Page 99 of A Reign of Malice
“Was that…a blessing?” I ask slowly.
“Or a threat,” Julian mutters.
And then I feel it. Our bond.
But not like before. This isn’t the subtle tug I’ve grown used to. This isn’t the quiet ache in my chest or the low hum beneath my skin. This is a wildfire, burning through every broken place inside me and stitching it whole. This is fate crackling to life, loud and undeniable.
Our connection ignites.
It pulses between us, alive and blazing. My knees nearly give out from the force of it. And suddenly, I’m in Julian’s arms, and he’s in mine, clutching each other like we’ll never let go again.
His voice comes through the tether, not just in my mind but in my soul.
“Mine.”
It’s not a demand. It’s a vow.
I finally break. I shatter into light and warmth and everything I’ve ever wanted.
“All yours,”I breathe through the bond, this time not holding back a single part of myself.
The tears come hard and fast for everything we’ve lost, everything we’ve survived, and everything we finally get to have. Joy radiates from my core and into the bond. I feel it reflected in Julian, multiplied then sent right back to me.
He cups my face, forehead pressed to mine, both of us trembling. Though, not from fear.
From everything that’s real and finally ours.
“I love you,” he whispers, voice thick with emotion.
I choke on a sob. “I began falling in love with you in thatcave before I ever knew your name, before I even realized what was happening, and I love you now. I’ll love you long after the gods stop watching.”
He kisses me like the world has already ended and we’re the only two left to rebuild it.
And maybe we are.
Because this moment is what we were meant to have decades ago.
And now?
There’s no more war. No more lies. No more shadows creeping between us.
There’s only him and me.
Only us.
For the first time in what feels like lifetimes, there’s nothing left standing in our way.
And our bond is no longer just a thread of fate.
It’s also a kingdom.
Our home.
Together.
Forever.
CHAPTER FORTY
