The Breaker's Resolution: (YA Paranormal Romance) (Fixed Points Book 4) by Conner Kressley Page A

someday, after our Breaker missions were done, where we’d settle down and raise a family.
    But things had gotten so crazy, and Sevie was literally on the other side of death’s door. I sat with him day and night. I slept there. So no, I hadn’t been to that damn house. I hadn’t so much as walked through the front door. And the life I was supposed to be starting with Merrin-well, we both knew I was in no position to do that right now.
    “I know you’re upset with me,” I said, settling on a patch of green grass that led out to the expanse that my family farmed.
    “This isn’t about that” she answered. Out in the sunlight, Merrin looked even worse. Circles ran under her eyes and, though I had seen her just yesterday, her face looked gaunt. Her cheekbones jutted out like sharp knives beneath her skin.
    “Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked again, narrowing my eyes at her. Setting myself, I searched her mind with my own, the way I was only able to because of the symbioses we shared.
    She was fine; a bit aggravated, a bit tired. But other than that, she was her old self. It didn’t make any sense. But then again, what did make sense anymore?
    “I came because you’re driving me crazy,” she said, ignoring my question about her health and diving right into what was going on. “And I don’t mean in the good way.” She closed her eyes, as though she was catching her breath, and continued. “I understand you’re going through a lot, and I understand that you aren’t where you want to be. Neither am I, Owen. But we have to find a way to make this work. You need to understand that there is no getting away from this. There is no going back. You said it yourself. The crone told you that you can’t see Cresta, not ever again. And while I understand the way you feel about her on an extremely intimate level, I’m afraid the idea of being joined to a sad sack with a martyr complex is more than I’m willing to take.”
    “I…I don’t have a martyr complex,” I muttered. “I just-”
    “Do you want to be happy?” She asked, looking at me with tired eyes.
    “Of course I do,” I answered, lowering my brows.
    “Do you want to be happy with me?” She coughed again, loud and long.
    I wanted to run to her, to scoop her up and do whatever I could to make her feel better. But the question she asked stopped me where I stood. Did I want to be happy with her? It was something I had never considered. So much of my identity was wrapped up in Cresta, in the way I felt about her. Now that she was gone, the truth was, I wasn’t sure what that meant for me.
    Could I ever be happy again? Did I even want to think about that possibility? Wouldn’t that be letting go of her?
    Merrin composed herself, catching her breath and straightening her stance.
    “You should see a medic,” I suggested in a quiet voice.
    “Just answer the question,” she breathed. “Do you want to be happy with me?”
    “I-I don’t know,” I admitted, letting my eyes trail the ground.
    “That’s more than I expected,” she said. She leaned against a nearby tree and I got the feeling that she couldn’t really stand on her own right now. “I don’t hate her. You know that, don’t you? You can feel it?”
    “ I can,” I answered, sure to keep my distance.
    “It was never about hating her. Even after I felt the way you two felt about each other, it was never about that for me. It wasn’t about her. But it is for you, isn’t it? It still is.”
    “Yes,” I admitted.
    “So tell me,” she nodded weakly. “Tell me what happened to Cresta to make you feel the way you feel now, and I’ll try to help you.”
    “You want to help me?” I asked, sincerely surprised.
    She sighed, her tired eyes inching up to my face. “We have to live this life, Owen. Whether we like it or not, it’s ours now. And the prophecies are as the prophecies are. I don’t have any ill will toward you or her. I’m passed that now. But you’re not going to end