Page 106 of Break Her Heart
“Look at you,” I murmured as I dipped my head, lips brushing her temple. “Everyone’s staring, you know. Can’t blame them. You look like a goddess.”
She rolled her eyes, but the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth betrayed her.
“Don’t do that. Don’t act like you don’t know it,” I whispered against her ear. “That dress, those gloves, your lips—fuck, Winnie. You could bring a man to his knees with a look.”
Her gaze flicked up to mine, amusement dancing there.
“I should be worried,” I said, letting my thumb brush over her gloved fingers. “Every man in this room wants you.”
“But I’m with you,” she said simply.
And gods, that undid me.
“Say that again,” I breathed.
She leaned in. “I’m with you.”
I pulled her closer as we turned in another slow circle, unwilling to let the moment go.
“I hope you know,” I murmured, “I’ve never wanted anything the way I want you.”
The sun was beginning to rise by the time we slipped away from the great room. The halls were quiet now—most of the castle descending into the hush of daylight, where vampires tucked themselves behind thick doors and shuttered windows.
But not us.
I walked beside her slowly, our fingers laced, stealing glances at her when she wasn’t looking. I was obsessed with every inch of her.
The second our chamber door shut, I pressed her against it, my hands on her hips, my mouth on her neck.
“August,” she breathed, but her hands pulled me closer.
I kissed along her jaw, her throat, the bare skin above her dress. I didn’t stop until I’d guided her to the bed. I peeled the gloves from her arms with slow care, kissing her palms, her wrists, the veins she tried to hide.
She was the only thing that mattered to me. And I needed her to know it.
“Winnie,” I whispered against her shoulder, lips brushing her skin. “I need to tell you something.”
She blinked slowly, eyes heavy with affection and heat. “What? Do you love me or something?”
The words hit like a blade between the ribs. My breath left me. My chest ached.
“I love you,” I said. “But that word—it’s not enough. It doesn’t explain how I feel well enough. I need something that tells you that every waking moment I have is spent thinking about you, wanting you, aching to be near you. And at night, when I used to dream of you killing me, I didn’t mind—because the last thing I saw before I died was you.”
Her lips parted, but I kept going.
“All I care about is you. There is nothing else. Just you. And because there isn’t a word that means all of that, all I can say is this: I love you. I love you so much it hurts.”
I watched her swallow, tears building slowly in her eyes. And I kissed them away before they could fall. My own eyes burned. I blinked fast, but it didn’t stop the sting. My voice broke when I spoke again.
“And because I love you,” I said hoarsely, “you have to leave.”
“What?” She drew back, blinking at me like I’d just struck her. “No! I’m not going to leave you. We are going to fight this until the last second.”
I shook my head, every part of me screaming to take it back. To pull her close and never let her go. But I couldn’t be selfish any longer.
“There may be nothing we can do, but I will not stop trying to find a way to stop it.” I couldn’t tell her what Varric said. “But you—you have to get as far from here as you can. Get Adar and run. Go to another kingdom and hide from Carrow. I may not be able to save myself, but I will not let him have you.”
She grabbed my arms, her fingers digging into my skin. “They can’t do this to you if you’re not here. We can run together.”
