Page 86 of Kingdom of Betrayal and Unknown

“I would take one thousand lashes if it meant I got to look at you for another second,” he whispers, cupping my face.

I press onto my tiptoes, tears pooling in my eyes as we stare at each other.

“You don’t mean that,” I choke on my words. “You don’t mean it. Tell me you don’t mean it.”

“I do, and I always will. No matter what, if it means I get to look at you and I have to go through a little pain, I will do it. I will always do it.” He wipes away my tears.

A ball forms in my throat as I blink away the other tears.

“That was just a little pain?” My voice is hoarse from emotion.

“Yes, because I knew after that you were safe and that I got to look at you. Going through that pain was nothing,” he gently explains. “Pain to me is something like you getting hurt or whipped. I will not stand for that, and it will cause me far more pain than getting twenty lashes.”

“How are they?” I ask.

Kieran lets go of my face and stands tall. I clench my jaw, wanting to ask him to place his hands back on my face. I need to feel his skin against mine.

“I know,” he whispers. “I want to as well.”

“You?” I look at him in shock.

“You said that through our bond. I want to continuously touch you as well, but we can’t. When we are together, yes, but that isn’t very often.” He smiles. “But I will take any time with you. Even if it’s just a couple of seconds.”

My heart flutters at his words, my knees weak.

“My back is healing,” is all he says.

“Can I see it?” I ask.

I need to see that he is okay. I need to see it with my own two eyes to make sure.

“I don’t want to upset you.” He takes a step back.

Shaking my head, I take a step closer to him. “I want to see it.”

“Addie,” he gently says.

“No. I want to see it. It’s my fault you got hurt.” I put my foot down.

Kieran blinks several times. “You think it’s your fault that I got whipped?”

I look away and nod. It was my fault. If I wasn’t out there, then Kieran wouldn’t have looked at me and he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble. He wouldn’t have had to take those twenty lashes for me.

“Sweets,” Kieran coos at me. “It’s not your fault. It will never be your fault that I got whipped. It was all on me. I looked at you and knew that with the prince being so close to you, there could be consequences. It was not your fault and it will never be your fault. Do you understand me?”

“But if I wasn’t there,” I start to point out.

“If you weren’t there, I wouldn’t have been able to look at my mate. If you weren’t there, you wouldn’t have brought a little light to my day. If you weren’t there, we wouldn’t have been able to see each other,” he says. “I know I got whipped, but it was not your fault. I don’t want you to think that way.”

Kieran moves my head so I’m looking at him. Tears coat my eyes. He takes a step back and pulls his shirt off before turning around.

Gasping, tears run down my face as I see the angry-looking scabs forming on his back. Some of them are still oozing blood.

“Kieran.” My voice cracks. “Oh my goodness.”

With shaky hands, I reach out, close to touching his back, but I don’t. I don’t want to hurt him any more than he already is.

“They aren’t healed.” My words shakes as I say them.