Page 153 of Rise of the Siren Queen
“And I’ll do just that if they oppose me.”
My princess is finally awake. Her soft, melodic voice, laced with exhaustion, cuts through the static in my head like light through murky waters.
And gods, it almost breaks me.
I’d been holding it together, barely clinging to the edge by my teeth. But hearing her again? It’s like something inside me uncoils all at once. My throat tightens. My chest aches in the raw, splintered way grief does when it’s kept at bay.
She’s alive.
And for a second, just a breath, I almost cry.
“Hey, take it easy. You need to rest.” Still cradled in my arms, she tried to rise from the bed, but I stopped her with a gentle hand, helping her sit up instead. “You scared the hell out of me,” I murmured, my gaze locked with hers.
“I know,” she replied, her tone soft, almost apologetic, though she had no reason to be sorry. “I’m sorry for—”
“Don’t you dare apologize for almost dying,” I interrupted firmly, leaving no room for debate.
Her eyes softened as she glanced toward Sienna. “Could you give us a moment?”
“Of course.” Sienna rose gracefully from her chair. “I’ll check on Elora.”
With that, she exited the room as quietly as she had entered, and I was grateful for this moment of solitude with Iryen.
“How are you feeling?”
“Like someone impaled me with ice.” She replied jokingly. “You killed Thalor.” It wasn’t a question—it was a statement.
“You’re damn right I did. He attacked you. You almost died because of him, Iryen. I couldn’t let him get away with it.” Anger rose inside as the memories of that moment played in my head. “And I’m not sorry I did.”
“Thank you, Prince Adrian.”
Prince?
She’d never called me that before, not even after we uncovered the truth about who I was, what I was. The word felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else… yet hearing it from her lips? It hit differently. I wasn’t supposed to like it. But in that moment—wrapped in her voice, shaped by her acknowledgment—it didn’t sound like a title. It sounded like belonging. Like possibility. And damn it, I liked it more than I thought I would.
“I’m not sorry for almost dying.” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, eyes darting away as a flush stained her cheeks like a fragile secret. Shame, and why? Why would she feel shame for surviving? “I’m sorry for leaving you without a chance to fight. Without giving us a chance.”
Ah, that. That confession slammed into me like a wave I’d been drowning beneath. Between the pain, the nymphs, her past, and everything else tearing at us, somehow I’d forgotten. She couldn’t be with me because of her duty.
I leaned in, hazel eyes locking onto hers, my grip firm but tender on her chin, demanding her gaze, because she needed to hear this. “Yeah, wedefinitelyneed to talk about us. Because I’m sure as hell not leaving you. Not after I bought the island just so your kingdom could stay hidden, safe from humans. Not after I lived like a ghost, because I need you, Iryen. You’re the air I breathe.”
Her breath hitched, fragile as a whispered promise, but I pressed on, voice rough with everything I felt but couldn’t always say.
“You’re the other half of my soul. My mate. The woman I want to spend every goddamn lifetime with.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, the ache raw and electric.
“The one who owns every piece of me, my thoughts, my heart, my very being. I don’t even remember what life was like before you. AndI don’t want to. You’re not just a queen, Iryen. You’remyqueen. My home. My everything.”
Her eyes glistened, tears threatening to spill, but I couldn’t stop now.
“I’ve never felt like this before. This raw, consuming need. It’s terrifying, maddening, but it’s all I know. I don’t care what the future holds, what this bond means, or what sacrifices we have to make. I’m not letting you go. Never.”
My voice lowered, trembling with fierce resolve.
“So yeah. We need to talk. About us. I’m not here just to protect you. I’m here to love you. To fight for you. To stand beside you until the end of time.”
I brushed my thumb along her cheek, slowly and reverently, my grip tightening gently.
