Lana blinked, staring with surprise. A sly grin spread across her lips before she laughed, the sound warming me again. “I know, they talk to me too.”
“What?” I stared at her, feeling the furrow in my brow forming. “They talk to you? They just started talking to me.”
“No, I think they’ve been talking for a while. Maybe you were ignoring them or just couldn’t hear them.”
An indignant feeling rushed through me. Evidently, she was right.
I grasped her hand in mine, kissing her knuckles. “All right, know-it-all. Catch me up on what’s happening. You have until we’re at the inn, before your mouth is occupied with something far more interesting.”
Chapter 12
Lana
“Idon’t want to leave this room,” I whispered against Kade’s chest.
His arms wrapped around me. Here, nestled under the covers, we were shielded from the weight of the world. No Thames. No war. No prophecies.
Kade rolled me over, cradling my face in his hands. “One more minute.”
I grinned; this was about the twentieth time he’d said that.
He took one of my rose-gold strands, curling it around his finger before leaning down and kissing the tip of my nose.
My hands roamed up and down his back, over the horrific marks of his past.
Even though his father had died by his hand, some pain couldn’t be erased. The scars would forever be a reminder of his tortured past, but I would always strive to remind him of his inner strength. That his father failed to turn him into a monster.
A slight tremor coursed through Kade at my touch, and I savored every second of it. Relished in the power between us that had grown since being together last night.
“I love you,” he said as he gazed at me tenderly.
I kissed him, pulling him close to me as our mating bond surged with delight in my chest. “I love you,” I whispered against his lips.
Kade rolled over until he kneeled behind me, kissing my back. My magic healed my injuries quickly last night, but it hadn’t helped Kade manage the guilt he felt at having caused them during our “adventure” in the woods.
“Never again,” he said. “Never again will I succumb to the darkness and hurt you, Illiana. It may still be here, inside of me, but I will fight it every breath of every day.”
“You have more than made up for it.” I winked over my shoulder.
He grasped my chin in his fingers. “I swear it. I’ll die before anything like that happens again.”
“It won’t come to that.” I turned, facing him so I could touch his face. “What happened with Thames? What did he do while you were trapped there?”
Kade’s shoulders slumped, and he closed his eyes. I rubbed my thumb along his cheek, tracing the lines of his face.
“I killed too many people in his name,” Kade said, his voice shattered by pain. “I don’t deserve your love, Lana. I don’t deserve it.”
My heart crumbled under the weight of his tortured words. I leaned forward, kissing his forehead. “You do deserve it. You were trapped by his darkness.”
“It’s my darkness. It’s lingering,” he sighed, pulling away from me. “Fighting me constantly to take control. When I think about what happened, what I’ve done, the darkness gets stronger.”
I refused to let him bury his pain and continue feeling alone, instead wrapping my arms around his neck. “You don’t have to talk to me about any of it now. But just know I’m here whenyou’re ready. We can carry the pain together. You will never suffer in silence again. Not from Dargan. Not from Thames.”
He met my gaze, shifting me to the side, and kissing me briefly. “I know I’m not alone. I wasn’t alone with Thames either.”
I frowned and he leaned over the bed, reaching into the pocket of his pants. He pulled out the necklace he’d given me for my birthday. His mother’s necklace.
“Every night I remained in Mysthaven, I slept in your room. Even when fully consumed by the darkness, my shadows led me there. To lay where you once did, even if it had only been for a short period of time. I saw this left on the nightstand and grabbed it. Keeping it with me.” He swept my hair behind my ear. “Even when my mind lost hope, you were here.” He pressed a hand to his chest. “You willalwaysbe here. Saving me from the darkness.”
