“You invited an agent into your home, and into your bed, to distract them and keep Rhydian safe?”
Llywelyn tries to look away, but I don’t release my hold on his chin. He shrinks against the bed and answers me in a trembling voice.
“Yes. I... I never imagined you’d be.... nice. That I’d like you.” He swallows audibly.
I blink. And then I blink again. I release his chin and lean back in my chair.
“Everything else is true? Iestyn? The omega stuff? Dyfri?”
He winces again. Then he nods. He flashes me a wide-eyed look before dropping his gaze back to his quilt covered lap.
How do I even start processing this? Where do I begin? What does it mean for the mission? What protocol do I need to follow? How do I feel about this?
I take a deep, shuddering breath. Screw the fucking Agency. Screw the mission. At least for a moment. How do I feel about this? That’s the only thing I want to figure out right now.
The man I love has just told me he has been one step ahead of me the whole time. Everything we have been working on together is a lie.
My thoughts whirl. My heart pounds. My soul pulses.
I place all the puzzle pieces together. I examine it from different angles. And slowly, like magic, everything starts to make sense. It sparkles. It fucking glows.
“You are telling me you are loyal to your family?” I check, because old habits die hard.
“Yes,” he says sadly, and then he bites his bottom lip.
It starts deep inside me. Somewhere near my soul. It gathers and grows. It builds until it bubbles out of me and I’m laughing. My lungs are heaving and tears are rolling down my cheeks. I’m laughing and laughing and I cannot stop.
As I wipe my eyes, Llywelyn swims into focus. His face is pale with concern. Eyes bright with alarm. His hand is frozen halfway to the call bell. I don’t blame him. I do sound like I’ve lost my mind.
His reaction sobers me enough to enable me to talk.
“I loved you when I thought you were a back-stabbing snake,” I wheeze.
Llywelyn still looks worried. He doesn’t understand, probably because I’m not making any sense.
I clench my fists tightly. Hard enough that my blunt fingernails dig into my palm. The pain helps me to pull myself together and stop my hysterical laughter. I take one last steady breath.
“But you are actually sweet, and fiercely loyal, and willing to do all of that and sacrifice yourself for your family?”
He gives me a tentative, uncertain nod. I reclaim his hand and squeeze it tightly.
“You will never get rid of me now.” I smile. “I should have trusted my heart. It was always trying to tell me that you are a good person.”
He stares at me for several heartbeats. “You are not angry?”
More laughter bubbles out of me, but I cut it short. “Angry that you are noble and self-sacrificing and put others above yourself? The bravest fucking person I have ever met?”
He frowns, still not understanding.
“You gave your all. To people who gave you nothing in return.”
I run my finger along the smooth skin of his cheek and tuck a lock of hair back behind his ear.
“I fell in love with you when I thought you were a power hungry, selfish asshole.”
He blinks at me.
“Now I know you are beautiful, sexy, sweet and don’t have an evil bone in your body… I love you even more.”
