“I’m fantastic. My betrothed finds her mate the night before our wedding and runs off to elope. This is one of the pinnacle moments of my life.”
“Jace.”
“What.”
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” He blinks up at me. “You didn’t want this. Any of it. This isn’t a problem. This is a solution. You’re free now.”
“It’s not that. I’m happy for them—I’m relieved. But amIhappy? No.” He stares at the moss-covered ground. “I might be if I thought it wouldchange anything.”
“You don’t have to be king—this changes everything.”
“Does it? Does it change things between us?” His golden eyes meet mine, glowing in the darkness.
I say nothing.
“You’re right. I’m free now, Serena. There is nothing standing in the way of us being together.” He angles himself toward me. “But somehow, I don’t feel hopeful. Because I know that wasn’t the only thing stopping you. I came to you last night. I begged you to run away with me. When I asked you to marry me—you just stood there, pretending like I hadn’t said a word. And now you’re about to run straight into the arms of our enemy. So do I feel hopeful for the future? No. I don’t.”
My throat tightens as I push to my feet. “You know I couldn’t go with you. Running from our problems won’t solve them.”
“Even if it weren’t for all that, I still don’t think you would be with me.”
He’s right, but still I ask, “Why do you say that?”
“Because for all that bravery, all that reckless wildfire in you—you’re afraid.”
I scoff, leaning against the tree. “Afraid of what?”
“I don’t know. Afraid to let yourself fall.”
“Well, the ground isn’t the most comfortable place to be,” I admit, nudging the moss with my foot. He stands, walking over to me.
“I’m not going to try to convince you. But everything I said last night—look at me.” He reaches out to tilt my chin up. My heart skips half a beat. “Everything I said, I meant. I was afraid of you. Of this. I’m not anymore. I’m done being anything but yours. Whether you want it or not.”
I meet his gaze, a mixture of devotion and desire. “I don’t know what I want anymore. I’m just trying to get by—day by day.”
“Then maybe you need a little reminder.”
“A reminder?”
With one more shift, his hand slides beneath my hair to cup the back of my neck.
“A reminder of how you make me feel. Every second”—his hipspush into mine, cool breath coasting over my neck—“of every day. It gnaws at me. It’s so sweet, but so….painful. To want someone this much and not be able to touch them.” His pointer finger glides over my throat, eyes devouring every detail of my face.
“You touch me all the time.” I swallow hard. “In training.”
He lets out a quiet laugh. “That isn’t what I meant.”
Then his mouth is at my throat, and I can’t think, I can’t breathe, I can’t see reason if it were a high beam in the middle of the night.
“I want to touch you so deep you feel it in your soul.”
Shit.I just lost feeling in my legs.
“What about being friends?” I rasp. He pulls back, giving me a soul-melting look.
“Serena. I could never be your friend.” He leans in, close enough to taste. “If I got down on my knees and begged you to stay, to give up this insane plan, would you?”
“Jace,” I caution, clutching his jacket.
