soap that area too?”


    Her gaze narrowed immediately before she smirked back. That was when I realized I had made a grave mistake.


    She shifted slightly, the soap-slicked cloth sliding over the one ce I had only dreamed she’d ever touch. My breath hissed through my teeth, every nerve in my body igniting.


    “Damn it, Tessa,” I groaned, my head falling back as pleasure surged through me.


    Her movements were unbearably slow, torturously so, as though she wanted to make me pay for teasing her. My muscles tensed, my fingers threading behind my head as I folded my arms there, trying to stop myself from reaching out and pulling her closer.


    A groan ripped from my throat. It had been far too long since I’d felt anything like this, too long since anyone had touched me this way. Thebination of her pace and her innocent expression was enough to drive me to the brink of insanity.


    I dared a nce down.


    She was watching me, those bunny eyes still impossibly wide, but her lips curled slightly at the corner, betraying the satisfaction she got from seeing me unravel.


    I groaned again, louder this time, heat pooling low in my stomach. My body betrayed me. Every brush of her hand sent sparks through me, every teasing stroke stoked the fire she had


    Chapter 242 I’m Here


    ignited.


    And then-she stopped.


    Just like that.


    ????(40


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    Her hand slipped away, and I looked down at her in disbelief. Her expression was perfectly innocent again.


    “You can rinse yourself off,” she muttered, standing quickly, avoiding my gaze. “It’ll be good for your recovery.”


    With that, she turned and walked out, leaving me sitting there, painfully aware of the monster she had awakened.


    Alone in the steam-filled bathroom, I let out a low, frustrated groan, shaking my head.


    Tessa Fen is going to be the death of me.