Imma waved away my words. “Be that as it may, it makes it seem more foolproof. It will do a lot to quell any misgivings aligning ourselves with the Rijitera may cause in the Court andwith the people. Rema may not be liked within his family, but the people respect him. He is trustworthy to them, and for him to be married to a member of Jack’s clan when we throw our support in with her as well as Ohem At’ens. It will do much to ease minds.”
I shrugged. “Okay then.”
“Now, I am going to rouse my mate and we will come up with a plan. You two get back to bed. Someone will wake you in the morning so that you can prepare for Heat.” She swept out of the room without giving us a chance to speak again, the door closing behind her.
I groaned, banging my head against Rema’s shoulder. “Why can’t the Unity just blow themselves up and save us the trouble? It’s too damn bad they didn’t botch handling the Red Plague and die.”
“Do you love me, Patty?”
I straightened to find him watching me, his face serious. His silver eyes searched mine.
Was he still uncertain? I breathed in through my nose and yep. Uncertainty still flavored his emotions with a weird sour aftertaste. There was joy there, but it was on shaky ground. He needed the reassurance of the words spoken aloud.
I raised my hands to either side of his face, meeting his eyes so what I said couldn’t be second guessed. My heart was beating hard enough to hurt behind my ribs. I wasn’t nervous per say, but it was close enough to cause butterflies in my stomach.
“I love you. Hopelessly. Gladly. Joyously.
“I.” I kissed his cheek.
"Love.” A kiss to his nose.
“You.” I kissed his lips, pulling back to grin at him.
A knot formed in my throat when his eyes started watering.
“Rema, if you cry then I’m gonna cry.”
His laugh was watery, a tear spilling over his cheek. “Then you had better get started, because I can’t help it.”
More tears spilled, though his smile was wide, and we crumpled together, arms coming around each other, cry-laughing into each other’s skin. He cupped the side of my neck, his thump caressing my cheek and gave me a tear soaked kiss.
It was the most tender, love filled thing I’d ever experienced in my life and I leaned into like a starving person, soaking it up like a sponge, and I started sobbing half a second into it. Rema held me tighter, kissing me through it. I clung to him like a lifeline as he pulled me into his lap so that I could be even closer. I wrapped my arms and legs around him, shuddering against him when the kiss ended. Both of us were breathing hard, hiccupping, laughing, and staring as if we were just now seeing the other for the first time.
He smoothed my hair away from my face, his smile so tender it threatened to send me down another spiral. “I love you, Patty. I think it started on the Solus, when I first saw you and your lecherous smile. But these past few weeks, that feeling has grown until I thought it would drown me.”
I laughed, sniffling, and wiped at my face with my hands. “We can drown together, then.”
He shook his head, stilling my hands. “No, we are finally breathing.”
I had to swallow hard at the tightness in my throat his words caused, more tears spilling down my face.
“Stop that. You’re gonna make us cry all over again.”
Rema gathered me up, rising to his feet and walked us over to the bed, crawling to the middle of the mattress on his knees, and laid us down, his wings wrapping around us.
“Whatever comes, this right here is worth every second.”
I couldn't have agreed more.
Chapter 18
Rema
His emotions still feltraw when he woke. Patty was curled up against him, her back to his front, and he pulled her firmly against him, burying his nose in her hair to breathe her in.
She loved him. His throat instantly closed at the thought, tears gathering in his eyes. He closed them tightly, swallowing hard against the overwhelming elation. He felt like dancing and bellowing at the top of his lungs at the same time that this female loved him.
Underneath all the joy was a sick churning like a thousand insects swarming under his skin. They were about to walk onto a battlefield together, and now more than ever, he was aware of how very vulnerable they both were. He had never been more keenly conscious of his mortality in his life. Was all love like this? Equal parts joy and fear?
