Something in him went still.
"I understand."
I let out a slow breath. "And you're going anyway. Alone."
"Yes."
"Into something we barely understand."
"Yes."
I shook my head, a sharp exhale escaping me. "God, you're impossible."
"So I've been told."
I took another step closer. Close enough now that I could feel his breath. I managed a "Be careful." There was so much more I wanted to say. For some reason, this goodbye didn't feel like his promised:only a few hours.
His gaze dropped to my mouth for the briefest second. Then back up.
"I intend to return," he repeated.
I reached for him before I could overthink it. Fisted my hand in the front of his shirt and pulled him down. This time, there was no hesitation. No restraint. The moment our mouths met, everything else fell away. The anger. The arguments. The fear. All of it burned out under the sheer force of it.
His hand came up to my waist, pulling me closer, firm, unyielding, like he'd already decided I belonged there. Heat flooded through me, sharp and immediate.
God.
This—
This was a terrible idea. I leaned into it anyway. Because for once, I wasn't thinking. I wasn't analyzing. I wasn't questioning whether it made sense. I just… wanted. I was also done pretending I didn't.
His breath was unsteady when he pulled back, resting his forehead briefly against mine. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then, quieter than I had ever heard him, "Aelyth."
The word echoed through my head, my chest. Lighting on fire whatever it touched. It resonated so deep inside of me, it had to be some kind of ancient recognition.
His palm touched my cheek almost reverently. I looked up and nearly drowned in his dark black eyes, now filled with a myriad of golden flames.
"Aelyth." I agreed.
His next words hit like a shockwave. "I love you."
"...what?"
He stepped back slightly, as if giving me space to retreat. I didn't. But I didn't move forward either.
"You are my Aelyth," he stated, as if that explained everything. "What I feel for you is not… transient."
"That's not what I asked."
"I know."
His gaze held mine. Steady. Certain. Terrifyingly so.
"I love you," he repeated without hesitation. Without any doubt. Just truth.
My heart slammed against my ribs. Too fast. Too hard. This was insane. This was impossible. This was?—
And yet…
