Page 74 of One Merciful Moment

He was going to go to her. All he wanted was one more chance to see her.

He fisted his hands at his sides. A savage growl built in his chest.

"Boone!" called a soft, pretty, impossible voice.

His heart slammed against his ribs. He turned, searching the area, and spotted the slight figure in the distance, running out of the garden.

Her hair was loose, flying behind her. Her feet barely touched the ground as she sprinted toward him.

The air whooshed out of his lungs, and his knees wobbled. "Ashley?"

He moved forward. She collided with him, laughing and crying at the same time, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her against his body, unsure if he was hallucinating or not.

"Fuck, Ash. I tried to get through." He buried his face in her hair.

He pulled his head back and kissed her. She kissed him back with the same urgency, the same relief, the same ache. He had no idea how much time he had with her, and he wasn't going to waste a second.

Finally, he pulled back, resting his forehead against hers, unable to take his eyes off her. "I thought the veil took you forever."

She shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. "I found the shadow. I found the bridge. I came back to you."

"Yeah?" he whispered.

"Always," she whispered back. "I will always choose you."

He kissed her again, softer this time. "I love you so fucking much."

"I love you, too." She smiled through her tears.

Boone held her close. His world finally balanced.

He might be tethered to Everstill—but Ashley owned his heart.

Epilogue

Boone

––––––––

The air carried a hum Boone hadn't felt before in Everstill. There was hope and patience. Each man was eager to learn what Finn had discovered during his travels through the veil.

Ashley sat beside him in the restaurant, her knee pressed against his under the table, her hand resting on his thigh. He looped his arm across her shoulders and stroked her bare arm with his thumb.

Finn stood at the front of the restaurant, one hand braced on the back of the chair where Kallie sat. "When we're on the other side, we're followed by shadows. The first time I traveled through, I wasn't looking for the darkness. I believed it was a force that would pull us back to Everstill because we weren't supposed to leave. But that's not the case. The shadows aren't dangerous if you don't fight it. They act as a bridge and are always available to us."

"What do they do?" Rex asked.

"They're not dangerous. In fact, if you don't know what you're looking for, you wouldn't even see one. That's probably what's happening with Nolan and Levi on the other side. They haven't seen the shadows yet." He nodded at Ashley. "It took Ashley a bit longer to discover where the shadow was, too, but she was able to walk straight up to it and travel back to Everstill."

The room shifted as men leaned forward, holding on to every word with cautious hope.

Finn continued, "The storm only exists here, in Everstill. It's the veil's reaction to deciding who can cross. But on the other side, there's no storm... just a shadow."

Ashley squeezed Boone's thigh. He covered her hand with his own.

Finn pointed toward the windows, where the sky outside was calm and muted blue. "The shadow is the veil's footprint. It's the part of Everstill that touches the outside world. It's barely visible unless you know what you're looking for. But it's always there. It follows the people the veil has chosen. It waits for them, and I'm assuming, if we take too long, it pulls us back."

"Everstill isn't just a town anymore or a rare glitch that others can try to control, which we've discovered. It's a system of balance, and now that we know the veil can be crossed, we need rules." Copper folded his arms and leaned on the table.