“Of what?”
“Waking up,” he whispered. “And realizing this was only a dream.”
I pinched his arm.
“Ow. What was that for?”
“It stung, right?”
“Um.” Callum’s brow pulled together. “Yes?”
God, he was adorable.
“You can’t feel pain in your dreams.” I bent to kiss the spot I’d pinched, then lifted back up, planting another kiss to his lips. “So, whenever you start to worry about this being one, just give yourself a little pinch, and you’ll know it’s real.”
“I…” Something sparked in his eyes—a quiet intensity. He grabbed the back of my head and kissed me. His lips trembled.
Returning the kiss, that tremble passed to me, causing a quake in my sternum. For the first time since I’d suspected Callum of being one of my fated men, the ache in my chest calmed. It no longer twisted and turned, desperate for a connection.
It had found that connection. An inexplainable bond.
Callum gently pushed me to my back and deepened the kiss. There was a slight hesitation to his lips. He might’ve been experienced in battle and earned a reputation for being the best swordsman in the Second Order, but this was uncharted territory for him.
It thrilled me but also awoke a stirring of guilt. Because Iwasexperienced. And I didn’t belong to just one man. My heart—and body—belonged to several.
“Does it bother you?” I asked against his mouth. “Me being with so many men?”
“No.” He gently bumped his head to mine, like an affectionate nuzzle. “You were with them before I even realized my feelings for you. And once I did? I didn’t wish to replacethem. I only wanted to join them. To spend my days waking up beside you and listening to your rambles. To be there to catch you when you tripped over your own two feet. And to lie with you just like this.”
“I want all of that too,” I said, fighting the tremor in my throat. “All of this was unexpected, Cal. Falling for you. But now I can’t see it happening any other way.”
“Neither can I. Almost feels like fate, doesn’t it? The stars aligned and brought us together.” He slid his hand down my spine. “Reminds me of a poem I once read about the sun and the moon.”
“Yeah? What did it say?”
“That they were gods who fell in love but were cursed when another god became jealous of their love. From then on, they were torn apart. The sun shone on the world below him, all the while mourning a love that couldn’t be. And when the moon rose each night to take his place in the sky, her tears created the stars.”
“That’s sad.”
“Aye. It is.” Callum dragged in a breath, then slowly released it, turning more into me. “That’s how I felt for all these months. Like the sun mourning an impossible love.”
I blinked back tears. “Did the sun and the moon get their happily ever after in the poem?”
“No.” He trailed his hand up my chest and smoothed his thumb across the base of my throat. “I always wished I could rewrite the ending.”
“How would you change it?”
As our gazes met, his brown irises burned with that same quiet intensity as earlier. “I’d have the two meet between day and night and embrace as lovers do, dancing in the twilight.”
“I like that,” I said, heart swelling. “Sounds like you have a poet in you after all, dear knight.”
He smiled. “I’m still much more skilled with a sword.”
“Were you serious about the sparring match?”
“Yes and no. I believe it’d serve you well to have a basic understanding of self-defense, yet the captain would, indeed, do what the demon failed to do and rip off my head.”
I sighed. “He’s such a protective grump.”
