Page 65 of Princess Avenged

Istep onto the ledge of rock Flame was standing on. The water comes up to my chest, but I stride to the edge and dive in after him. He hasn’t surfaced, so I go back under and search through the clear, dark water, feeling desperate to find him. With the speed vampires can move, Flame could be on the other side of the lake by now.

I dive deeper. Not seeing him, I turn like a corkscrew. On the way up, I spot a flash of gold—the moonlight catching his hair.

Our eyes meet through the water. His are full of terror. Why?

I swim slowly toward him, worried that if I move too quickly, he’ll flee. But he stays still.

I stop three feet away from him, and then he kicks his powerful legs, shooting up to the surface.

I follow, and our eyes meet. “What’s wrong?” I ask. “What did I say?” I thought he’d be happy.

Squeezing his lips together, his eyes fill with confusion as he shakes his head. “Fuck if I know.”

“I thought you’d want to know that I love you.” My stomach sinks. “Or…” Dread fills me. “Did you not mean it when you said you loved me?”

With one stroke, he glides through the water, and wraps me in his arms. “I meant every word I said.” He pushes some hairs off my face. “Ana, I love you more than life. More than I imagined was possible. I feel like I’m living in a dream.”

“So why aren’t you happy to hear that I love you too?”

He looks toward the stars. “Fuck if I know. Clearly, I’m a head case.”

I cup his cheek. “Do you want to talk about it?” My heart is thumping so hard I’m surprised it’s not creating ripples on the water.

He looks into my eyes. “I am happy to hear it. I’m thrilled. I didn’t expect to hear you say that—at least not tonight—but I am happy.”

“Then…” I don’t want to cut off his train of thought, if it’s finally getting on the tracks.

“It’s… None of this makes sense.” Frowning, he shakes his head. “I’m terrified. But I don’t get scared.”

“Flame.” My body drifts forward, brushing his, and sending a thrill to my core. “Everyone gets frightened. What frightens you?”

He shakes his head, clearly still confused.

“Don’t you believe that I love you?”

He licks his lips. “You love Phil and Blade, and we’re so different…”

“Do you think I can’t love all three of you? Or are you jealous?”

“Not jealous. In fact.” A look of calm passes over his face. “Now that I think about it, knowing how much you love Phil and Blade makes me love you even more.”

“Really?” Joy stirs inside me.

“I love how you’re able to see what I see in them.” Phil smiles. “Like, you can see through Phil’s gruff exterior. Even I thought he hated you, but you figured him out.”

I nod, and my heart pinches with fear that Phil will never be the same again. But I can’t give up hope.

“And only you can pull Blade’s nose out of his books to focus on the present.” Flame cups my face. “You see past his looks and strong body and recognize how hurt and fragile he is inside. How he cuts himself to dull his pain.” Flame’s voice breaks a little and he shakes his head. “I love how you’ve helped Blade. Helped him in ways I’ve never been able to. I’ve never seen him go so long without cutting himself.”

My heart swells, so full of happiness and love for all three of these men, and my love for Flame expands, hearing him talk about Phil and Blade and my relationships with them. He’s articulating things I’ve barely thought of but are true.

But it still doesn’t explain what just happened. And as much as Flame admires how I saw through Phil and Blade’s façades, I can’t seem to crack Flame’s. Or at least not all of it.

“So, what made you so frightened when I said that I love you?”

He shakes his head. “Hearing those words upped the stakes, I guess. What if I lose you?”

My heart expands again. “You’re not going to lose me.”

---