Page 120 of Blood and Ruin: The Complete Series

My bruised heart picks up speed realising where he’s going with this. They want to bond with me. Not because they think they have to, but because theywantto be with me.

My chest gives a shaky flutter at the thought. But… I’m not… whole. What can I give them except all this added trouble?

“I—”

“I’m a dick most days, and a stubborn asshole the rest. But I fuckingloveyou, princess. I always have. Ever since we were kids, and you stole my heart with one of those fucking smiles, it’s always been you.” His mouth curves into a smile.

Love? My brain comes to a stuttering halt, no longer functioning after Axel’s declaration.

Axel clears his throat, looking down at our joined hands. “Let us help you, now, and in turn I will always be there to protect you and kick the shit out of anyone who annoys you. Even though most of the time it’ll probably be me. I know we’re not easy to be around. Our stubborn asses are bound to knock heads. But IpromiseI’ll always be there… Even if it’s just to piss you off.”

Axel squeezes my hand gently, a myriad of emotions still running across his face, but one stands out. Love. Leaning forward he kisses my head.

I don’t get enough time to collect my thoughts and reply before he steps back and Jax moves into view, my heart picking up speed again as I see the same look in his eyes.

“We don’t deserve your forgiveness, not for assuming the worst of you and leaving you with that monster all these years. I can only imagine…” He shakes his head, stopping himself.

The guys shift around me as the air blankets in sadness, a thread of rage waiting to be pulled from it.

“I’m not the same, not since you left. We’re all a bit darker, a bit meaner. Some of us a bit uglier…” Jax smirks up at Axel before looking back at me. Axel shakes his head, a small tilt to his lips.

“We don’t expect you to be the same either. To go through…” He swallows hard, releasing a harsh sigh. “You’re much braver than any of us ever were. You held on and kept your heart when we all got lost in our darkness and pain. The truth is we’ve always needed you more than you needed us, and when we thought you left, we found out just how true that was. I don’t want to exist in a world where you’re not there. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to create more havoc and chaos but with my soulmate. I want to spoil you, to spend the rest of our lives trying to make up the last six years of not being by your side. Especially when you needed us. You have my heart, you always have. Just give us a chance to prove it.”

Jax’s words layer on top of Axel’s, seeping into my chest. They become a balm that heals and burns at the same time. Letting myself open up to them to let them fully in terrifies me, but having them here beside me makes my heart soar and puts my soul at ease.

Jax is wrong, I’m not brave or strong. I can’t fight back against King, nor Kaladar or any other of the monsters that pay a visit. I beg for death, plead and bargain for it, but no one ever listens. Maybe that is my saving grace in the end. Maybe I’m not strong, but he’s right, I held on. Long enough for us to meet once again.

Jax gently moves behind me as his brother pats him on the back. Luka crouches down beside me.

“Kiarra…” Luka’s voice is thick with emotion as he glances over me.

“I’m so sorry any of this ever happened to you. That we weren’t there to help you. That we gave up too soon. Maybe if we had kept looking...” The pain in Luka’s voice breaks me.

“No…” A raspy whisper slips out.

A tear slips out of Luka’s eye. I want to reach up and wipe it away, to comfort him but my body won’t listen.

Like he knows what I want, he gives me a sad smile moving closer. Reaching out, he moves my hand to his face, placing a kiss on my open palm.

“This world can be brutal and bleak, but without you in it, it’s meaningless. You make everything more vivid, more worthwhile, because you meaneverythingto us.”

My heart shudders as he places another soft kiss on my palm, his intense eyes full of emotion only focused on me.

“I want my best friend back, the other part of my soul. You fill every part of me and bring light to my shadows and darkness. I’m not perfect. None of us are, but give us the chance and I’ll work my ass off to be what you need me to be. You’re my home, Kiarra. I don’t want a world where you’re not there. I want a happy ever after with you.”

Luka brushes his lips across my palm once more before placing it by my side. Even in my injured state, I feel a familiar warmth building inside my chest.

“Trust us,” he whispers before getting up. I don’t get a chance to think of everything he’s said before Rion takes his place.

Rion takes a knee beside me. I feel the tremor in his body as he looks over my body before landing on my face, his eyes softening.

“Siren… You call to me like no other. From the very first moment we met, I knew you were it for me. Those big soulful eyes drew me in and held me captive. My entire world tilted and started anew.”

Rion’s eyes warm with tenderness.

“All I see is you. I seeyou. Every part of you. Every hidden shade you think we don’t see, all the ones you keep hidden and I adore each and every one of them. Every inch of you makes you who you are, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about you. Our beautiful soulmate, our heart and the core of us all.”

I draw a raspy breath in, holding back the burn threatening to spill from my eyes as I listen to Rion’s speech.

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