Chapter 2
"You ready?" Hayden turned to look at Nora as she stepped out of the bedroom.
"Yeah," Nora nodded, tucking her long strands behind her ear.
She carefully walked around the fallen furniture as the king's guards collected prints and evidence from the living room. Hayden watched each step she took and used his magic to push away all the broken shards of glass in her path. When she neared, he held out his hand and summoned a portal.
"What's going to happen here?" Nora asked, looking at her apartment over her shoulder.
"Don't worry," Hayden said. "They will take care of everything. You can't be in here while they collect evidence."
Nora nodded silently and took the half jinn's hand. She stepped closer and walked into his arms as he pulled her to his side and stepped into the portal.
For the first time in weeks, Nora began to feel grounded. She buried her nose in Hayden's shirt and inhaled his scent as he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly. She knew they had already stepped into his parent's place, but neither one was ready to let go. Nora knew she sure as hell needed the seconds to last a little longer.
It was exhausting pretending she was okay on her own. Nora had no clue what to do without Lidia. On her ID it may say she was 24 years old, but deep down in her heart, Nora still felt like a little girl who has been looking for someone to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay ever since the day they buried her mother.
But in that moment, buried in Hayden's arms, Nora took her first breath of air that truly filled her lungs. All the worries flying through her mind began to settle as she felt Hayden slowly lower his head to rest his lips against her ears.
"Are you alright?" He asked for the fourth time in the last hour or so.
Nora nodded. She laid her head over his heart and let go of the pressure on her shoulder. Hayden's arms circled around her and pressed her closer as he rested his head on top of her's.
"It's okay if you're not," he said. "You can tell me."
"I'm not okay," Nora stepped closer. "I was so happy to see Nana. A familiar face after so long...."
"I get it," Hayden pressed his lips to the top of her head.
Just then, the portal beside them closed and a small yelp jolted Nora's eyes open.
"Oh my goddess!" Thea began to chuckle with her hand over her heart. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you guys standing there."
Nora stepped away from Hayden's arms and started to smooth down her hair. She cleared her throat and smiled up at the beautiful demigoddess.
"Hi, Thea."
"Nora," Thea frowned. "I'm so sorry about your aunt."
Before Nora could repeat the sentence she had been saying for weeks, Thea rushed forward and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Oh," Nora said in shock at how warm and blissful she suddenly felt.
"It's the sun," Hayden said as Thea pulled back.
"How are you feeling?" Thea rubbed Nora's arm.
"I'm okay," Nora put on a brave smile. "Thanks for the flowers. They were beautiful."
"Of course," Thea smiled.
"What are you doing here?" Hayden asked the blonde.
"Looking for you," Thea turned towards him.
