Page 125 of Ecliptic

I blinked back tears. “Yes, it is.”

“It’s a job you didn’t sign up for. It isn’t fair,” he yelled, squeezing my chin tighter.

“It’s not,” I agreed with a wince, and he dropped his hand from me.

“Rowen doesn’t know, and you don't want him to. That’s why you’ve been pushing all your pain to me.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” I said, my mind flashing to Rowen and our last moments together. They were fleeting, but there was no mistaking how his face lit up at the prospect of creating abetter world with me. It had given him light at the end of the tunnel. Something I hadn’t seen myself or even thought long enough to imagine.

I couldn’t bear to tell Rowen there would be no future with me. It would break me and make me question everything I had to do.

Maddock’s eyebrows furrowed. “You can’t expect me not to tell him.”

“It’s not just for the Wyn village or Luneth, but Earth too. That’s where Erovos means to go next. If you tell Rowen, he won’t let me do what needs to be done.”

“And you think I will?” he demanded, pouncing toward me. I fell back onto my wrists as the blanket slipped off my shoulders. His narrow hips slid between my knees.

My eyes narrowed. “If you say anything, I’ll kill you.”

His gaze darted to my mouth, then to my peaked nipples beneath the slip. His gaze snapped back to mine, and he chuckled a dark, humorless laugh. “You’ve threatened to murder me more times than I can count. It’s adorable at this point.”

The air stilled around us. “Maddock, please,” I barely whispered. “It’s my last wish.” Something on my face must have told him how much I needed to do this. “Swear to me you won’t tell him.”

“Keira, he already knows something is up. He’s not stupid. He can sense it.”

“Just swear to me,” I said, ignoring how his hips would only have to lower an inch to line up with mine. “If you do, I’ll finally forgive you.”

He hesitated, his eyes shocked and wide. “I swear,” he finally said, his whole body poised over mine.

I smiled, but it was hollow, and I placed my hand on his cheek. “Thank you. I appreciate it. Just promise you’ll be there for Rowen afterward. Don’t let him do anything stupid.”

“Like what you’re doing now? What if I already promised Rowen not to let you do anything stupid?”

I smiled and patted his cheek. “Mine trumps his,” I said, gently pushing him off me.

“If I promise not to tell him, you’ll really forgive me for what happened in the crevice?” Maddock asked, kneeling before me. Our breaths were heavy and mingled as the weight of my confession thickened in the air.

For a moment, I wanted to tell him that I had forgiven him long ago. But I couldn’t bring myself to say the words. “We’ll see if you keep your promise.”

A small, sad smile pulled at his lips. “All I have ever wanted is your forgiveness.”

I got up and handed him the blanket. “It’s difficult to forgive someone you hate.”

His eyes trailed up my body that glistened like a pearl in the moonlight. “You expect me to just let you walk away, knowing what you will do tomorrow? I could chase you down, tie you up, and lock you away. Guard the door and miss out on the battle myself. The last time we fought, I was worthless. At least this time, I would be doing some good by keeping you safe. You’d hate me for it, but you already hate me anyway.”

“You would never be able to catch me,” I said, pivoting on my heel.

I walked away from my bond and Light stealer. I’d threatened to kill and hate him for all of time, but as I left him on the beach, I realized I’d confessed my darkest secret to him.

I turned back to the man I’d first met in a coma. He’d been a shell of a human, but now, he was vibrant and warm and bursting with life. “You know, you’re making it harder for me to hate you.”

44

I’d finally made it to bed, or at least that was my last memory. I’d tossed and turned in the sheets, wishing I were beside Rowen, but now, I walked through a city of elegantly carved marble. Intricate archways, spires, and turrets soared above me and stretched up the craggy mountainside. Every wall and balcony dripped with ivy, and the sound of running water trickled in the distance.

It was foreign yet somehow familiar. Almost as if the place I remembered had been rebuilt with love, care, and a deep appreciation for the surrounding mountains.

My breath caught in my chest when I realized.

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