Page 42 of Dark Rebel's Reckoning

"The belief is that they need to sacrifice a lot for others or suffer a lot themselves." He chuckled. "In our case, you qualify on both accounts, and I qualify on neither. I've had a pretty good life that didn't involve much suffering, and other than being a Guardian and fighting to rescue people the world has forgotten about, I haven't sacrificed much for others either."

Kyra's eyes softened. "You are doing God's work, Max, and you are doing it day in and day out. So don't belittle your worthiness. Besides, maybe I'm not such a great catch as you imagine me to be. I'm broken. I put on a brave face, and I plow forward, but on the inside, I'm damaged goods."

"We are all broken on some level. Everyone who has lived for a while and encountered the evils of this world either in person or as a witness has pieces of their soul missing. But when two souls that are meant for each other merge, they have the powerto mend those missing pieces, to fill them up with the other's essence."

Max had never given much thought to these matters before, and the words pouring out of his mouth were not rehearsed or even thought through, but that didn't mean they weren't true. He believed in every word he'd said, even though he couldn't have said any of that before meeting Kyra.

She looked at him with a sheen of tears brightening her golden eyes. "That was a very romantic thing to say. I didn't take you for the sensitive type."

"I'm not." He smiled sheepishly. "I don't know where all of that came from. Well, that's not true. You are the inspiration for my poetic take on truelove mates. But I really believe in what I said."

She shook her head. "You are not in love with me, Max. You don't even know me."

"I don't claim to love you yet, but if you will allow me in, love will follow. And I swear that's not a come-on line."

She regarded him from under lowered lashes. "What do you usually say to the girls?"

He snorted. "Not much, really." He lifted his hand and smoothed it over his blond hair, which was shortly cropped at the sides and long in the front. "All I need to do is show up. They come to me."

He'd said that to lighten the mood and expected Kyra to berate him for being vain, but she didn't. Instead, she smiled and nodded. "I believe that. You are sinfully handsome." She sighed. "I seem to have a thing for blond men. Jasmine's father looks like he was blond as a young man."

Max had seen Boris up close, so he knew the man was no competition, but he still felt a surge of jealousy when Kyra bundled him with other light-haired men.

"Boris is fat and bald now, so don't entertain any thoughts about him."

Kyra laughed. "It's adorable how jealous you get at the mention of another man. It makes me think that you are sincere and really think I'm the one for you."

"I do."

"Wow." Kyra pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You are serious, and I'm clueless. I don't know how to respond to that."

He gently squeezed her hand. "Just be yourself and do whatever comes naturally. I have no expectations, and I will not be offended or hurt by anything you do or say." He smiled. "I have a pretty thick skin."

"I don't want to offend you, but there is something I need to do to prove to myself that I'm not as broken as I thought I was. That I can still heal."

"Whatever you need, I'm here for you."

She hesitated, chewing on her lower lip and making him want to free that puffy pillow from between her teeth and suck it into his mouth. When she lifted her hand and cupped his cheek, he leaned into her touch.

"Your skin is so smooth," she whispered.

"I shaved," he murmured.

27

KYRA

"Thank you," Kyra said quietly. "Did you do it for me?"

He didn't move, resting his cheek on her palm. "I just wanted to look good for you. I didn't expect you to touch me."

Max's pupils were dilated, and his grip on Kyra's hand was tight but not painful.

For a big man like him, Max was surprisingly gentle and very aware that he could easily become intimidating if he didn't keep his own desires under tight control.

He was putting himself at her service, allowing her complete control over the situation, and that not only touched her heart but also sent a new wave of desire through her, with unexpected heat pooling low in her belly.

God, she hadn't felt anything like that before, and it was intoxicating.

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