Page 122 of Stolen
And then he lowers himself across from me, his long frame taut with something I can’t name—guilt, fear, maybe even hope.
“I will start from the beginning,Myrrin,” he says softly, the firelight catching on the war-weary lines of his face, making him look almost mortal. Almost breakable.
“You deserve the whole truth.”
I nod, but my stomach twists. Bracing myself feels useless when your world’s already halfway shattered.
“You see, Nightfall has always had a Prime. A supreme ruler. A being chosen not just by bloodline or might, but by something older. Deeper. When one Prime falls, another must rise. That’s how it has always been.”
He pauses, and I watch his throat work, the truth clawing its way out.
“But the one chosen, well, it’s never the strongest or the most ruthless,” he continues. “It’s the Lord with the clearest bond to hisviyella. The one whose soul has been tempered by love.”
My chest tightens so hard it hurts to breathe.
Of all the reasons I thought I’d been pulled into this madness,thatone never crossed my mind.
“That’s why the search began,” he says. “Not for warriors. Not for queens. But for mates. For the one bond that would ignite power strong enough to stabilize the realm. A bond formed not by strategy or convenience, but by something undeniable.”
“And you found me,” I whisper. My voice sounds far away, like it’s coming from someone else.
Someone naïve.
He nods once, slow and agonized.
“At first, I thought—fuck, I was so arrogant. Foolish. Stupid. I thought I could trick the Fates.”
The words hit like stones. Still, I let him speak.
“I told my brothers my plan. We all agreed, in the beginning,” he admits, shame creeping into every word.
“We would find human women. Women from the Earth realm. See, we create dreams here,Myrrin, and the women of Earth? They dream the loudest and all for one thing above all,” he says.
“For love,” I whisper.
“That’s right. We picked Earth because that’s where women with the softest hearts are born. I just didn’t know you also had the fiercest spirits.”
It’s a compliment.
But I don’t feel any joy at his words, and sensing that, he continues.
“We believed we could find suitable potential mates there. Charm them, seduce them into bonding with us. The magic would recognize the connection, whether it was real or not. Or so we thought.”
“Youusedme,” I murmur, a crack forming right down the middle of my heart.
He flinches like I struck him.
“No,” he says quickly, shaking his head. “Ithoughtto use you. That part is true. I thought I could simply choose a woman who wouldn’t reallygetto me. One I could sway with illusion and pretty words. A means to an end. But then, when I got to Earth and began my search, I sawyou.”
His voice trembles now, low and hoarse.
“Instantly, I was drawn to you.”
“Why?” I ask, not bothering to wipe my eyes.
“Are you serious? Do you not even know how beautiful you are?”
“I’m not,” I say, shaking my head.
