Page 94 of Fastest Kill

She had quickly put her headphones on because there were some things a child, no matter how old, didn't need to hear her parents doing.

That had been hours ago. She was watching the clouds outside the window when Dario appeared from the small galley at the back with two fresh glasses of whiskey and dropped onto the couch beside her.

"How's your father doing?" he asked. "Does he need more painkillers? I can check."

"Don't knock on that door unless you want to be shot," Frederica advised.

Dario glanced at the closed door. "You think they are⁠—"

"My mother was kidnapped and kept in a chamber underground for three days. My father spent those three days injured, pissed off, and afraid for her." She accepted the drink he held out. "Yes, they are absolutely fucking like bunnies right now. Leave them alone."

Dario sat back and raised his glass. "Good for them."

"It's disgusting."

"It's extremely romantic."

"They're my parents."

"Still romantic." He had the warm smile he wore when he was genuinely amused. It was one of Frederica's favorite smiles.

"So," she said and took a big mouthful of whiskey.

"So," he said. The silence between them stretched, and they both drank again.

"In the chamber with the bee, what it showed us…" Frederica said awkwardly, trying to find the right words.

"Yeah, what about it?"

She turned to look at him and found him already staring at her with a soft expression. It made her squirm in her seat a little, but she plowed on.

"You love me," she stated.

Dario nodded. "Sure do."

She took a breath. "I love you too. In case the magical truth-telling artifact wasn't sufficiently clear on the point." She drank again. Feelings were the worst.

Relief flashed over Dario's face, and he laughed with a joy that filled his eyes. "I should have known you would be too stubborn to say it without supernatural intervention."

Frederica pulled a face. "That's unfair. I didn't know if you loved me back."

"I could have used someone to write it across the sky, and it still wouldn't have been more obvious, Spartana," he replied, still laughing.

Frederica put her drink down and climbed into his lap. His hands came to her hips and brought her closer. "Don't rub it in and ruin the moment."

"Are we having a moment?" he asked innocently.

"Shut up." Frederica kissed him. His hand slid into her hair to cradle the back of her head, and he kissed her back with a tenderness that made her insides grow hot.

Frederica pulled back enough to look at him. "So what happens now?"

"We go home. Figure out what normal looks like."

"Is there such a thing as normal for people like us?"

Dario hummed thoughtfully. "Probably not, but it is who we are, and we would hate it any other way. We can make it up as we go. Together."

"Together." She turned the word over. It didn't feel as terrifying as she thought it would. "I can do that."