Kel paused.
“You’re impulsive and rash,” Rin sighed. “You can just as quickly decide to call the betrothal off and toss me aside as you did setting the whole thing up. You expect me to trust you because what? I know you like fucking me?” He chuckled humorlessly. “You aren’t the first, but I don’t see any of those people beating down the doors.”
His initial response was to get angry and jealous—that was the second time Rin was reminding him he’d had past lovers and he hated it. But he hadn’t come this far and waited an entire week for this just to blow it by giving in to rage.
“I’ve never worked for anything a day in my life,” Kelevra admitted. “I saw you and decided I wanted you all in the same moment, and you’re right. I could just as quickly change my mind. But I won’t. I know I won’t, Flower, because I know myself. The major difference between us isn’t that you feel more and I feel less, it’s that you choose to hide while I choose to stand tall. I am who I am and I enjoy being that person. This allows me to understand myself better.”
Kel didn’t love his sisters. Up until this point, he hadn’t grasped the full concept. He knew it meant he would do nice things for them and want to keep them happy, and for the most part, he did. He understood they cared for him and protected him, and that was nice, sure, but if it came down to his life or theirs, there was no question he would save himself.
He’d never tell them that, of course, but he’d always known that was the truth. He cared for them to the extent of his capabilities, but that wasn’t love.
But this…
He leaned forward and gently stroked the pad of his thumb against the arch of one golden brow, tracing the fine hairs on Rin’s face. “If anyone hurt you, I’d castrate them. If you and I were trapped in a burning building, I would push you out to safety first.”
“You sound…surprised,” his flower noticed.
Kelevra laughed. “I am.”
Rin searched his gaze. “How can you know that won’t change tomorrow? You could wake up and—”
“It was a trap, Consort. That’s all it was. The rumors that were spread around were just that. They weren’t real. I only allowed them to happen to get under your skin, but I never intended for it to bother you this much. Only enough to get you to come to me.”
“And if I do something in the future you don’t like?” Rin forced Kel’s hand away but kept his fingers on his wrist when he placed it on his chest. “If I don’t always agree with you? If I want to make my own choices?”
“Outside of the bedroom or in?” Kelevra asked.
“Either.”
“I have no problems with you being who you are. If we don’t agree, we can discuss it. The only thing that I’m not willing to bend on is our betrothal. You will marry me. You’ve agreed to be mine, and even ifyouwake up one day and realize that’s not what you want, I won’t let you go. I’ll never let you go.”
Rin nibbled his bottom lip, and Kelevra anticipated an argument right then and there, a little caught off guard when instead he said, “Do you swear?” He licked his lips nervously. “No matter what?”
Kel tilted his head. It was obvious he was keeping something from him, but he’d known that from the start. It helped that whatever the big secret was, it was clear Rin kept it from everyone and not just Kelevra. It wasn’t personal, and for that reason alone, he’d been able to look the other way.
For now.
It was tempting to force the issue, while he had his flower so forthcoming, but he didn’t want to risk tarnishing the moment. Things were going surprisingly well between them after what had taken place downstairs. He’d expected outrage after he’d let Rin down from the device, but instead, he was being soft and open with him.
It was…endearing.
It also made him greedy.
If Kelevra could fill the rest of his life with moments just like this one, he would do anything in exchange.
“Yes, sweetheart,” he promised. “You came to me tonight—you came for me,” he grinned when that made Rin huff, “I comprehend it must have been a difficult choice for you to make. In exchange, I’ll cherish you and keep you always. Forever.”
“Cherish me, huh?” The tops of his ears started to darken.
“Is that too much?” Kel laughed. “Am I embarrassing younow? You weren’t even embarrassed downstairs when—”
“I don’t open up to people,” Rin cut him off. “Ever. It isn’t safe, and I’m not good at trusting. Some of it is just instinct, some of it is habit. I might be…closed off most of the time. I need to know you understand that, that you’re sure you won’t get bored of me if I’m not always—”
“Tricking your Active into thinking you’re not as good a shot as you actually are?” Kelevra teased. “I have this, remember?” He tapped his eye. “I can always see you, the real you.”
Rin reached up and ran a finger down the length of the old scar. “How did you get this?”
“You don’t know?”
