“Indeed.”
“How was your walk?”
“Lovely, thank you.” She hated small talk. It was painful. And awkward.
He angled his head, his gaze roving over her. “You look…comfortable. Wenfyre suits you.”
It was an unexpected compliment, not because it had nothing to do with her looks, but because for the first time since she could remember, Caelian feltseen. Like maybe he saw who she was beneath the garnish of silks and lace. Maybe he saw the pain hidden under the etiquette and decorum.
“I am. That is, I feel like I can breathe here.”
Caelian spread her arms wide and did a little twirl.
“I no longer feel like I’m suffocating, like my very essence is being smothered. The fabric of the clothing doesn’t irritate my skin. It’s soft and supple. Natural, I suppose.” She hoisted herskirts and displayed her bare feet. “And I quite enjoy walking barefoot.”
Kjeld nodded, the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I noticed. In Aeramere you often appeared ill at ease. Like you wanted to claw your clothing off your skin.”
“Yes.” Caelian stilled, facing him. “Exactly.”
In the sitting room, she’d been mindful of how often she let her eyes linger on him. But here, alone with Kjeld in the Myrkwild, she could take a moment to appreciate him. There was no harm inlooking.Besides, she liked the way sunlight bounced off his dark blond braids through the wispy willow branches. And she enjoyed the fact that he traded in his heavy riding leathers for the loose-fitting pants slung low on his hips and the sleeveless vest that showed off his ridiculously large arms. It was almost hypnotic the way inky runes and angular lines painted his skin, the way his veins popped along corded muscle. She hated that she couldn’t stop herself from gawking, hated even more that she wanted to run her palms against his solid abdomen and let them slink below the waistband of his pants.
Caelian tore her gaze away from him, choosing to admire her toes instead.
“Was there something you required?” She pushed a fallen strand of silver hair back behind one ear. “If not, then I must kindly ask you to leave me, because?—”
“Caelian.”
Something about the tone of his voice caused her heart to stutter and skip. He crowded her, stepping into her space.
She licked her lips, daring a glance up at him.
Pain was etched across his brow, but he lifted his hands, his rough palms cupping her cheeks. “I have been a fool. An abysmal prick. I’ve treated you unfairly, I’ve humiliated you, and I’ve broken your heart more times than I can count. It’s shameful.Dishonorable. And I need you to know that I will spend the rest of my days on my knees before you, begging for your forgiveness.”
Confusion plagued her. She knew he was telling the truth, the magic of the Myrkwild made it so, but she didn’t understand where this confession, this apology, was coming from. Her hands curled around his wrists.
“I appreciate your sincerity, and you need not feel as though you must grovel. We have both said and done hurtful things to one another. But I would like it very much if maybe, after all of this is over, we can be friends.”
His thumb grazed the apples of her cheeks. “I don’t want to be your friend, Starweaver.”
She peered up at him, perplexed by his indecisiveness. “Then why bother apologizing at all?”
“Because there are things I want to do to you that I would never do to a friend.” One hand moved to her hip, encircling her and drawing her into him, while the other slid to the back of her neck. “All this time, I thought you were playing with my heart. That you were controlling my emotions. My mind refused to see the truth.”
Her pulse kicked, thundering wildly, and Kjeld’s eyes dropped to her mouth. “And what is the truth?”
“That my desire for you is beyond the whims of magic. I would forgo an eternity in Valorahan if it meant you kissed me one more time. What I feel for you cannot be contained by stars or wishes. It is endless. Limitless. A maddening obsession I can no longer contain.” Kjeld lowered his head, his lips brushing the corner of her mouth, and he whispered his next words. “I do not care if I’m not your mate, because something greater than fate binds me to you. Your soul calls to mine, a lyrical song I’ve longed to hear. Your scent fills me with yearning, leaves meferal with need. And every beat of your heart is like a damn aphrodisiac.”
Caelian’s mouth was dry and papery. So long she’d waited for such a confession from him. Yet doubt heaved inside her, tightening her chest. “But you don’t want this. You don’t want me.”
“I was wrong. Stubborn pride and resentment blinded me. Damned me. Thank you for saving my life, for making me fae. For loving me.” He pulled back, so the blue of his eyes burned into her own. “You are all I have ever wanted.”
She was breathless now. Sticky air filled her lungs, and her blood thrummed as the tension bled from her bones, allowing her to melt into him. “I…I don’t know what to say.”
“Say you’ll let me claim you in every way possible. Say you’ll own my heart and allow me to have yours in return.” Kjeld dropped his mouth to the side of her neck, let his teeth scrape against her skin. Throbbing heat pooled between her legs. “Say you’ll take my last name for eternity.”
Caelian whimpered. Her nose tingled and tears bloomed in her eyes. “You want to marry me?”
Kjeld eased away, just enough for her to see an emotion banking deep in his eyes, and then the rumble of his voice filled her mind.
