Page 130 of Soul Forge

He lifted his gaze to look at her, head cocked to the side. “You mean like you?” Her heart skipped a beat at the intensity in his face.

She swallowed, suddenly nervous. “If I make you happy.”

“Youaremy happiness.” The light in his eyes had brightened enough for her to know Vel was finally calmer, but it didn’t lessen her racing pulse. “I have so many things I want to say to you but no idea how to say them.” The corners of his mouth turned down. “I’m frightened that if I wait too long, I might never get the chance to tell you any of it.”

“It’s just you and me out here,” she answered, unable to look away. Shewantedto hear it come from his lips. To be needed by him. “You can say whatever you need to.”

He didn’t answer right away, warring with himself right in front of her, but eventually, he spoke.

“Se maite nireh,” he murmured softly, the angelic phrase rolling off his tongue as he reached out to touch her cheek. “I love you.”

“You… youloveme?” she croaked. Taking in a full breath became impossible. Her chest was filled with butterflies, her heart thundering. He’d said it, and now she didn’t know what to do with it. How to act, what to say. Her thoughts became utterly, mercilessly blank.

“Yes,” he murmured. “More than the stars. More than the moon. More than my favourite book or the forest when it rains.” She stared at him, hardly daring to blink. “Everything that I have, everything that I am, it’s all yours. It was the moment you chose me. You cast a light so bright it chases away my darkest shadows.”

“Sypher…” she whispered, heart thundering in her chest.

He smiled softly, so much pain in his eyes that her own clouded with tears that overflowed down her cheeks. “Here I am, splintering right in front of you, and somehow, you’re keeping me together. I’ve never met anyone like you. I thought the only thing binding me to this place was my duty, but I was wrong. All this time, I was waiting for you.Youare what makes me happy, Elda.”

His lips touched hers, soft and warm and longing. Vetiver and leather wrapped around her in a comforting blanket when she melted against him, her pulse tapping out a steady rhythm against her ribs. A tingle shot down her spine, her eyes sliding closed as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss. He held her tightly, one hand rising to tangle gently in her hair, the other snaking round her waist to pull her closer.

Elda had never felt love before. She’d read about it enough, but nothing could have prepared her for the bone-deep,soul-clenching, heart-aching longing that stole her breath the moment she tasted his lips. She wasn’t sure if she understood life enough to love yet. But she knew, for the moment, that her heart no longer belonged to her, and in return, he’d given her his to keep safe.

It was bruised, broken, hardly beating, but it was beautiful all the same.

The feathers of Sypher’s wing were soft under Elda’s fingertips, reminding her of the first time he’d allowed her to be close to him. He’d broken her fall the night they were attacked by wraiths. He’d barely been able to sit still while she cleaned his wings.

Now, he lay beneath the sun with his arm around her, talking about his life before he was changed. A glimmer of who he was before his past was torn open shone through the cracks in his grief.

He told Elda what Iliria was really like, how it was a hive of innovation and creativity, a refuge for the most powerful species on Valerus to live in peace. The angels would often leave their home to spread their knowledge to other areas, protecting people from the occasional demonic straggler that managed to find its way out of Darkhold. Back then, roaming demons were few and far between.

Sypher was twenty-six when he was killed. Eris had been fifteen, Ana just four years old. He had parents, too; Roman and Elisandre. He and Eris had taken after Elisandre with theirchestnut hair and red eyes, while Malakai’s raven locks and green irises were traits he got from their father. All of them had been murdered during Malakai’s attack.

“What happened to Ana’s mother?” Elda asked curiously.

“Raya. She died when Anaita was born.” His hand drew small circles over her shoulder blades, his free arm tucked behind his head. “I raised Ana with the help of her grandparents and my sister.”

“How did you and Raya meet each other?”

“Our parents chose our match,” Sypher explained. “Angels didn’t often marry for love, though it wasn’t unheard of. I did grow to love Raya, though. She would have made a wonderful mother.”

“I’m sorry you lost so much even before Malakai came along.”

He smiled faintly. “Don’t be. She held Ana before she died. She was peaceful enough, knowing our daughter was safe. I’m glad she never saw what my brother did.” The smile faded again, the mention of his sibling sapping his brief flicker of joy.

“What was he like? Malakai?” Elda asked tentatively, turning onto her front and folding her arms on his chest to rest her chin on them. He took his eyes off the clouds to study her face.

“Intelligent,” he replied. “Kind, once. He had a thirst for knowledge. He often spent time away from Iliria, searching for new places and new people to learn about. Before he returned to the city to destroy it, he’d been gone for almost a year.” Sypher’s brow furrowed. “I guess the last time he went searching, he managed to find his way into Darkhold.”

“I wonder what he found there,” Elda mused. “Travelling to Darkhold wouldn’t turn him into a monster on its own.”

“Hopefully, we never find out.” He yawned, flashing his pointed incisors.

“You haven’t slept in days,” Elda scolded gently. “What can I do to help you sleep?” He cocked his head, hesitant to reply. She smiled. “You can tell me, Sypher. You know you can.”

“…I think I sleep better when you’re around,” he admitted awkwardly. “I was hoping you’d stay with me. If you don’t mind sharing a room?”

“I’m your wife. Aren’t we supposed to sleep in the same bed anyway?”

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