Page 126 of A Cruel Kindness

Time slipped away as I listened to Soren’s heartbeat. Steady and strong, just like him. Just like how he was in my life.

God, I was glad he was okay. If he would kindly wake up, I could tell him that, but I would take the small comfort of listening to his heart pump blood through his limbs while I waited.

“You scared the shit out of me,” came Soren’s rumbling voice not a second later.

HE’S AWAKEEEE!!!!! The Bond yelled happily.

I shot off his chest, peering down at him as he slowly blinked open his eyes. When that familiar clear blue finally met my gaze, I crumbled.

Soren’s hand came up to my face, cupping it softly. “Hey, I’m okay. We’re okay.”

I lifted my hand to grab his wrist, holding onto him for dear life. “You were really hurt.”

“You were bleeding,” Soren countered, as he slowly moved his thumb over my cheekbone.

“Well, you were passed out when I woke up.” My first thought was that he was in a coma. That was a minute of terror I never wanted to repeat.

Soren smiled so wide it broke my heart. “Yeah, well, I found you unconscious first. In a field. Alone. Covered in blood.” With each word he said, his voice went hoarser and hoarser.

“I’m sorry,” I said, thinking about how I would have felt in his position. Thank God it was me and not him. I wouldn’t have been able to carry his dead weight back.

I would have tried. And probably killed myself in the process.

Soren breathed a laugh. “Bell, baby, we’re both alive. That’s the good part.”

I realized then that Soren didn’t know what Elijah said. Or that it was him who shot me in the first place. The latter half could wait because I knew if I told him, he’d be up and out of here, taking Lucky to go find him before I could tell him no.

“Actually, I think I know the good part,” I said, lying over his chest and folding my hands right over his collarbones so I could rest my chin there. “The Prince rescinded the engagement.”

Soren’s lips were on mine before I could even finish speaking, making the end of my sentence sound garbled and mushed. His hand threaded into my hair and gripped hard, pulling me even closer to him.

He drank me in for a moment, strong pulls of his mouth that were patient and slow. Then he pulled back, resting his forehead on mine. “I love you. I should have told you that the second you came back from your father. I would have stood by you through anything, but I’m glad you’re mine.”

I planted both my hands on his face, gripping him roughly. “God, Soren, I love you. I know it makes me selfish and horrible but I’m happy we’re both here. I’m happy I got to you even if it’s in the middle of this—”

“Hey, hey,” Soren hushed me softly. “I would have found you. Whether it was when my dumbass head got screwed on straight in court and I stole you away from Ambrose Greene or a thousand different versions of this war, I would have found you.”

My heart swelled to the point of pain. “It wouldn’t have taken much to steal me from him. I had a little bit of a crush on you.”

Soren groaned deep from his chest. “You can’t tell me things like that right now. You’re hurt and I’m already losing my mind.”

“Actually,” I said, adjusting to test whether or not I could put weight on my leg. When I found that I could, the muscle simply jumping like I’d overused it, I swung my other leg over to straddle him. “I’m okay. Apparently we heal fast now.”

Soren laughed low in his throat. “I knew that cut on my forehead went away too fast.”

I frowned, remembering what had given him that cut. Soren’s next laugh was louder, ricocheting happily in my ear as he pulled my face down closer to his. “However,” he said, kissing me once. “I would sooner jump off a cliff than risk hurting you. You got shot.”

His face started to fall from the reminder, so I kissed his frown away. When he looked a lot more pleasant, I pulled back, catching his eyes. There was desire there, clear as day. I knew the emotion was matched in my own eyes.

“Bell,” Soren warned on a groan.

I turned in his hold so that his chest was to my back and curled against him so that my injured leg was on top. He was hard, but I acted like I couldn’t tell as I wiggled back to get comfortable. It took no more than three moves of my hips before Soren slipped his hand over my stomach and pulled me back against him. “You’re testing me.”

“That is the point,” I said with a lyrical lilt in my voice, before sighing further back into him.

Soren’s hand slipped below the waistband of my pants and I smiled wide. “You tell me if you’re hurting,” he commanded.

“Yes, sir,” I teased as his fingers trailed over my center, slipping easily.