Page 39 of Tangled Hearts

“Sol,” he said, his deep voice was familiar and comforting.

“I can’t Max, I just can’t,” I said, running away.

It probably wasn’t the right choice as my breathing grew choppy, and I was gasping for air. The walls of life were closing in, pushing me down until I broke down, tripping and falling on the ground. My vision grew dark as I tried to catch my breath and Mother’s voice rang in my head.

Mother will keep you safe.

Not only did she not keep me safe, but she ruined my entire life for this magic I had now. But she wasn’t the only one I should be mad at.

Fuck you, Taylin.

I wanted my pain to end. My heart pounded too fast, the pain in my chest increased.

“Sol.” Hands cupped my face. “I need you to breathe.”

Did I want to? That stupid thought shook me out of my stupor. Max’s concerned face came into view, guilt crashing down on me.

“There you are,” he said, resting his forehead against mine. “Don’t give up, my Sol, you have been dealt a very hard life, but don’t give up. You have so much to live for. Please?—”

His voice broke, he pursed his trembling lips.

“Max,” I cried, throwing myself into his arms as I cried.

I cried for my previous life, my childhood friend, and of all the happiness I had been robbed of while enduring loneliness. He held me tight, rubbing his hands up and down my back. I pulled back only enough to see his face. Tears streamed down his face, which only added to my heartache.

“Maxton, I’m so sorry,” I hiccupped.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he whispered. “We have a chance to make it all better, to change your future, to start over again.”

“What if I want you to be my future?” I leaned my forehead against his.

He took a deep breath.

“I will do whatever you need,” he said.

“But what do you want?” I asked. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want—” He pulled back, looking away from me. “I want you to be happy, Sol, even if it means without me.”

“Maxton, you idiot.” I brought his face back to mine. “I don’t need a bond to know that you are mine. I have enough bonds to know that I would be happy for a lifetime. Without you in that lifetime, I know it would still not be enough; I need you.”

The burn in my chest intensified as I waited for his response. His baby blues searched my face, guarded, but I saw a flicker of hope.

I expected him to say something, but when he pulled me in for a kiss, I knew that it was all good. It was soft and gentle at first. Then he moved onto the edge of my mouth until his kisses grew firm and his tongue opened my mouth, brushing against my own. I sighed into his kiss as I ran my hands through his hair.

He growled into our kiss, erupting tingles along my spine and I deepened the kiss. I wanted to get lost in Max until I forgot about our predicament. It was just us and nothing else. He pulled away to kiss my nose.

“I've waited centuries to do that, and nothing has prepared me for how amazing it feels,” he said, kissing me quickly. “It was worth the wait, and I wouldn’t change anything if it meant I got to be with you one day. That’s all I've ever wanted was to be yours and to call you mine.”

“Are you ok with not being the only one?” I braced myself for his answer. “I know this isn’t how you imagined us being together.”

He ran his hand through my hair, studying my face.

“If you asked me two hundred years ago if I would be ok with sharing you, I would have said no, immediately.” He kissed me quickly. “Now I can see you were meant for all of us, and even though I don’t want to share, I know you have enough love for all of us and we all need you, Sol.”

I let go of the breath I had been holding.

“Thank you,” I said, pulling him in for another kiss.

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