Page 94 of Claimed By Shadow and Blood
“Didn’t you ask me to be your queen? Or did Doucheface implant that memory in my head?” She pushed herself out of bed and stalked away. One hand thrust into her hair, and she spun back around. “And now, you just...took that away?”
My head jerked back. “Briar, Ihadto get you out of that prison, and this was the quickest way possible. The longer you stayed imprisoned, the worse it would be for you there. Time moves quickly there, so getting you out was a priority. To do that, I had to make an unbreakable vow.” I set my hands on my belt, resisting the urge to pull her to my chest and wrap her in my shadows and wings. “I protected you the best way possible—by getting you out of there.”
“Did you even try to compromise, or did the bastards that set me up change your mind about me?” Her bottom lip trembled but her chin remained lifted in defiance. “You know what? Itdoesn’t matter. Clearly, off to Earth I go.” She spun and moved away from me.
My blood heated. Her accusation stung. I sprang up and gently seized her arm. “Stop right now. At least let me explain.” When she looked at me, I couldn’t bring myself to let her go.
“Go on then.” Her words were sharp. “Explain. Though I’m pretty sure you can’t add much more to that.”
I scowled, still holding her arm and trying not to look anywhere but in her eyes. “I can easily justify it. Briar, you were beingtortured.Did you expect me to just let you rot in there when I had a viable alternative?” I’d done this because Ilovedher. Couldn’t she see that?
Some part of me was thrilled at the realization that she didn’t want to go. She wanted to be withme.
“Going home or not was my choice, and you took it from me!” She set her hands on her waist and stepped closer.
“How could I let you stay in that place for even a moment longer than necessary?” My insides twisted, and my shadows curled around her, two tendrils wrapping around her ankles. I tugged them back, exasperated that my own body and magic seemed to have only one impulse when it came to her.
“Briar,” I said, my voice low. “Please. Understand. I was trying to get you out of there as swiftly as I could. From our perspective, you weren't even gone a full day. Think of all the horrible things they did to you in that short amount of time and how much they distorted the timeline from your perspective. It was going to take me another full day here, perhaps two, to get you out. The councilman promised to free you within three hours, but I had to pay his price. I’d already failed you by letting you be taken. I couldn’t let you suffer any more than you already had.”
“I could have waited for you longer—” she started.
“We had no way of knowing how much time was passing for you in there. And despite the vow I bound Colm to, the council member confirmed there were others involved who were also trying to kill you. Not to mention the sheer horrors that infest that place. The time warping alone can twist the mind permanently. It would have been, at most, three days for me to get you home in my time, but, Briar—” My voice cracked again, my throat hoarse with emotion. I leaned in closer, taking her hands in mine and bringing them to my lips. “Briar, it could have beenyearsfor you. And I will giveanythingto keep you safe. You didn’t deserve any of this, and you never asked for it.”
“No, but you asked me to be your queen, and you said you loved me. I would’ve tried to find another way.”
“I do! I love you more than anything. I love you more than my own life and my kingdom and my throne. You mean more to me than my own happiness, so I swore that vow to make sure you were happy and safe and could go home.”
A tear rolled down her cheek.
I shouldn’t be touching her. I knew I shouldn’t. But I caressed her cheek with the back of my knuckles, wiping the tear away before sliding my finger under her chin and letting my thumb brush her perfect, kissable lips.
Her lips pressed into a tight line, and she shook her head. “I would have waited for you. I would have found my own way out. I’m still willing to fight forus. There is nohappiness for me without you.”
Those words struck me deep, and it took what little self-restraint I had left to not pounce on her and devour her. There was no way around this. I had to see it through.
I stroked her jawline with my thumb and said, “You are the most remarkable woman I have ever known. Your spirit and courage, as much as your kindness and compassion, are unlike any other, and I willneverforget you. When you return home,you take my heart with you. It will always be yours. But you deserve far more than I can give you. And you’ll see…you’re…” I wanted to retch even as I formed the words, but I forced them out. “You’re going to find someone else to…make you happy, Briar. To give you all you deserve. Some man out there is going to be the most lucky and Fate-blessed man to ever walk through time and history.”
She grabbed hold of my surcoat collar and jerked my face down until my lips were right over hers. “Listen to me. I will always love my sister and my pack, and Idowant to see them again. But my home isn’t back on Earth anymore. Myhomeis with you. Don’t you get that?” Her gaze softened, then she stood on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. A buzz jolted deep within me.
My breath hitched, and the shadows trembled around me. A low, needful groan rose from my throat.
She walked toward the bathroom with elegant grace, her hair loose against her back and the nightgown sliding down one of her shoulders. For half a breath, I thought she might look back at me.
She stepped inside and closed the door with a solidclick.Rushing water soon followed.
I fell back a step and covered my mouth, resisting the urge to send my shadows in to check on her. My cheek burned where her lips had touched it, and my thoughts returned to those wonderful moments in the observatory and on the ballroom floor. I craved that and more.
So much more.
All that diverted blood flow made it harder to think. A slow thought pushed up within my mind. She had said something important. Her home…was with me?
My throat tightened, and I looked to the door, hunger and need pouring through me like liquid fire. If her home was with me…then…
My restraint snapped, and I rushed to the door.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Briar
