“Braxton is not above us, Lachlan. He is one of us. Who his father was has nothing to do with this. You are a good man, a great warrior, and that has more merit than you could ever realize. I know there is a woman who will love you the way I cannot…”
Dropping his hold, he shook his head, pushing both hands through his hair. “I do not want another woman. I want you. I’ve been here, close to you, my entire life while you have only known him a few months. What has he ever done for you? Has he offered you something like this?”
He motioned toward the field of blooms he’d fetched just for me. Flowers that weren’t just flowers but meant so much more to me.
“No. Braxton hasn’t presented the grand gesture. He hasn’t asked me to be with him for the rest of our lives, but I don’t need him to. The first thing he ever did after arriving to a world he never knew, was save my life. He went against the Warlock King to get me back, without even a sword to his name or the ability to fight like you and I know how. It may seem too soon, but when I look into Braxton’s eyes, it feels like we have spent our entire lives together. He would do anything for me, and I have no doubt he would bleed for our people without a second thought if that’s what it takes to save them.”
Lifting a hand to my hair, I remove the bloom Lachlan placed between my strands, my eyes falling to the delicate petals as I caressed them.
“I am truly sorry, Lachlan, but there aren’t enough flowers in this realm to surpass the love Braxton awakened in me. I know you want me to choose you, yet I cannot give you a heart that is no longer mine. He took it from me the moment I met him, and there is nothing I can do about that.”
Unable to look up at him in fear of the heartbreak I’d find, I placed the bloom against his chest and walked past him towards the castle gate. As the part of my heart that cared for him tore to pieces, I wished I had never agreed to walk with him.
12
“Is everything alright?” Willow asked the second I returned, noticing the anguish my features hid, as clearly as though I wore it on my face.
“Lachlan presented the grand gesture,” I whispered and continued past her, lifting my skirt while I rushed up the stairs.
Her gasp followed, and she hurried to my side but didn’t offer any remarks. Regardless of how she felt about him, regardless of his mistakes or our disagreements, Lachlan had been important to me for a long time, a friend, and something told me that now I could add him to the endless list of loved ones I had lost.
The climb to the seventh floor became as silent and cold as the frozen lands, and I arrived at our level to find Kingston, Imogen, Asher, and a few other warriors standing in the hallway just as Braxton joined them.
When the echo of our steps reached him, he turned around, his eyes connecting with mine.
“What happened?” Braxton asked, instantly coming to meet me. In that moment, I knew that even when we hadn’t spent a lifetime together, he knew me better than those who had.
I should have taken him aside. I should have gone into our quarters and waited for him to follow because we weren’t alone, but I needed him. I needed the comfort I knew only his touch could provide. Walking up to him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely.
His embrace was instant, pulling me impossibly close to his chest as his powerful arms curled around my waist. I soaked him in, letting his warmth soothe the ache inside me even when a few gasps from the newcomers behind him reverberated through the space.
I did not care who found out.
“What happened?” Braxton whispered against my ear, his lips leaving small, caring kisses along my cheek.
“Later…” I answered, hiding my face in his neck. The feeling of him, like this, just made everything better. The world itself could crack, but as long as I had Braxton with me, I knew I would endure it all.
“Okay,” he added, kissing my cheek again. “Just tell me who I have to kill.”
It was the strangest way to react, but laughter burst out of me at the absurdity of his comment. Pulling away, I looked into his eyes to find him smirking. He wouldn’t kill a worm if he had his way, and here he was, acting like he was a masterful slayer.
“You are absolutely ridiculous.”
His smile widened. “Didn’t you hear? That’s my specialty.”
Chuckling, I stood on my toes and kissed his lips, inciting a new round of gasps… and a grunt from my guardian.
“The two of you still haven’t talked, you know.”
Making a face, Braxton took my hand and pulled me back to where he’d been standing with the others.
“I assume Imogen brought you here,” I began, glancing at the six men and women standing before us with wide eyes. Braxton’s friends were trying, but failing miserably, to hide their shock.
Imogen smiled, offering me a head bow. “Yes, Princess. It’s time to form the new guard.”
“The new guard?” The one I believed was called Aaron asked.
“Yes, my guard,” Braxton answered, letting out a sigh. “I should begin by explaining who I am and why I need to have a guard.” His gaze connected with mine and I smiled. “I am the Harbinger of Justice’s son.”
