"And the entire time," he continues, his voice raw, "all I could think about was you. About the way you looked at me when I accused you of betrayal. About the way your voice broke when you told me you were trying to protect your dignity. About the fact that I threw away the most precious thing I have ever been given because I was too afraid to trust it."
He reaches out slowly.
His sprawling, towering frame hovers in the air between us, trembling.
"I do not care about my security infrastructure," he says. "I do not care about my corporate empire. I do not care about eight centuries of accumulated wealth. None of it matters if I have to return to the cold. If I have to spend the rest of my existence alone, knowing that I destroyed the only warmth I have ever known."
His voice drops to a whisper.
"You are my mate, Tamsin. You are the only person who has ever made me feel like I am more than just stone and paranoia. And I will spend the rest of my life proving to you that I will never doubt you again."
Tears spill down my cheeks.
"You hurt me," I say, my voice shaking.
"I know."
"You made me feel like I wasn't enough. Like I was just another security risk."
"I know."
"You threw me out like I was nothing."
"I know." His voice breaks. "And I will regret it for the rest of my existence."
I stare at him.
At this towering, ancient, terrifying creature kneeling on my hallway floor, looking up at me with desperate, pleading eyes.
And I realize something.
He's not here because he needs a massage therapist.
He's not here because he wants to solve a problem.
He's here because he'sbrokenwithout me.
Just like I'm broken without him.
"Say it," I whisper.
He blinks.
"Say what?"
"Say what you need from me."
His jaw tightens.
And then, very quietly, he says:
"I need you to come home."
The words shatter something inside me.
"I need you to forgive me," he continues, his voice raw. "I need you to let me hold you. I need you to let me prove that I will never cast you out again. I need you to be mine. Permanently. Irrevocably. Because I cannot survive without you."
He takes a shaky breath.
