Then, his balled-up fist hit my chest.
“Y-You were s-stone,” he hiccupped.
At first, I didn’t understand what he meant. I remembered the earth, and reaching for it, and then nothing.
But if he meant it literally?—
“I did magic?”
Aderyn let out a wet sob. His fingers clawed at my back and pressed into my flesh, blunt but hard enough to bruise. As hetipped forward, pressing his face to my chest, I wrapped my arms around him.
I’d donemagic.
I’d made myself something other than the monster I feared I was.
I thought the blood had killed my magic, that I’d lost it forever.
Magic was all my father had ever wanted of me, and I’d lost it.
Gently, I untangled his arms from around my middle and eased him back enough that I could sit up.
Aderyn squeezed his empty hands, folding his thumbs tight beneath his fingers. I glanced at them, but my eyes caught on an angry red line, carved down his arm.
I clutched his wrist and tugged his arm toward me. His fist went slack, and I pressed my palm on top of his cut.
For once, the call of the blood wasn’t enough to hold my gaze for long. I stared into his glistening emerald eyes. I hated the tears I’d put there, the wound on his arm that only existed because I was so weak.
I had to do better.
“I love you,” I whispered, my throat tight and voice hoarse.
“I love you too.”
My smile trembled on my face and I nodded.
“I need you to hear me,” I went on, squeezing his arm. “Neverthis.” I’d do all I could to make sure Aderyn never bled again. “I’d rather die than hurt you.”
His nose flared. “I’d rather die than lose you.”
I bit my lip against my widening smile.
I didn’t want that—never even wanted to think about him dying—but he didn’t want to lose me. He wanted to be with me.
As flawed as I was, I hadn’t lost him forever.
Only days ago, my world had ended.
Now, he was back.
“Then we’ll have to find some compromise so that neither one of us dies, hm?”
Aderyn ducked his head, and I bent forward to try and hold his eye, but he staunchly avoided looking at me.
“I can do it, though.”
I scowled. “Do what?”
“Give you blood.”
