Page 109 of Until the End of Ever
Zazel opted to dash out with him.
"You gave me a fright," Lucian confessed as he kept working on my skin. "I expected you hours ago. I sent Ronan and my brother out, but I figured I should stay in case you managed to make your way here."
Done with the runes, he next attacked the burn, applying ointments and covering them in clean gauze, before finally offering me the potion that released me from the spell.
“I’m so sorry,” Lucian said. “I should have told you earlier. I figured you’d be mad, perhaps even ask me to remove it, so I didn’t.” He ran his thumb over the freshly carved rune on my wrist, theLaguz, which used to be exactly there before, too. “I spelled this one. It’s, first of all, monitoring your safety. If your heartbeat fades, or gets far too quick, if your energy declines all of a sudden, I’ll feel it. But it also doubles as a homing beacon like the rune I gave Gideon. I should have told you. You only need to press it and think my name. I’ll come to you.”
The fact that from that very first day in his lab, he ensured I was protected to the best of his ability, that he could get to me if I was in danger, made me sob harder.
In truth, I’d never felt quite so cherished, by anyone. Not by my family, or even my friends. Everyone believed I could take care of myself. Lucian respected my independence, he wasn’t locking me up or preventing me from doing what I’d like. But he’d ensured I was safe.
Of course, it didn’t work. My vitals didn’t drop, when I was tricked and controlled by that woman. Mymother.
The moment I could speak, I said the only thing that mattered. The thing that filled my heart with horror when I thought about a fate where I'd never get to touch him again. "I love you."
The silver in his eyes turned molten as he stared. "You had an ordeal. You're frightened."
"I love you," I repeated.
"You—"
"I loved you yesterday. I love you now and I'll love you tomorrow. And when they were about to kill everything that makes me me, that was the scariest thing. Knowing that I'd loved you and I never told?—"
I didn't manage to finish the sentence, his mouth crashing on mine. "You beautiful, infuriating, amazing witch," he said, fitting each word between kisses. “I adore every inch of you body, mind, and soul. I love you more than I thought possible. Enough to make me terrified of what I could be, who I could become for you."
I half sobbed, half laughed, and repeated, "I love you first."
"I sincerely doubt that. I loved you so fast I got whiplash from the impact. You got me at the first word. Although I have no idea what you said because I was too busy thinking, oh. She's talking to me. And she baked cupcakes. I love her."
I managed an actual laugh. "I knew it was the cupcakes."
Lucian tore himself away from me to look straight into my eyes as he said, "I wanted to be romantic. I wanted to give you time, and space, and choices. Above all, choices. But Kleos? I'm going to need you to give me some of your blood now."
"Do you mean…" I brought my hand to his, twirling the ring on his index.
"Yes. Now. You were almost taken from me. Leaving this open makes you—us—vulnerable. I know it's a lot. I don't need to define it; I don't need to say the words that bind your soul to me. I just need to make you part of the house of Nyx so no one else can claim you."
I bit my lips. "Would you say the words?"
Molten silver flashed.
"Would you bind us together?"When he said nothing, I added, "Please."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "You think you have to ask? Witch, I've had to stop myself from doing it a dozen times so far."I watched him slice his palm, placing the wound right above his signet ring. "This should be romantic. We should have guests, flowers, Champagne. But I need you to be mine. We can do the rest after we've committed a little murder."
"Matricide is definitely a big murder," I countered. "And I don't need guests or flowers or Champagne. Just you."
I offered him my hand, cutting it a little with a spell, and healing both of our palms once the signet ring's ouroboros was wet, glistening with black blood.
"Kleos Valesco, I vow forever night. I promise shadows and blood and ruin to your foes. Until the end of ever, I will care for, protect, and love you.I swear it upon the unending darkness. By Moros, may the Fates thread our lives together."
I'd said those words to Python, desperate to protect my friends, days ago. It felt so much longer.
I hadn't understood just how binding they were. Watching the red threads slither around our wrists, I knew.
"I vow forever night. I promise shadows and blood and ruin to your foes. Until the end of ever," I'd said those words, too, without knowing they were part of the spell that could get Destiny to rewrite the rules of the world. I'd meant them then as much as I did now. "I will care for, protect, and love you. I swear it upon the unending darkness. By Moros, may the Fates thread our lives together."
The red thread faded, but still felt solid, like an invisible magnet pushing us together at all times. Lucian dragged his fingers along my skin, from my neck, to my collarbone, and settled on the spot between my breasts, pressing his signet ring right there.
