Page 54 of Ruined Kingdom

The air between us was silent and heavy, and I was drowning in it. I found myself shaking in fear as I awaited his reaction.

“I’m sorry. I know I should have told you right away, but I was scared to death of what it meant,” I added to fill the silence, but all it did was make the silence heavier.

“That is quite a lot to take in.” He took a deep breath and cascaded his eyes away from me as he stared pensively at the loose cobblestone path beneath our feet.

I’m sorry, Kaine. I will never stop being sorry for keeping this from you…

His palms dragged against his dark pant legs, his slender fingers grabbing the material into tight fists on top of his thighs. “I can see now why you’ve been struggling with this.”

“Are you okay?” I ducked my head so that I could catch his gaze again.

He looked at me from the corner of his eye and shrugged. “Are you? I'm sure it wasn't easy telling me that.”

“Surprisingly, I feel like a burden has just been lifted from my chest. I still feel uneasy not knowing what the future holds, but I needed to tell you. It wasn't my secret to keep.” I ran my hand over my stomach, attempting to calm the wild butterflies fluttering within.

“Not knowing what the future holds?” He repeated my words back to me, his brows etched with confusion.

“Well, your first mate is back, just like you wanted. I can't deny that your reunion with Lilliana wasn’t a possibility that crossed my mind.” The words tasted bitter as they passed through my mouth.

“Do you really think I would throw away all that we've built over this last year so easily?” He shoved himself up from the bench, pressing his feet firmly to the ground as he stared down at me with hurt in his eyes.

“And what about all the years with Lilliana?”

Why did it sound like I was fighting for her? It was like I was trying to break my own heart before he could.

“Goddess, woman, you’re infuriating!” He spun around on his heel and threw his arms up in the air.

He took a few moments to collect himself before facing me again. His gaze was burning hot with frustration as he watched me, gritting his teeth against each other.

“Listen closely because I will only say this once. I’ve had my life with Lilliana. I loved her deeply, yes, but then she died, and I was devastated.”

I looked away from him, having heard enough. My sarcasm came out in full force as I said, “Well, you don’t have to be anymore.”

“No, you don't seem to get it,” he growled, his near-black eyes stirring with agony. “I was nothing but an empty carcass until you came along. You’re the one who revived me. Lilliana is my distant past, and my time with her ended along with her. Now, I live and die by you, Soph, and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Helene and her infinite wisdom bound you to me, and me to you… There should be no uncertainty about our future together.”

“You choose me?” I blurted out in disbelief, my mind still trying to catch up.

He threw his head back and closed his eyes, letting out an exasperated laugh. “How could you have doubted this thing between us, to begin with? Can't you feel it?”

He took my hand and held it to his heart. “You are as much in my soul as I am in yours. The way you can’t feel something without me knowing, that magnetism between us… By our Goddess, Soph. Can’t you feel it too?”

He stressed the matter with his words, but his eyes pleaded for me to understand. It was the only time I'd ever seen him look desperate … like he was asking me to still love him despite everything around us.

“I can.” I brought my hands to his face and pulled him down to me.

My lips pressed into his, finding them warm and soft.

His arms wrapped around me like a mighty snake, seeking to make me his prey. “If we’d been able to finish the ceremony, you would have never doubted me like this.”

“What changes once our souls are bound? I can't imagine feeling any closer to you than I do right now.” I whispered to him between kisses.

He lifted me from the bench and crushed me against him. The heat from his skin seeped through his clothes. It rivaled the cool breeze around us.

“It's not something that can be explained with mere words. You’ll simply feel it. It’s a knowingness that comes from your very essence.” His mouth ran down my neck, and his words reverberated against my skin, sending shivers down my spine.

I had to admit I was excited at the prospect of advancing to a new level of connection with Kaine. Every time I thought we had hit our threshold, I would find out that there was more beyond it.

I was so completely consumed by our kiss that I failed to notice another presence watching us from the obscurity of the forest.

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