Page 88 of Queen of Legends and Lies
He chokes out a mirthless laugh. “You decided, alone, to not only throw yourself into danger but to take my choice away from me by never even giving me one! Brilliant plan,Your Highness.”
The formal title stings. His words bleed with so much pain. I reach for him, desperate to close the distance.
“Please, Sterling. I had to do it. I never thought anyone would be in the caves. And Hallr told me about them, so I thought they were safe enough. Celeste disclosed their location.I have no idea why or how Xenon was there.” I search his face, willing him to believe me.
Sterling’s hands tighten into fists at his sides, and I can practically see his desire to shake some sense into me. “Which is why you shouldn’t have come alone. Even if the council didn’t agree, you could’ve toldme. I would’ve come with you instead of having to follow along after you.”
“Which is exactly why I didn’t tell you!” Maybe he wants to strangle me, but I’d love to feed him to the dragons. “If you came back here…” My anger fades away like mist in the afternoon sun.
“If I came here…what?” He studies my face, hands clasping and unclasping like he doesn’t know what to do with them. “What are you hiding from me, Lark?”
Tears burn in my eyes. “The last time you were here, I watched you kill my friend. Watched you almost kill the remaining people in this world that I care about.” My breathing quickens into pants. “You never talk about it, but I know you. And I know the guilt of having to do unspeakable things at Xenon’s demand is going to stay with you forever. The last thing I wanted was to dredge up that memory, especially when it’s still so fresh.”
For a long moment, he remains rigid, unyielding as stone. Then, incrementally, the harsh lines of his shoulders soften. He clasps my outstretched hand in his warm, solid one. “Lark…”
Tears trickle down my cheeks. “I may be strong, but I’m not strong enough to deal with that again. I won’t. I will notallow you to be re-corrupted. To be controlled. To suffer.”
“Hey. Look at me.” He lifts my chin. “I’m back, and I’m not going anywhere. But I make the choices for my body and my heart, not you. I choose what I will and won’t do, what I will and won’t risk. And I choose you, Lark. Every time. Over everything.”
Fuck.
He’s right.
If Sterling hadn’t found me, I doubt I’d have escaped that cave with my life intact. Either that, or I’d have ended up corrupted. And he’d have to go through everything I did. I’d be putting him through the same hell. But worse. Because he has no way to cleanse corruption. He’d have to live on without me, never knowing what happened.
Why I left.
Why I didn’t tell him.
Why he was suddenly alone and needed to explain things to everyone else.
“I’m sorry. And I swear I won’t do that again. I won’t leave without discussing it with you first and won’t make choices for you.” The words ring with solemn finality between us. A vow. A bridge tentatively rebuilt. “From now on, we’ll make decisions together. Even the difficult ones. How did you find me anyway?”
He stiffens. “One of the guards overheard you talking to Celeste about the caves, and thank the gods he did. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had any idea where you went.”
We still have a lot to discuss, but for now, I let him wrap me in his arms.
Sterling’s gold-flecked eyes bore into mine, intense and unwavering. His hands slide around my waist, rough palms igniting sparks across my skin even through the fabric of my tunic as he pulls me flush against the hard planes of his body. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
My breath hitches. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Damn right you’re not.” His possessive, demanding mouth crashes down on mine.
I open for him instantly, tangling my fingers in his hair as our tongues duel for dominance.
Heat lances through me, desire and desperation twining into an intoxicating cocktail. I want to be closer to him, crave his skin against mine. Need him whole. Safe. No longer angry with me.
I need the heat from his body. The pulse of his heart. The passion of his love.
His lips trail fire down the column of my throat, teeth nipping with just enough force to pull a gasp from me. “Mine.” His breath heats my collarbone. “You’re mine, Lark.”
“Yes.” The word is both a pledge and a prayer. “Always.”
Frantic hands tug at buckles and laces, shoving fabric aside until there’s nothing between us but slick flesh and racing heartbeats.
We sink to the beach in a tangle of limbs, oblivious to the tide’s ebb and flow and the dragons that wait nearby. I map the scars on Sterling’s chest, careful to avoid the cuts from the drachen’s talons as I revel in the flex of muscle beneath his bronzed skin.
His mouth finds mine again, kissing me over and over. Calloused fingers glide down my spine, and I arch into him. I moan when his steely length presses into my belly, wiggling until he hits just the right spot.
