AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His hands slid up my sides and around to squeeze my boobs, his skin fiercely hot—not cold, not even remotely dead. He was undeniably, ferociously alive. I smacked his hands away just to watch his smile widen.
"You still haven't promised me not to sacrifice yourself again."
"I swear to you, Halwen, I won't willingly walk into death again," he vowed, letting go of me to put a hand over his heart.2 "Do you want me to kneel?" he added.
"Yes," I hissed, surprised by how quickly his knee hit the carpet. "Now repeat after me."
He groaned. "Why do I get the sense I'm going to regret this?"
I gave him a hard scowl; he sat back on his heels, his hands behind his back, and gave me an attentive look. "My name is Wynvail," I said, testing his willingness.
"My name is Wynvail," he repeated sceptically, eyelids flat over his eyes.
"And I have an amazing family."
He paused, and then repeated the words.
"I have a mate who loves me."
His eyes flickered. His voice was thick and quiet when he echoed the words back to me.
"And people who'll care if I'm hurt."
"People who'll miss me if I die."
"I am valued, and wanted, and far from nothing."
He licked his lips, struggling on the last part, so I knelt in front of him, stroking his shoulders, up and down, up and down, my touches soft.
"And far from nothing," he finished.
"I'm not a monster," I said quietly, holding his stare, "or an abomination."
He blew out a rough breath, eyes rising to the ceiling. "Haley…"
"It's true," I swore. "Every word."
He laughed, his expression twisted. "The things I've done—"
"Yeah, and?" I cut him off before he could finish. "You don't know even half of what I've done, and don't get me started on the guys. You're not a monster, Wyn. You're not a bad person."
He shook his head, sneering at the ceiling. "I'm not a good person, Halwen."
"No," I agreed, earning a surprised look. "Just an asshole with a heart of gold. Like the rest of us." I kissed him, sweet but long, lingering until the harsh lines of his body softened.
"An asshole with a heart of gold," he murmured, amusement and refusal both in his eyes.
"You came to the caves when we were going to die. You saved Harvey and Emlyn and got us out of there. You helped keep all of us alive in the Labyrinth, and you almost died fighting shoulder to shoulder with Em. You led us to Wane and helped us save him. And sure, I'm still pissed that you thought you were worthless, so you accepted your death without fighting, but what you did was a good thing. Stupid, reckless, imbecilic—"
"Yeah, alright," he huffed, scowling.
"But you let yourself be killed for me, and for Wane. So yeah, you have a heart of gold."
"What about brass?"
My gaze flattened.
"Brass is very fetching."
