Naria rose up from the floor, her wedding gown in tatters and blood dripping from her wounds. I didn’t think she’d be able to stand without pain, so I wrapped one arm around her waist, holding her close.
“Darling,” I said, lifting the dagger until it sat between our chests.
“What’s that for?” she asked hesitantly.
“Something that must be done for you to be freed.”
“What?” She tried to push herself away, but she was too weak. I held her against me even as she swayed. “Are you going to kill me?” she panicked.
“I wouldneverhurt you.”
“Then why do you have a…” Her voice trailed off when she glanced down. I’d spun the dagger towards my own chest, my hand holding hers over the hilt.
“You need a heart to break your bond, and I will not take yours from you,” I explained, voice shaking. “I just hope that your love for me is somewhere still in there. Buried.” Unable to help myself, I brushed my lips against hers.
She shuddered. “What are you talking about—”
I forced her hand forwards, plunging the dagger into my chest.
CHAPTER 45
NARIA
His name hit me first. His name followed by the day we met while the dagger sank further into his chest. Someone screamed nearby. Me. I was screaming. Princess Naria of Corlixir screamed as all the missing pieces of her mind fell into place, including the part where she –I– had just stabbed my husband through the heart.
When he fell to the floor, I fell with him.
“Lukas.” My voice was raw. I gripped his face as his torso laid across my lap. Blood seeped through his shirt, but I ignored it. If I didn’t look at the dagger it might not be real.It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not—
“Naria?” he wheezed. Blood trickled out with my name, and I sobbed.
“I’m here,” I told him, stroking the hair from his face. “I’m here and I remember.”
“You do?” A smile touched his cheeks. I kissed it before it could fade, cradling his body in my lap.
“I remember everything,” I sobbed. “Why did you do that?” Fury melded with my sadness. “WHY?”
He reached up to cup my cheek. His touch was so gentle, weak. “Because I love you.”
“I love you too,” I rasped, choking on my tears. “I love you. I love you. I love you, and I should’ve told you sooner.”
“No.” He shook his head slowly. In the distance, someone’s cruel laughter filled the cave. “I knew… I just—” His breath hitched. More blood trickled down his chin.
“Stay with me,” I begged. “Don’t go.”
He winced before his arms went limp. “I just… I wish I could’ve had a lifetime with you.” His eyes glazed over, smile faded. Gone. He was gone.
And suddenly, I’d forgotten how to breathe.
“No, no, no.” Chest seizing, I lowered him to the floor. “I can stop the bleeding. I can save you.” I padded around the wound, trying desperately to stop the flow, but his shirt was already soaked.
“No!” I yelled. The distant laughter drew closer. Ignoring it, I stayed focused on his wound, but blood kept bubbling through my fingers. “Stop bleeding!” I screamed. “Please!”
Someone clasped me on the shoulder. “Leave the fool, human. He’ll only make you filthier.”
My sadness ignited into rage. “You monster!” I whipped around to face Arenn, vision burning red. All my memories had returned now: him snatching me away on my wedding night, stealing my memories, leaving me in the forest to wake up alone and confused.
“I assumed he’d try to stab you, and then our bond would’ve killed him. The only way he could’ve taken your heart was if his love for you was more powerful than ours. Otherwise, our bond would’ve protected you by ending his life before the dagger cut too deeply,” Arenn explained, his tone far too casual for my liking. “Oh well. He saved you some pain, I suppose.” He let out a loud laugh, and I resisted the urge to rip the dagger out of Lukas’s chest and thrust it into his.
