In That Moment

It had been days - or was it weeks? - since Katalina's abduction.

There had been no ransom, not even the slightest word from her captors.

He'd thought he would never see her again.

So when Deanna burst through the doors of the little cottage they'd been using as their base during their search for her, he'd thought the worst... until he saw that she was supporting a woman who could have been her twin.

Lucaros didn't remember moving. He didn't recall running to the door - to her. The force of his impact with her might have knocked her off her feet if he hadn't already been grabbing for her, pulling her into his arms.

He did remember wrapping his arms around her, holding her tight. He buried his face into her neck, the scent of wisteria - her scent - wafting around him. She was rigid in his arms at first, but then she relaxed, and returned his embrace. He could feel her pressing against him, craving as much contact as she could get.

The two stood, clinging together as if their lives depended solely on the other. Maybe they did, with that stupid prophecy, but Lucaros knew different.

It wasn't until Deanna cleared her throat that he pulled away, albeit reluctantly. Once she'd been pulled away to have her wounds treated, and he had space to think, he realized...

...I love her.