He was young. It might become important to him at some point. A lot could change in forever... and as a human, I wouldn’t be here for it.
Chapter24
Since the Beginning
Pharis
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
Did Raewyn have no awareness of my feelings for her at all?
“You’re talking aboutrumors,” I said. “Yes, I fooled around with lots of women before I met you—I was trying to distract myself from the knowledge no one would ever really knowme, that no one could ever love me because of what I’d done, because of how I am.”
“But you are different. You see past my scaly armor to the heart of me,” I told her.
“And if you’re worried I can’t commit, let’s just put that concern to rest right now. Daylight or no, scandalized villagers be damned, I’ll bond myself to you right here and now. Then I’ll never be able to be with anyone else for the rest of eternity. I don’t everwantto be with another woman.”
Raewyn looked uncertain. Or was that shock I saw? Either way, I was terrified she was about to refuse me.
“There was a spell…” she said, sounding worried.
“If therewasa spell, it worked on Stellon, not on me,” I practically shouted.
“Think about it—did I act spellbound when we danced at the ball and I interrogated you? Or later when I found you in his bed? Or when I caught the two of you just before you foolishly bonded yourself to a man who wasn’t free to be with you?”
I pounded my chest with one fist. “I’mfree. I’m righthere. I may not be the Crown Prince, the golden boy, the chosen one everyone wants. ButIwantyou. More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my entire cursed life. I have to have you, little Wyn.”
I grabbed her, kissing her desperately. It wasn’t a thing of pleasure or desire this time—it was raw need mixed with no small amount of fear.
Of how much I felt for her.
Of the possibility she didn’t return those feelings.
To my infinite relief, Raewyn didn’t push me away but participated fully in the kiss, meeting me stroke for stroke.
At least we had that—chemistry so obvious even she couldn’t deny it.
I prayed she wouldn’t try.
If she turned me down, I didn’t know what I was going to do. Though we’d shared some moments during our journey, I understood she could very well still be in love with my brother. It was all so unfair.
She wasmyperfect match—not his.Mine.
If only I could convince her of that.
Pulling out of the kiss, I still held her, probably more tightly than I should have.
“I know your heart is still with Stellon,” I said, “but I’ll take any small part of you you’ll let me have. Just let me have you, Raewyn.”
She shook her head, backing out of my arms. “I’m so confused. I don’t know if there was a love spell or not. I don’t know how I can feel so—”
She abandoned the sentence, and I felt like I might die without hearing the rest of it.
“Just weeks ago, I was with Stellon,” she said, “being kissed for the first time in my life, feeling like my heart would break because we couldn’t be together. And now… there are all these new feelings. And the things you’re saying… it all seems so sudden.”
“It’s not sudden to me,” I said, turning abruptly and stalking away.
I should never have let Stellon steal her from my grasp that first night, should never have given him the chance to get his hooks in her.
