“And bringing me to the Night Court,” I keep going. “You didn’t have to do that, either. But you did. You gave me safety, even if it wasn’t gentle.”
“I did,” he murmurs, and his voice drops—low, rich, and laced with something that scrapes deliciously down my spine.
“And then, of course, there was the king.” I step closer, so our bodies are flush against each other. “You refused to let him claim me. You took me before he could.”
His hand comes up to cup my face, his thumb tracing my lower lip. “I’d fight him for you a thousand times if I had to,” he says. “And I wouldn’t lose. Not even once.”
My breath catches, wanting to lean in and give everything to him right there, but I keep going.
“Then there was Princess Cierra,” I say, thinking of the way he threatened his own sister when she came after me. “You stopped her from snapping my neck like it was nothing.”
His wings unfurl slightly, creating a partial cocoon around us.
“You’ve survived this realm because of me,” he agrees. “Your so-called friends—Sapphire and Riven—kept you locked in a frozen tower. A place that would have killed you.”
His fingers tangle in my hair, slowly and gently, like he’s winding it around his hand so I can’t escape.
“They made you walk across an icy bridge,” he continues, his jaw tensing. “One wrong step, and you would have fallen to your death.”
Technically,Rivenis the one who made Sapphire and me walk across that bridge, but now isn’t the time for technicalities. Especially since even though I acted confident while walking across that bridge, I was terrified. Anyone who has a remote desire to stay alive would have been terrified.
I was only able to hide it because I needed to be strong for Sapphire.
“They sent you through a deadly forest,” he continues, frost crawling up to his elbows as anger courses through him. “Where you were attacked and left with fatal wounds. They made you jump over ravines. Theylet you fall down a waterfall.”His voice grows harder with each example, and he places his hands on my shoulders, his fingers pressing against my skin. “I’m keeping you safe, Zoey. I’m the only person who cares about you and prioritizes you in this realm.”
I swallow down a lump in my throat, suddenly seeing it all with perfect clarity. “To them, I was a burden,” I say slowly, and his eyes flare with triumph.
“And to me?” he asks, confirming what deep down, I likely already knew.
“To you,” I say, taking a deep breath, grounding myself in the moment, “I’m everything.”
“Yes,” he breathes, and there’s so much emotion in that single syllable that it makes me dizzy. “You areeverything.”
I should stop there.
But I don’t. I can’t.
“I love you.”
The words tumble from my lips before I can stop them—before I even realize I’m saying them.
His hands freeze on my skin, his wings lock in place, and his eyes—those midnight eyes that have haunted my dreams since the moment he took me—widen with something that looks like shock.
My heart stops, and I curse internally.
That was too fast. Too soon. Too much.
But then, his jaw tremors. His breathing shifts. He holds himself still—too still—like if he moves, he’ll shatter.
“What did you say?” he asks, and it’s barely a whisper, like he’s choking on the effort it takes not to lose control.
I swallow hard, but I don’t look away. He might be dangerous, and I might be unraveling, but I’ve never felt more certain.
“I love you,” I repeat, bracing myself for anything. Harsh words, fangs pricking my skin, a command that I leave his quarters immediately and never come back.
Instead, his hands rise and cup my face, his thumbs brushing my cheekbones, like I might vanish if he blinks.
“Say it again,” he demands.
