Page 111 of Bound to the Shadow Prince

That’s a non-answer if there ever was one.

We stand in front of the doors. My hand is sweaty in Nemeth’s. He reaches forward and tugs one door open, swinging it outward. There’s a scrape against sand-covered stone, and then the doors fall open. Bright sunlight spills inward, and it looks like a gloriously sunny day. The air is warm, and a gentle breeze touches my face. The skies are blue, the waters less so, but still beautiful. The strip of sand that surrounds the tower is deserted and unmarked.

We stare out, and neither of us moves forward to take that first step. I breathe in the fresh air. If it’s going to be bad for us, why must it smell so good? I want to stand in the sunlight and drink it in so badly, yet I’m terrified, too. This isn’t just my future at stake. I have a child to consider—a child that I’m trying very, very hard not to think about.

“I should go first,” Nemeth says abruptly, releasing my hand. He gazes down at me, his strange, sharp Fellian features resolute. “If the goddess’s punishment is instant, I would rather that it happen to me and me alone. Yes?”

I sputter. “What? No, absolutely not.” Grabbing his arm again, I cling to him. “We’re doing all of this together, remember? That includes everything.”

“Candra, let me do this,” he says in a soft voice. “If the gods will only punish one person, I would rather it be me.”

“I’m not going to let go of you,” I say, obstinate. I loop one arm in his belt and twine the leather about my sleeve. “When you step forward, it will be with me dragged through with you, at the same time, because we’re doing everythingtogether. Like we promised.”

“Candra—”

“I am prepared to be dragged!” I shout dramatically, anchoring myself against his waist. “Don’t think that I won’t hold on, because I will!”

He sighs heavily. “Why are you so stubborn?”

“Because I love you, and we’re doing this together.”

He glares down at me with those eerie green eyes, and then runs a hand over his face, his two shorn claws evident. “Fine. You stubborn mule of a human, fine.”

I smile at him. Not just because I’m getting my way, but because it’s clear he loves me as much as I love him and is trying to protect me even now. So I let go of his waist and hold out my hand. “We cross together.”

Nemeth growls low in his throat, frustrated. He glances at the open door and then down at me. Then, he hauls me against him and bends over me, his lips on mine in a hard, frantic kiss. “Whatever waits for us on the other side, know that you are everything to me.” His mouth presses to mine over and over again. “Everything. Understand?”

I cling to him, kissing him back, trying to show him just how much I adore him. I know we’re both stalling but I don’t care. I would happily have kisses from Nemeth until the end of time.

He sets me back down on my feet again with utter gentleness and then sighs. He holds his hand out to me, his gaze upon the door, and I slip my hand in his. We move closer to the edge, and then he nods at me, lifting one foot.

And together, we step over the edge of the portal and outside of the tower for the first time in over two years.

Chapter

Fifty-Eight

I’m holding my breath.

Holding my breath, my eyes tightly closed, and I wait for something to happen. Time feels as if it’s slowed, my pulse pounding in my ears. My slippers—made for walking on the even stone floors of the tower—sink into the sands of the beach. A breeze ruffles my hair, pulling a few strands loose from my braid. Somewhere in the distance, a sea bird cries out.

I wait for the goddess’s wrath to fall upon us. I wait for lightning to strike us down. For the skies to rumble with thunder and the wind to wail, letting us know she’s displeased that we’ve broken our vow to remain in the tower. I wait for anything, any sign at all.

Nothing happens.

I exhale and open my eyes.

It’s…a nice day. The sun shines down from above without a cloud in the sky. The breeze is cool for the otherwise warm day. The sandy beach surrounding the tower looks pristine and untouched, and if the waves seem to be a little high and white-capped, it makes for a pretty scene.

Shouldn’t it be…awful? Out here? As punishment? “I don’t understand,” I say to Nemeth, my clammy hand still clutched in his. “I thought we’d feel something.”

“I did, too,” he confesses. His gaze moves over the bright blue skies and he squints, raising a hand to shield his eyes. “Perhaps the goddess has not noticed yet. Or perhaps she understands our problem and forgives us.”

Out of nowhere, thunder rumbles overhead, loud and crackling.

“Or not,” I say tightly, clutching at his hand as I stare up at the still-blue sky. “Dragon shite.”

Nemeth extends a wing over my head as fat drops of rain begin to fall from above. It seems impossible for it to rain on us without clouds overhead, but I guess the gods can do whatever they want. I peer out from under Nemeth’s wing, thinking of the small pack I have on my back with my cloak and a change of clothing. Nemeth insists upon carrying everything heavy but I don’t mind carrying my fair share. I glance up at my lover, and the rain is sluicing down his dark gray skin in rivulets. “Do we…go back inside and wait out the rain or do we just soldier on through?”

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