Page 13 of Ruined Kingdom

He fell to his knees beside me, checking to make sure that I wasn’t injured.

I grabbed his hand and held it to my chest. “I’m okay. Really, I am. I just—” I stopped for a moment, finding it difficult to convince him of something that wasn’t true.

I wasn’t all right. I was bombarded with thoughts of death and things beyond what my mind was equipped to handle. I thought the morning light might make me feel better about everything, but I was wrong.

“Kaine—” I tried to say his name without causing him any worry, but my voice cracked.

That was the last of the strength I had left to hold back how I felt. Without warning, my eyes watered up, blurring Kaine from my vision. I couldn’t see how he was looking at me. The tears seared down my cold face like hot magma. I tried to wipe them away, but more came to take their place.

“The Fae King took something from me… He was breathing me in, and this light was coming out of me. No matter how much I try, I can’t keep holding everything in. It won’t stop hurting!”

He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly against his chest. “Tell me everything. Let all of it out. Whatever you keep gives it power over you. None of it can stay.”

I started from the beginning of what I could remember. After that, it was like a faucet had been opened. I couldn’t stop it even if I tried, but I didn’t want to. There was something curative about telling Kaine all I couldn’t bring myself to forget or make sense of.

It was like he was taking all of the darkness out of me, dragging it into the light. It made them feel less intimidating. Less terrifying.

After I was done, he just silently kept holding me. Even as we sat on the cold floor, I felt warm. Protected. Understood. Loved.

I felt like I was home.

“Better?” he asked after a long while.

“Yes.” I lifted my head away from his steadily beating heart to look up into his eyes. “You know, for a beast, you're very human sometimes.”

“Well, I hope you won't hold it against me,” he said with a sly smile and a wink. “I have some things I need to take care of, but maybe you should go out and get some fresh air. Preferably not alone.”

“You don't have to worry about me going anywhere alone for a long while.” I widened my eyes at him to stress how much I disdained the idea.

“I’ll organize a guard detail for you while you’re out.” He brought himself to his feet before reaching down for my hands to help me up after him. He lifted me as if I were as light as a feather.

I know this wasn't true. I had certainly put on a bit of weight since he almost starved me to death so many months ago. But Kaine didn’t seem to mind it very much. I had a sneaking suspicion that he would love the way I look, no matter my size or weight.

Tieni came into the room a second later, which was Kaine’s cue to leave. He left a lingering kiss on my forehead before leaving without another word.

“Good morning, Tieni. I trust you slept well.” I smiled at her, feeling a lightness in my heart that had been a lot heavier until now.

“I certainly slept better last night than I have in a long time. You certainly had us worried sick for a moment there.” She managed a nonchalant smile, but her eyes told a different story.

It was strange how she’d been so protective and attached to me from the very beginning. Even though I’d disrupted all their lives the moment I stepped onto the castle grounds and stole a Fae Flower, Tieni had been the only one to show me kindness and warmth.

“I had myself worried sick there for a while,” I laughed, but it was far from a joke.

She began dressing me in silence. It seemed that neither of us could bear to say another word on the matter. It was too fresh in my mind and too raw in her heart.

Silence was best.

After she was done, she patted my arms and looked at me in the mirror. But she looked to be miles away in her mind.

“Tieni?”

She shook her head slightly and blinked a few times before looking me in the eyes. “I'm sorry, dear. I'm just thinking about all the things I want to tell you.”

“Like what?” I turned away from the mirror to face her.

This made her bashful, holding her arms to her belly and averting her eyes. “It's nothing you need to worry about. All in due time. For now, it's more important that you relax.”

Before I could argue, there was a light knock at the door.

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