Page 142 of The Lands Defying
Apologies, forgiveness, pleading, begging. Telling anyone and everyone he will do anything to make her wake up.
How the kid can now just come to his senses makes me want to snap his neck.
She loves him so deeply, fuck, she fell off a cliff because of him!
Yet all I have seen him do since I met Rhea was cause her pain.
All I have seen in her eyes when it comes to him, is pain.
The need to rid that which hurt her is getting harder to ignore. And then my back itches.
I stretch it out and breathe deeply, trying to remember my vow to her.
Kade moves his hand and runs it over her hair, tears falling down his face as he barely breathes. “I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, so sorry.”
He stays like that for a long time. Holding her, always touching her. Continuing with his words.
He eventually leaves when Belldame retrieves him, promising her he will be back, and then I’m once again left alone.
The day turns to night, the only light in here from the hundreds of candles of the blessings, and the moonlight coming through the opening.
Despair and grief grips itself tighter around me, covering me in hopelessness as it tightens in my chest.
Rhea’s breathing has slowed, labored, and I swallow over the lump in my throat.
I go to her, pressing my finger to her pulse point and my eyes close in pain.
Breathing deep, taking in her scent like it can become one with me, I stand and remove my clothes so I’m left in nothing, so Ican feel every inch of her. Bending down, I get an arm under the back of Rhea’s knees and the other underneath her shoulder blades.
Lifting her, feeling how light she has gotten, I cradle her against my chest, putting my nose to her hair to breathe her in.
Hopelessness makes my legs feel heavy as I walk toward the pool, making sure I don’t stand on any of the gifts of blessing or lesia flowers as I pass them. I walk through an opening in the water and enter the water slowly.
It’s cool against my skin, I recognize this, but I don’t feel it.
Wading further to the center, Rhea still cradled tightly against my chest, I watch as the ends of her hair dampen. It has gotten so long now.
I stay there for a while, watching how the light cascades on her skin before I tip my head back.
“Why does it have to be this way,” I whisper. “You helped in her creation, Zahariss, you are Cazier’s mate. And yet you take her from me?” I look down at Rhea, the light of the moon making her skin look like it shimmers with every breath I take. “You are taking away my moonlight, the one you gifted to me.” My head hangs forward and I shut my eyes tightly. “She is mine .” My voice cracks on the last word and I growl. “She is not who you take. She has spilled enough of her blood, and her soul into these lands. Soplease, Cazier, Zahariss.” I clutch her tighter and her arm falls limply at her sides, the tips of her fingers touching the water below. “Do not take my moonlight away.”
I watch Rhea’s face. So pale, so weak as I move her head closer to my neck on my shoulder.
Then, I feel her heartbeat falter, and I think mine just stopped.
Not like this. No.
“My Vihnarn.” I rub my chin on the top of her head, clutching her tighter to me before I lower her down into the water.
I support her weight under her head and her legs as she gently floats in the center. Her hair fans out around her, the light strands darkening a little with the water. Her pale skin glows in the moonlight as I lean over, rubbing my nose to hers as I’d always done, unable to help myself.
“Where you go, I go.”
Then placing a soft kiss onto her cold lips, teardrops fall onto her cheek, rolling down as I kiss her gently. Showing her what she means to me, begging her to stay, wishing I could feel her warmth against me once again.
When I get myself under control, I pull back a little, breathing against her as I open my eyes and beg the Gods to see those pretty blue eyes.
But her lids stay shut, her eyes hidden from me and my chest caves in as her heart beat stops.
