Page 117 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

Gods, even like this, she’s absolutely breathtaking.

She lays in the center of a four-poster bed. Thick blankets cover her up to her waist, but I can see the black fighting leathers she usually wears have been removed and replaced with a cream satin nightgown. Her hair has been brushed smooth, free from tangles, framing her strong, tan face. Even her rosy lips are perfectly soft, just begging to be kissed. They’ve gone so far as to rest her hands over her stomach, the daintiest I’ve ever seen them.

The fae fussing over her, healers judging by the way they tenderly adjust her blankets and pillows, pause to look at us.

With one motion from Viridian, they bow and exit the room, including the guards who take their leave, closing the door behind them.

“Tell me what’s wrong with her,” I beg, my voice raw.

“The healers tell me she’s been placed under a sleeping curse,” Viridian says, his voice grave. “Who did this to her?”

At my sides, my hands ball into fists. “The same male who killed your father.”

Viridian turns his face from mine and takes a breath. “I see.”

The gravity of our circumstances drowns me. “You brought me here to say goodbye, didn’t you.” The words are more of a statement than a question. “The healers can’t do anything for her, can they?”

“I brought you here because she’s your mate,” Viridian says. “I know all too well the pain of losing your mate. How much it breaks you.”

“Thank you,” I say, struggling to find my voice. “For your kindness.”

Viridian nods and then moves for the door. “I will give you as much time as I can. We’ll be waiting in the hall.”

I rush to Lymseia’s bedside, falling to my knees.

Viridian opens the door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “Don’t lose hope.” He presses his lips together. “The love my mate has for me was strong enough to break my father’s curse. Perhaps…” His voice trails off. “Perhaps your love for her can, too.”

Tears well in my eyes, blurring my vision. “Gods, I hope so.”

Could we be that lucky?

With one last glance, Viridian steps out, leaving me alone with my mate’s lifeless form.

Taking her hand, I crawl into bed with her and pull her to my chest. Pressing my lips to her forehead, I squeeze my eyes shut, clinging to her with everything I have left. With all that I am.

Letting my tears fall, I let out a scream.

And another. And another. And another.

I scream for all that was stolen from us. From the years we should have had, to the life we should have lived. I scream because it’s all I can do. It’s the only way to cope with the horrible, agonizing pain that tears me apart from the inside out, splitting my soul in two.

Half will remain with me.

But the other half, the better half, will always, always be hers. Wherever she goes.

I don’t know how, but I know that when she does finally leave this world, I will go, too.

I have to.

And so I hold her. I hold onto her as if she is the one thing I need more than anything. More than the air I breathe. More than the food that sustains me. More than the water I drink. She is my end and my beginning. My ruination and my salvation. My rise and my fall all wrapped into one.

She is mine. All mine.

But gods, I belong to her so, so much more than she could ever belong to me. She may be mine, but my claim to her pales in comparison to her possession of me. I’m hers in every way possible. She owns me, everything that I am, body and soul. Her happiness is my happiness, her sorrows are my sorrows, her triumphs are my triumphs. No amount of time with her will ever be enough. I’m a beggar, and she is priceless gold. I will take whatever piece of her I can have, no matter how little.

Over, and over, and over again, I breathe in the scent of her hair, like freshly fallen rain over soft grass. Sobs consume me, and I unravel into a mess of agonizing torment.

My heart aches as though it’s breaking apart.

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