Page 100 of Thorns of Deceit: The Beast Within

“I had to get rid of my father first,” Arye said quietly, stopping Skylar in her tracks. “Otherwise, he would have… well, you saw what he almost did.”

The memory of King Lyinell’s cruel words, his predatory gaze, sent ice through Skylar’s veins. She turned slowly, meeting Arye’s eyes. “What about my mother? My family?”

“Nothing will change for the Anathemarks,” Arye assured her, his tone gentle. He took a step towards her, then seemed to think better of it, remaining where he stood. “I give you my word.”

He reached for something at his hip, and Skylar tensed instinctively. But Arye merely held out her sword, handle first. “I believe this belongs to you.”

Skylar took the weapon, its familiar weight grounding her. She ran her fingers along the intricate engravings, feeling the grooves that had become an extension of herself. “It was my father’s,” she murmured, sadness creeping into her voice.

“I know.”

A thought struck Skylar then, and she frowned. “The Gryphon… I think it’s gone. I can’t feel it anymore.”

Arye’s eyebrows rose, surprise flickering across his features. “That’s… probably for the best. But why?”

Skylar shook her head, frustration evident in the set of her jaw. “I don’t know. It just… disappeared.” She looked down at her hands, half-expecting to see some physical change.

A heavy silence fell between them, thick with unspoken questions and simmering tension. Skylar’s mind raced, trying to reconcile this new reality with everything she thought she knew.Finally, unable to bear it any longer, she asked, “Was there ever anyone else? Any noble woman who?—”

“No,” Arye cut her off. “It was always you, Sky. Only you.”

“But the women you met with sometimes…” Skylar pressed, not sure she really wanted to hear the answer. She took a step closer, searching his face for any sign of deception.

Arye’s expression darkened, a muscle in his jaw ticking. “I always imagined—” He broke off, shaking his head. “It wasn’t what I wanted. It was never enough.”

Skylar swallowed hard, her next question a whisper. “And if I had truly been a man? Would you have felt the same?”

A ghost of a smile played at Arye’s lips. He reached out, his fingers brushing a stray strand of hair from Skylar’s face. She shivered at the contact but didn’t pull away. “Honestly? I probably wouldn’t have cared. I love you for who you are, Sky.” His grin widened, a hint of mischief creeping into his voice. “Though I’ll admit, I definitely prefer women.”

A startled laugh escaped Skylar’s lips, the tension between them easing slightly. “I suppose you knew about the men I sometimes met, too?”

Arye’s sudden silence was answer enough. His hand dropped to his side, fingers curling into a fist. Skylar’s eyes widened as realization dawned. “So it was you,” she breathed, the implications of his actions sinking in.

Before she could dwell on it further, another memory surfaced. “That night,” she began hesitantly, taking a half-step closer. “Do you remember?—”

“The night we kissed?” Arye finished, his words low and husky. He closed the distance between them, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. “I thought it was a dream at first. The best night of my life, confirming everything I wanted.” His eyes darkened with desire, thumb tracing the curve of her lower lip.“But once I had a taste, a glimpse… I wanted more. So much more.”

Skylar’s breath caught in her throat, heat blooming in her core at the intensity of his gaze. She backed away, needing distance to clear her head. “Why didn’t you tell me you knew I’m a woman? When I rejected you?”

Arye’s expression softened, a trace of vulnerability creeping into his features. “I wanted to wait until you told me yourself. But…” He smiled sadly, letting his hand fall away. “That probably would have never happened, thanks to your damned sense of duty.”

The truth of his words hit Skylar like a physical blow. Years of unrequited, forbidden love came crashing down around her, shattering the carefully constructed walls she’d built to protect her heart. Arye’s admission shed new light on his past behavior—his fierce protectiveness, his sometimes inexplicable decisions, his unwavering focus on her.

Relief warred with joy and fear in Skylar’s chest. Relief that her love wasn’t unrequited after all. Joy at Arye’s acceptance and love. And fear… fear of what this meant for them, for Regalclaw, for their future.

She turned away, overwhelmed by the tide of emotions threatening to drown her. The chaos of the ball, the war, the fate of the kingdom—it all seemed so distant now, lost in the gravity of this moment.

“Sky?” Arye’s voice was hesitant, almost fragile. “Does this mean… are you rejecting me again?”

Skylar turned back to face him, truly seeing him for perhaps the first time. The vulnerability in his eyes, the slight tremor in his hands, the tension in his shoulders—it all spoke volumes.

“Is it because of what I am?” Arye pressed, voice raw. “The wicked ways of my love?”

In that moment, Skylar understood. His fear that the people he’d hurt, his possessiveness, might have scared her away. But she knew the truth. She loved Arye—all of him. The darkness and the light, the cruelty and the tenderness. She would follow him down whatever path he chose, even if it led straight to hell.

With trembling fingers, Skylar reached out and took Arye’s hand. She felt his surprise in the slight tremor that ran through him, saw it in the widening of his eyes.

“You might know a lot about me, Arye,” she said softly, her thumb tracing circles on his palm. “But there’s one thing you haven’t figured out.” She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the confession. “My Divine Beast… it wasn’t formed by loyalty to the kingdom. It was born from my feelings for you.”

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