Page 210 of Endgame
“I love you,” I whisper, twisting my head to watch his face as he comes inside me.
His strength, how feral he is, I’m in awe of him. He may not be a king in the traditional sense, but he’s still the one who’s protected me, claimed me, fought my demons with his bare hands.
He’s carved out a kingdom from pain and shadows. He rules it with the only thing that ever truly mattered, with his devotion to me.
I’ll spend the rest of my life reminding him of that.
Soon. For now, I take comfort in his gentle touch as he removes the tie from my wrists. My body collapses to his chest while he examines my wrists, kissing each one.
“You’ve done so well.” Without any effort, he scoops me up in his arms. His lips are warm on my temple. His heart beats in a strong and steady rhythm in his chest. I love listening to that sound. “The night isn’t over though.”
Confusion has me scrunching my nose. “It isn’t?”
“No.” His expression is grim. “I’m going to run you a bath. Take care of you.”
I snuggle into him while he carries me to the bathroom, my arms around his neck. “I like the sound of that.”
“After that, we need to talk.” He lowers me to the floor, starting the bath with me balanced against his body. “We’ve run out of time.”
Dread creeps up my body, my skin prickling in response to his words. I’m shivering, snuggling closer to him.
When the water fills the bath, we go inside, and I sit between his strong legs, my head resting on his shoulder.
“We’re going to talk about my mom?” Dread and hope lace around my lungs. “My family?”
“Soon.” Everett hugs me tight. “Rest. Let me look after you for a little while longer.”
“Okay.” I relax further into him, knowing I’m safe in his embrace. “Okay.”
“Good girl.”
That’s the last thing I hear before I fall into a blissful sleep.
37
EVERETT
The new Mrs. Alder, Aurora, is in love with a monster.
She loves the man who broke her. The one who’s been rough, careless.
Despite the pain. The horrors. The goddamn loneliness.
Aurora finds the strength within herself to keep living. With me.
She loves me so much that she lets me run a brush through her damp hair, undoing the knots.
And I love her back, unable to stop looking at her small body swallowed up in my T-shirt. More than in love, I’m fucking crazy about her.
I can’t stop touching her. Can’t stop combing her hair, even though the strands are already smooth. Even though her eyelids are heavy, her eyelashes flutter in her attempts to wake up from the deep sleep she’s fallen into.
There’s no running away from this conversation.
I wish we could. I wish I could shield her from it.
“Lotus, your mom was left on our doorstep when she was a baby.” I place the brush on the bedside table, then turn Aurora onto her side.
Her blue gaze locks on mine, encouraging me to go on.
