His voice is ragged. Raw.Hurt. “You believe I’m the one in danger, but, Asha… precious Asha… why do you think the dragons gave you their scales? Why did Cailey fall to the Earth to save you? Why did Thaden Kane hand you his only child? And even the Valkyrie Queen asked you which side you would fight on, and you said?—”
“The darkness is the real enemy.”
I can barely breathe.
A storm of fear and dread builds within me.
Only an hour ago, Erik and I stood quietly at the cliff’s edge, and he asked me if he should have died on that mountain.
He told me I was his anchor and that he feared what he would become if there was peace.
And now, a terrible realization dawns on me.
He fears what he will become without me.
“You can do what nobody else can,” he says. “You can banish the darkness.”
He slides one arm away from me to press his fist to his heart. “The battle you’re facing, your fight with the darkness, is the one on which our future turns. And it will take everything—” He draws a shaky breath, and his voice becomes ragged. “Stopping the darkness will mean givingeverything. All of you. Your power, your mind, and your heart.”
He turns his hand from his own chest to mine, pressing his palm to my heart in the same way I pressed my hand to his chest on that first night in the throne room.
“Everything,” he whispers, and then he falls silent.
When he presses his cheek to mine, his tears dampen my skin.
Outside, the wind picks up, beating against the walls of the tower I created while inside this room, there is a peace that is destined to break.
“I made you a promise, Asha. I will never tear you apart. But you can’t promise me the same.”
“No.” My denial is instant. “I will find a way. All this power…” My breathing is rapid, my heart thumping, my fist closing around my medallion, my other hand pressing over his. “I will find a way.”
I crush my lips to his, vowing that no matter what it takes, I will survive.
Chapter 45
We sink to the floor, where it takes a mere press of my medallion for me to create a soft rug and cushions for us to lie on, tangled in each other’s arms.
His kiss is as deep as mine. I taste his tears on my tongue, and I want nothing more than to forget what awaits us.
My body has heated at his touch, but when I pull back to catch my breath, I can’t ignore the dark circles beneath his eyes. “When did you last sleep?”
“Uh…” His brow furrows for a long moment.
“Too long ago,” I murmur, my upper arm slipping around his side, my hand stroking his back. It takes everything within me to deny the need that was growing within my body, but my concern for his wellbeing is more powerful right now. “You need to rest.”
The corners of his mouth hitch upward. “I’d rather do other things.”
I answer him with a smile. “So would I, but you told Rachel you’ll leave at dawn. You need to sleep first.”
His eyes are already closing. “Sleep first,” he mumbles. “Other things second…”
I continue stroking his back, my fingers finding all the knotted muscles, easing them as best I can.
Within minutes, his breathing is deep.
He falls asleep so quickly that it speaks to his exhaustion.
I stay with him for an hour, allowing my own heart to calm, folding away these peaceful moments within my memory.
