Losing the fragments

Fang held Selene tightly, his fingers gripping her shoulders as if she might vanish at any moment. Her breathing was shallow, her lips parted in disbelief. He could see the tremor in her fingers as she touched her own arms as if grounding herself in the present. Her white hair spilled over her shoulders like liquid moonlight, contrasting starkly against his darker form.

"I was..." Her voice was hollow, distant. "I was dead. She killed me twice—no, six times."

Fang clenched his jaw, his throat constricting at the pain in her words. The memories she held, fractured and incomplete, were enough to shake the foundation of her very existence. He cupped the side of her face, his thumb gently tracing the curve of her cheek.

"She is gone," he said firmly, the weight of his promise pressing down on his chest. "I am here to protect you. I will never leave you on your own again."