The truth in her voice pierced me. The thought of everything that had been denied to her nearly fractured me. I kissed her slowly, savoring the sweetness of her mouth, hoping against hope that, somehow, I would be able to make up for some of the hurt and neglect and abuse she had suffered through.
When we parted, she remained close enough that our breaths mingled. Her eyes roamed my body in curiosity; she studied me as though she could see every scar I tried to hide. Then she smiled with heartbreaking tenderness.
“I have never been more certain of anything than I am of being yours, of us belonging together.”
The last of my defenses crumbled. “I love you,” I whispered.
The words were raw, stripped of every layer of pride and fear. “I love your courage. Your stubbornness. Your sharp tongue. The way you throw yourself at monsters twice your size and then look pleased with yourself afterward.”
Her laugh was wet and breathless. I brushed my lips over hers. “I love the way you challenge me. The way you believe in me when I cannot believe in myself. The way you make me feel...” My voice broke. “...whole.”
She touched my face with infinite care. “I love you too.”
For a moment, I could only stare at her. The words echoed through me, more powerful than any prophecy, more sacred than any oath.
“You do?” I asked, unable to keep the wonder from my voice.
She smiled, her eyes luminous. “Yes, you impossible man. I love you.”
A helpless laugh burst from me. I rolled us gently so that she lay cradled against my side, tucked securely beneath my arm.
“Good,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair.
“Good?” she repeated, amused.
I smiled into the dark curls spread across my chest.
“Because now that I know, I intend to spend the next several million years proving exactly how adored you are.”
She tilted her head to look up at me. “Several million?”
“At the very minimum.”
Her fingers traced idle patterns over my skin. “That seems reasonable.”
Warmth flooded the bond. Contentment. Joy. Home.
I kissed her forehead and held her closer.
Outside our chamber, war still raged across the stars. Ancient enemies gathered. The fate of worlds remaineduncertain. But with Naeris in my arms and her love wrapped around my heart, I felt something I had not known in all my existence.
Peace.
For the first time since I had been created in darkness, eternity no longer seemed lonely.
I woke slowly,drifting upward through layers of warmth and exhaustion so profound I felt boneless. For one disorienting moment, I didn’t know where I was. Then the steady rise and fall beneath my cheek registered: a broad chest. Warm skin. Strong arms wrapped around me with a protectiveness so instinctive, even in sleep, that my throat tightened.
Thyros.
The memory of the night before rushed over me in a flood of sensation. His mouth on mine. His whispered devotion. The overwhelming tenderness with which he had touched me, as though I were something precious and fragile and infinitely cherished. Most of all, afterward, the raw vulnerability in his eyes when he had asked me to tell him again that I was his.
A smile curved my lips before I opened my eyes. The room was dim, lit only by a soft glow that came out of the corners.From here, I could see the viewing windows, and outside them, the stars that stretched in silent splendor, cold and distant.
Inside Thyros’ arms, I had never felt safer. I shifted slightly, and his hold tightened immediately. A low rumble vibrated through his chest. “Do not even consider escaping.”
His voice was rough with sleep and devastatingly male.
I laughed softly. “I wasn’t.”
