“Did you think I’d let you face this alone?”
“I hoped you’d stay where you were safe.”
“Iamwhere I’ll be safe.” I stroked his jaw, the rough stubble scratching my palm. “Because I’m with you.”
The warrior king vanished, leaving only a man whose eyes held the certainty that he could lose me. Then his mouth was on mine, and the world narrowed to his lips, his hands, his heart beating a furious rhythm.
Our last moment of peace before war.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss, but a desperate, frantic one, a brutal claiming tinged with the taste of fear. His hands tangled in my hair, holding my head as if he could pour all of his strength, all of his will to live, directly into me.
This was a goodbye.
It was anI will find you in the next life.
A prayer and a curse and the most honest thing I’d ever felt.
He lifted his head, leaving me breathless and aching.
For a heartbeat, his forehead rested against mine before he stepped away, drawing the broadsword from the sheath on his spine. He pivoted and stalked toward the battle.
“Go,” he growled over his shoulder. His hand shook where it clutched his sword.
The king of this realm, the terror of his enemies, trembling forme.
“Get on that dragon,” he growled. “And fly out of here.Now.”
57
ISI
“No,” I growled right back at Trew. “I am not leaving you. I would rather die by your side than live a thousand safe years without you.”
Pherin peeped, and for a moment, I thought of her. She was so tiny. Fragile. She wouldn’t survive a battle against butterflies.
I choose too,I could swear I heard her say.
Trew turned back to face me. “Youhaveto go.” The desperation in his voice made my soul tremble.
“I love you,” I shouted.
“Amarissa.” He blinked before his gaze softened a fraction. “Love.”
The word tasted like forever in the middle of an end.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “You don’t order me to leave. You don’t command me to survive. If you fall, I will fall with you.”
He stalked back over to me, dropping his sword on the ground, and tugged me into his arms, holding tight.
“If only I could memorize you with my fingertips,” he said. “Then when the dark comes, I could carry the memory with me.”
“You fight, I fight. You bleed, I bleed. That’s how this works. There can be no other way.”
He stared down at me, his golden eyes stormy. I could feel the war raging inside him. He was a king used to commanding, a warrior who protected, and a man who loved. Each part of him was battling for control. He must ache to shove me behind him and face this alone.
Finally, his gaze settled, the king yielding to the partner. His grip gentled, his fingers stroking my arms.
“I love you,” he said without a hint of artifice. It wasn’t a confession whispered in the dark; it was a vow declared on the edge of a battlefield. “I always will. So we’ll face this together.”
