I stepped back from his hand, and it fell between us. I looked at his chest, at the silver buttons, one not properly clasped as if he’d hurried to get dressed, as I digested the words.
“I don’t need a guard. And no one has to know I’m pregnant yet,” I said.
Kaldur made a sound of disbelief. “You know better than that. Keepers know everything. You think the news won’t spread? And besides, you can’t stay in the keep forever. You’ll be expected to attend events with me.”
“I wasn’t before,” I said. “That doesn’t have to change.”
“Everything has changed, Erina,” he growled, drawing my eyes. “I’m not going back.We’renot going back.”
“And just because you decided that it means I have to accept it too?” I shot back, raising a brow.
I sucked in a breath when his hand wrapped around the back of my neck. His skin was hot, and when he stepped into me, I felt even more heat pour off him. Even through my coat. I only wore my nightdress beneath it, and boots with holes in them, but I still felt that heat.
“One thing you will get used to, Erina, as the mate tothisKyzaire, is that when I make up my mind, I do not change it. I can be impulsive, yes. My temper sometimes gets the best of me. And I can be stubborn to a fault. But one thing I am not is an oath breaker.”
My breaths were shallow as I looked up at him.
“I regret what happened between us,” he continued. “I regret the way I treated you. I regret that I lied to you, that I made you feel like I didn’t care about you. I regret that night in my study. I could have simply been honest and it would have saved us a lot of hurt.”
My heart was beating so fast and strong in my chest that I knew Kaldur would be able to hear it. His eyes were mesmerizing, likezylarrs. Just as I’d remembered. With the dawn mist swirling around us, I felt like I’d been transported to an otherworldly realm. I felt the burst of beauty around us as the sun finally broke through the forest tops.
“This is my promise to you now, Erina,” Kaldur said gruffly. “I promise to give you the respect you deserve as my blood mate. As the mother of my child.”
I breathed in deep when I heard the catch in his voice at the words, feeling a swell of emotion rise as I fought against it.
“I know I don’t deserve a second chance, but I’m selfish enough to demand it of you. I know I’ve given you no reason to believe me when I say that it will different from now on…but in time, I hope you will. I only ask for time.Please, dallia.I just need time to prove that we can be right for each other.”
I cleared my throat when it went tight.
“And what about Luc?” I couldn’t help but ask.
I’d thought about that one night in Kaldur’s study too many times to count, replaying that night over and over in my head. I’d realized belatedly that Kaldur believed I loved Luc romantically, not because I considered him my brother. It was the only thing I wished I’d clarified that night, not that it would’ve mattered then.
Kaldur’s lips pressed together. “What about him?”
“You believe I love him, don’t you?” I asked. “You asked me last night if the child was yours or his, after all.”
TheKyzaire’s jaw gritted so tight that a muscle popped.
“He doesn’t matter to me,” Kaldur grated. “Even if you do love him, I’d already made up my mind to steal your affections all for myself.”
Disbelief shot through me. “What? That’s ridiculous.”
“Don’t test me,” he rasped. “I can be infinitely charming when I set my mind to it.”
“But what you don’t understand is I don’t want the facade you give everyone else,” I said. “It’s not real.”
Kaldur’s brow furrowed.
I cleared my throat again, turning my head to dislodge his hand at the back of my neck.
“My point is…a part of you believes that Luc and I are involved. Enough for you to question the pregnancy.”
“I was surprised last night, Erina,” Kaldur argued. “And half-mad, starving for you, so fucking relieved I’d found you,andon the verge of a rage. If you tell me that the child is mine, then I believe you.”
“But you believe that I would give myself to you if I loved another so deeply?” I questioned. I wanted to understand. “Is that who you think I am? You thought I was pretending to care about you? That my feelings for you weren’t genuine?”
“We still don’t know a lot about each other, Erina,” Kaldur told me, his voice firm even though his eyes were molten in the rising sun as they pinned me in place. “I didn’t know what to believe, but I’m ashamed to say I believed someone that I shouldn’t have.”
