We reach a small clearing, a circle of grass surrounded by ancient oaks. Sebastian stops walking. He turns to face me, and the look on his face makes my heart ache. He looks stricken. Like a man standing at the edge of a cliff, trying to find the courage to jump.
“I’m sorry,” he says.
The words hang in the air between us.
“Sebastian—”
“No, let me finish…please.” He takes a breath, and I see the effort it costs him to continue. “I pushed you away. I hurt you. And the reason…” He runs a hand through his hair, frustration and anguish written across his features. “The reason is that I’m terrified of opening myself up. I’m so afraid of giving myself to someone so completely that they have the power to destroy me.”
I stand frozen, afraid to move. Afraid to breathe.
“I was a fool,” he continues. “A colossal fool for holding back. For pushing you away. For taking so long to realize what I was doing.” His voice breaks. “I should never have done it in the first place.”
My heart is beating wildly now. A frantic, hopeful rhythm that I can’t seem to control.
Sebastian steps closer. His hand reaches out, hovering near my cheek but not quite touching.
“I love you, Isla.”
The words hit me hard. I didn’t expect them.
“I know we haven’t known each other for long,” he goes on. “I know it seems impossible. But I don’t care. What I feel for you is real. It’s more real than anything I’ve ever felt in my entire life.”
Then, before I can respond, he drops to his knees before me.
I stare down at him, my mouth falling open. The proud Shadowfae King, kneeling in the grass at my feet. His eyes are bright with emotion as he looks up at me.
“I’m begging you for another chance,” he says. “A chance to show you that I’m worthy. That I can be the male you deserve.” His voice shakes. “The last two weeks have been miserable. I miss you, Isla. I need you by my side. We’re not meant to be on separate paths. That was just another thing I told myself to keep you at arm’s length, where it was safe, where I couldn’t get hurt.”
My vision blurs with unshed tears.
“Get up,” I tell him. My voice comes out thick. “Sebastian, get up.”
He rises slowly, his eyes never leaving my face.
For a while, I just look at him.
“Please say something, Isla. I’m dying here.”
“I only just realized something myself,” I tell him. “I was pushing you away, too. I was so afraid of you hurting me again that I wouldn’t hear you out. I wouldn’t give you a chance to explain.” I swallow hard. “I’m afraid too, Sebastian. I love you so much already. I can’t even imagine how I’ll feel in a year, or two, or more. And if you pull something like this again…” I bite down on my lip, fighting for composure. “What then?” I whisper the last.
He takes my hands in his. His grip is warm and strong.
“I promise you, I won’t,” he says. “We need to trust one another with everything from here on out. No more walls. No more pushing each other away.” His thumb traces circles on my palm. “I want to be with you. I’ll ask the Drakar if I can stay here and help. I might not be able to wield my own magic, but I know how to teach it. I spent many summers – too many to count – learning how to wield it. I can be of use.”
I push out a laugh. “Of course you can. I’m sure they will agree. How could they not? I love you too,” I say.
His face transforms. Joy breaks across his features like the sun emerging from behind storm clouds. A boyish grin spreads across his lips that is so beautiful it steals my breath.
Sebastian leans in, and his lips move against mine. His hands cup my face, tilting me toward him, and I melt into his embrace.
For a few perfect moments, nothing else exists. Just the two of us in this clearing, wrapped in each other’s arms, finally together.
But then reality comes crashing back.
I pull away from him, my hands pressing against his chest.
Sebastian’s brow creases. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
