Kiera
My heart hammeredin my chest.
His eyes burned with a ferocity I’d never seen before. “If Nikella’s death taught me anything, it’s that I shouldn’t wait. I was so worried in that gods-damned mine when I thought I was going to be executed. I worried you would never know.”
“What is it?” I murmured, clasping his jaw, feeling frightened. “Tell me, please.”
“I’m in love with you, Kiera. Since we met, I’ve loved you in small ways. As I came to know you, I loved you in bigger ways. Life-altering ways.” He brushed his thumb over my cheek.
I couldn’t stop gaping at him, his words exploding in my ears and through my body.He loves me? He’s IN love with me?
The corners of his mouth quirked. “I’m in love with the light you bring to my world. I’m in love with your courage and your defiance and your kindness. The way your heart shares the pain and joy of those you love.” He took a deep breath. “I once told you that you stole everything from me. And you did. I wasn’t ready to give up my heart. I didn’t think I ever would. But you took it anyway. And now... now I’m surrendering my heart to you willingly and fully, with no expectations. I love you, Kiera.”
He spoke the final words with such tenderness and awe, as if he couldn’t believe he was saying them aloud, but so happy that he was.
I’d never expected such words in my life. Not even from him. I’d hoped. I’d dreamed. But this was more.
His brow creased again as tears lined my eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Do you remember how you told me that a few of my words could pierce the darkness?”
He nodded.
“Now I know what that feels like,” I said with a smile.
His expression smoothed, and a tentative hope grew in his eyes. “Does that mean?—”
“I love you, too,” I whispered. “I couldn’t name the feelings I had for you in Aquinon, as twisted and complicated as they were with all the lies. But I came to you that night to admit who I really was, because I was choosing you, Aiden.”
He pulled me into his lap, still holding tightly to me. “I know that now. I was too hurt to see it then.”
I looped my arms around his neck and played with the ends of his hair. “I knew for sure in the moonblood tree.”
His eyebrows rose. “That was over a week ago. I thought we were done keeping secrets from each other, little thief.”
“I was going to tell you. I just didn’t want it to change our plan.”Or have you leave me behind, for my sake or yours.
He seemed to hear my unspoken words. “Loving each other doesn’t make me want to put you in a cage, Kiera. It means I’ll guard your life above my own, and where you go, I will always find you. In life and death.”
My throat tightened as I gazed down at our clasped hands. Death was a possibility that never seemed more than a day away.
Even with the beautiful things we were admitting, our future was uncertain. We still had more to do. Aquinon. Renwell. Everett and Delysia.
Loving each other couldn’t change that either.
The fate of Rellmira rested on our shoulders.
“Don’t worry, I don’t plan to give up either of our souls for a long time,” Aiden whispered, drawing my chin up. He pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Now eat quickly, so I can hold you in my arms all night.”
A warm glow suffused me from the inside out.
As we walked to the food table, I noticed the approving smiles aimed our way. Perhaps they hadn’t heard every word, but we weren’t exactly hiding when we confessed our love to each other.
Love. It didn’t feel real. Like I couldn’t possibly forge such a precious bond with a man like Aiden.
But I believed every word he said and trusted every emotion that spilled from my heart to his.
This was real.
