Page 70 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“It is.” He takes a step closer to me. “We are meant to spend the rest of our lives together. Do you feel the bond between us?” he asks.

“No. I don’t think so,” I whisper.

What bond? I’ve felt a connection with him if that’s what he is talking about. But I could feel a connection with anyone if I truly wanted to.

“Let me ask you this question,” he gently says, captivating my attention. “When you feel scared, anxious, worried, or really any emotion and then this calmness comes over you, do you know what that is?”

I shake my head. “No, I don’t. I figure it’s my body telling me to calm down.”

It’s an odd sensation. I never felt it before until I met Kieran. My eyes widen as I stare at him.

“That’s me.” He leans so his face is inches from mine. “It’s me trying to calm you down, comfort you when you need it. I can feel your emotions, and sometimes I don’t like what you are feeling, so I try to calm you down.”

My mouth falls open as he explains. That was him the whole time? He was the one who randomly calmed me down when I was scared or really nervous?

“No matter how far away you are, I will always be able to feel your emotions. I will always try to help you calm down so you can think clearly,” he tells me matter-of-factly. “There is no reason for you to be feeling anything but happiness. I want you to be happy.”

He wants me to be happy.

Kieran is so different from Prince Archie in so many amazing ways. With everything he has said to me, it makes me want to fall in love with him. It makes me want to set everything aside and spend as much time as possible with him, getting to know him and falling in love.

“I don’t believe it,” I whisper, taking another step back.

It pains me to move away from him, but he can’t be telling the truth. Kieran said he had little magic left, and there is no way he can calm me down. There is no way we have a bond that allows him to feel my emotions.

And yet he found me during the snowstorm. He said he heard me calling out, begging for someone to save me, and he came.

“We are meant to be together,” Kieran tells me. “It’s fate. Our destinies are intertwined, joined in this moment, and they aren’t separating. Nothing can separate us now. Not now and not ever.”

I open and close my mouth several times.

“The sparks, that is proof that we are mates. That we are meant to be together forever,” Kieran gently explains. “You’ve never felt the sparks with anyone else because we have a special connection, a bond. I feel when you are scared and nervous. You were scared when the prince came to your front door and talked to your mother. I helped you calm down. You were scared and begging someone to save you when you were walking in the snow, and I found you.”

“Those are just coincidences.” I shake my head and take a step back. “I was trying to calm myself in those instances. How do I really know it was you?”

“Faith,” is all he says. “It is true. When you feel that way again, don’t try to calm yourself down, and I will. The tug you feel, that’s me. That’s me getting your attention and telling you I’m thinking about you.”

I grab my empty bucket and jump back. “No, I don’t believe you.”

“Adeline.” Kieran takes a step forward, but before he can, I turn around and walk away.

CHAPTER 18

“Imet up with the prince the other day,” Skylar announces.

I hum in response, not really paying attention to her. I’m glad she met up with him. It will take some of the pressure off me and maybe he’ll take an interest in her and Prince Archie will completely forget about me. Then I can focus on my parents, the soon-to-arrive baby, and Kieran.

Kieran.

I sigh. My mind has been on him and nothing else. I want to go back to him and ask so many questions, but I need to stay away and wrap my brain around everything. I haven’t felt nervous or scared since that day, so I can’t put what he said to the test.

But should I believe him?

“I think we really hit it off, but I can’t say for sure. We had such a great conversation, and while we did agree on a lot of things, there were a couple of things we did not agree on. It had to be that way. We couldn’t agree on everything,” Skylar continues to word vomit.

Prince Archie and I disagree on everything. But Kieran and I… we agree on some things and disagree on some things. Like him being able to make me feel calm, us having a connection that is beyond anything I could think of.

I don’t think it’s true, yet he came to save me when I was in the snowstorm, and I did become calm when the prince was at my house. How can he explain that? It wasn’t a normal calmness. It was like it completely washed over my body, like Kieran was right next to me and would do anything to protect me.