His lips captured mine before I could reply, his mouth whispering a claiming benediction against my very soul. I shivered in response, my fingers curling into his shirt.
Only for my nose to twitch as a weird scent hit me.
Rotten eggs.
Netiri…
“Did you—”
“No more talking,” he said, his voice urgent as he ripped his shirt over his head. “I need you to know who you are to me. Who you are tous.” His gaze went to Novak before returning to mine. “I love you, Lay. I meant it when I said that. I still do.”
My gaze searched his, noting the sense of loss blossoming in his depths.
Something between us felt wounded.
But not broken.
A sense of strangeness in this odd slice of utopia.
Or is it a nightmare?I thought, scrutinizing his features.Auric’s nightmare…
However, the way he was looking at me, I was his dream. His fantasy. Histruth.
I went up onto my toes to kiss him again, accepting his desires and returning them in kind.
Because I loved him, too.
So damn much that ithurt.
CHAPTERTWENTY-TWO
AURIC
I needed Layla right now.
Because she was the only thing that made any fucking sense in this place.
Leaving her had been a mistake, but I didn’t know what else to do. I was only trying to make sense of this feeling of wrongness that wouldn’t go away.
But this…
“This feels so right,” I murmured against Layla’s mouth, my tongue laying claim to her once more.
Novak gave me space, allowing me this moment, knowing I needed it.
And I accepted it for what it was—an apology from him. A sense of understanding. A history filled with ups and downs that always seemed to lead to us forgiving each other, no matter how hard the hit.
He’d hurt my pride. Betrayed my trust. But I’d done the same to him, our egos coming at odds as we fought to grapple for the truth.
However, what mattered through it all was Layla.
Our princess.
Ourmate.
And I told her that with my mouth.
I love you,I was saying.You’re mine. I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I feel so lost. I’m sorry this world is so confusing.
