Chapter 299

"Kitten—kitten, it’s me.” Leonardo’s voice was so close, a whisper beside my ear, that I gasped and reached out instinctively to be nearer, craving his warmth. My throat felt raw, voice barely more than a rasp, but the relief that washed over me pushed aside any pain, letting tears flow unchecked. “You’re here, you’re alive!” My words tumbled out, and I let myself sink into his arms, inhaling his familiar scent, grounding myself in his touch. I needed this moment to feel real. I’d watched him die, felt my soul crumble when his left this world. Surely this couldn’t be some haunting afterlife vision.