Page 59 of Stolen Thorn Bride

“Why did you not tell me?”

“Because you were already afraid. I could not bring myself to give you one more thing to be afraid of. I meant to tell you in time, but I was a coward, and I did not want to burden you with that knowledge. It was wrong of me, and I am sorry.”

She couldn’t exactly judge him for it.

“Why tell me now?”

“Because I was wrong to take away your choices. Wrong to tell you not to come back. I said it because I thought it was what you wanted—and because I believed you would only return to me out of guilt or obligation. To fight a war that wasn’t yours. I intended to set you free, but instead, I chose for you.”

He was telling the truth. She could feel it, and nearly started crying again just from relief.

“Thank you,” she said instead, keeping her voice level. “Is that all you wanted?”

Perhaps it was unfair, but she needed to know. Because she hadn’t lied to him in the stable that day—she couldn’t give herself fully where there was no hope of having her feelings returned.

Kasia wasn’t sure what she expected. Maybe for him to stammer and disclaim. Maybe for him to say yes and walk away now that he’d done what he came to do.

She didn’t expect him to take a step nearer, or for him to reach up and tuck her hair behind her ear. She definitely didn’t expect his arm to slide around her waist and pull her close.

“That is not remotely all I want,” he said, his gaze going bright with power. “I came after you first to ask for your forgiveness. And if you are willing to grant it, then I will tell you that what I truly want… is my bondmate.”

Her eyes flew wide, and her heart thudded wildly. This couldn’t be happening. Could it?

“I realized it when she’d been gone no more than an hour,” Dechlan continued. “I held out for two days, but that was all my heart could take. So even if it’s selfish, I cannot give up on my hope that she will agree to return home with me to the Northwatch. That she might care for me enough to stay, now and for the rest of our lives, until one or both of us slip away into the After.”

Kasia might have doubted him, but their bond would not allow it. He meant every word.

“I want her warmth, her stubbornness, and her fire,” Dechlan said, brushing tears from her cheek with a gentle thumb. “Her shoulder to lean on and her willingness to bear burdens alongside me. I want her to lean on me and trust me with the desires, the fears, and the joy in her heart. I want it all, Kasia.”

He bent nearer, his heart in his eyes. “Whatever you’re willing to give me. For as long as you choose to give it. And if you’re wondering whether I ask because of your power, the answer is no. I would want you if you never fought another wraith, or chose never to use your magic again.”

Kasia fought for words and found that she could barely even breathe.

“I realize I’ve given you no reason to trust me,” Dechlan said into the silence. “But if there is any chance, any amount of time that I can grant you, I hope you will…”

Kasia reached up and placed her finger across his lips. His utterly perfect lips.

“There’s something I should tell you, too,” she said, feeling a smile beginning to tug at her mouth.

“Yes?”

He sounded as though she could save him or kill him with a word. She could feel his hope, his pain, and his realization that if he lost her forever, it was his own doing.

She couldn’t let him suffer any longer.

“Dechlan, our bond is a true one for me as well,” she confessed. “I’ve been able to sense you since the day we arrived at Northwatch Keep.”

Stunned surprise crossed his face, followed by utter joy, and a flash of agony.

“If you knew,” he said, “then when I rode out to face the wraiths…” His face turned ashen. “You must have been terrified.”

Perhaps she should have been. “Only for you,” she admitted. “I didn’t stop to think about what would happen to me if you died, only that I couldn’t bear it if you sacrificed yourself to set me free.”

Both his arms came around her then, in a sudden, desperate embrace, and all Kasia could feel was… home. She was finally home.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, as she let herself sink into the warmth of his arms and rest her cheek against his chest. “It was unforgivable.”

“Better to say that I will forgive you if you forgive me,” she murmured, trying once again to figure out if perhaps she was dreaming.

---