Page 92 of These Endless Nights

Typhon tilted his head when I came up the steps and met him on the porch. He still walked with a limp, but he was recovering well and already itching to get to work on projects we'd planned over the weeks he'd spent confined to the couch.

"Are you alright? You smell upset."

That had taken some getting used to, but now I kind of liked that Typhon could tell when I was sad or happy or anxious. It was nice to be seen. Or scented, in this case.

"I talked to Will this afternoon," I admitted quietly. "I'm officially pressing charges against Aaron."

Typhon knew the story. I'd whispered the truth to him during one of the sleepless nights that still plagued me, especially right after The Incident. It'd taken a moment to talk down the chimera side of him when I revealed how badly I'd actually been hurt, but I didn't regret telling him. Typhon never judged me for not doing anything at the time, but when I told him I was considering reporting it now, he'd given me his unequivocal support.

"I'm proud of you, Quinn," he said now, stepping closer and opening his arms in invitation. I hadn't wanted Will to touch me, but I fell into Typhon's arms the instant he offered, burying my face against his chest and letting his strong arms hold me together.

"I'm going to find a therapist, too. I'm tired of living in fear. I deserve better." I took a deep breath, trying to will myself to believe those words.

"You do. You deserve happiness." He hugged me closer, resting his head against mine.

"I think I'm finally starting to believe that." Some of the tension bled out of my limbs, and I rested against him, letting the soft spring sunshine warm my face as I gave voice to one last lingering fear. "It might take a while, and I can't promise I won't still be a mess after. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to deal with it. It's a lot to ask of anyone, especially after everything you've been through."

Typhon's lips brushed my cheek before he leaned back to look me in the eyes. "I don't care how long it takes. I'm going to be here with you. Ori told me that time heals everything, and I'll be right by your side the whole way."

That drew a tiny smile from me. Somewhere along the way, Typhon and Ori had become fast friends. The same could be said for just about everyone Typhon met, though. In just a few weeks, his social circle had already outgrown mine.

"I think they're mostly right. Time does heal, but I don't think it can do it alone. I'm going to have to put in the work, and I get the feeling I'll come home crying some days, but I don't want to keep missing out on life. I'm not going to suddenly turn into an extrovert and want to go out all the time or anything, but I want to be able to hang out with our friends without getting anxious or worrying that some random noise is going to trigger a panic attack."

"If you come home and need to cry, I'll be here however you need me," he murmured. His speech had improved dramatically, but right now, he spoke deliberately, like he was choosing every word with care. "If you need to take a break and sleep, I'll take care of the animals. Whatever it takes, whatever you need, I'll be here, just like you've been here for me."

How could I not love this man? I'd known monsters in my life, those who preyed on the weak to make themselves feel strong. It'd taken meeting Typhon to understand what truly made a monster, though. No matter what form he took, he was the most human person I'd ever known.

"I'm so glad you found me," I whispered. "Thank you for finding me and changing my life."

"Thank you for saving mine."

He held me close as warm light washed over the porch, the golden hour before sunset softening the shadows and reminding me of how beautiful life could truly be.

The coming days were going to be hard, and there might be days that we both struggled to overcome our pasts. Typhon and I both had a lot of healing to do, but we had our tiny family of creatures and our growing circle of friends. Most importantly, we had each other. Healing would take time, but for Typhon, I had all the time in the world.

The end