Page 139 of Kingmakers, Year Three

“I love you,” I whisper.

Penmark raises the lash again.

He whips Dean with cruel fury, five more times.

“Stop,” the Chancellor says.

Disappointed and resentful, Penmark lowers his arm.

“Dean, you have been punished for your refusal to reveal what you know,” the Chancellor pronounces. “With no further evidence . . . I consider the matter closed.”

He sweeps out of the room, disgusted with all of us.

Lola hurries after him, probably knowing that the second I’m released I plan to claw her fucking face off.

Penmark follows at a more leisurely pace, throwing one last wistful glance at the ruin of Dean’s back, as if admiring his handiwork.

I want to kill him, too. I’d already be making plans to do it if I could think of anyone but Dean.

The moment the groundskeeper releases me, I run to Dean. I kneel in front of him, taking his face in my hands, bawling and kissing him and begging for him to tell me he’s alright.

The groundskeeper unlocks the manacles. Dean slumps forward, falling into my arms.

I can’t stop crying and I can’t stop holding him.

I can’t believe he did that for me.

I don’t know how I didn’t see this sooner. Dean loves me. He loves me past anything I could have imagined.

If his anger is a furnace, then his love for me is the sun, burning bright enough to light the universe.

“Baby, are you okay?” I sob.

Dean nuzzles his face against my neck, still leaning heavily against me, his arms dead weight around my shoulders.

“How come you always smell so good?” he groans.

I let out a strangled laugh. “That’s what I think about you.”

I feel his fingers gripping loosely on my back, trying to pull me tighter against him.

“I’m so sorry,” I cry. “I can’t believe you did that . . .”

He struggles to sit up a little, slipping his hand under my hair to hold me at the place where my head meets my neck. He presses his forehead against mine.

“Are we even now?” he says.

“Oh my god.” I shake my head. “You’re insane.”

“Iaminsane,” he growls. “I’m crazy for you, Cat. I always will be.”

“It terrifies me how much I love you,” I tell him, holding him as tight as I can without hurting him more.

The groundskeeper clears his throat.

I completely forgot he was still in the room with us.

“Are you going to help me take him to the infirmary?” I bark, furious at him and every other barbarous employee at this school.

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