My throat tightens as the realization settles…this is the moment I have to tell them the truth of my feelings. If I wait or try to delay it, I may lose the clarity or courage that’s finally come to me alongside it.
“I want you all to know that I feel a connection to all three of you,” I start, the words slow but steady. I take a breath and admit, “And I don’t want to choose just one.”
Torryn’s gaze doesn’t flicker, but his arms fold across his chest. Sylvin’s signature smirk falters at the edges, blue eyes narrowing with an edge of curiosity. Riven’s jaw tenses, the corner of his mouth twitching like he swallowed something bitter. His eyes don’t leave mine, but I feel the wall start to rise behind them.
I push forward before they can speak, needing to say it all before doubt has the chance to creep in. “If you try to force me to choose one of you, I…I’ll choose none of you.”
My voice wavers, but I don’t look away.
“Maybe that’s not fair to you, and I’m sorry forthat, but I can’t put one of you above the others. I can’t just pretend the rest of you don't exist. If you don’t want me to–”
Sylvin is in front of me before I can finish, his hand lifting to cradle my face.
The movement is gentle and there’s no dramatic flair in his face as he gazes down at me, only a tender softness.
“I’m fine with it,” he murmurs, thumb stroking along my cheekbone, “as long as it means I get a piece of you, little echo.”
His head descends and his lips brush against mine before I can reply. It’s soft and exploring, the complete opposite of Riven’s consuming kiss. I feel a ripple of nerves at the thought of the others watching, yet my body responds without hesitation. His tongue is tentative as I open for him, butthe kiss breaks too soon.
I don’t have time to catch my breath before I’m swept against another body, heat and muscle wrapping around me as Torryn growls against my ear. “I’ve been waiting to do this for what feels like far too long, sweetheart.”
His mouth crashes into mine, and there’s nothing gentle about it. His lips move over mine like he already knows exactly how we fit against each other. It feels familiar and full of warmth as I surrender myself to him. My hands grip his broad shoulders instinctively, grounding myself in the strength of him, melting intothe safety he always gives without asking for anything in return.
When he pulls back, I’m breathless and dazed, with swollen lips.
Sylvin exhales dramatically from behind us.
“Honestly,”he murmurs, “that was a spectacular show to watch.”
I laugh, soft and surprised, the sound catching in my throat. Maybe I shouldn’t be laughing in such a tense moment, but I needed it, and somehow Sylvin always knows that.
Hope flickers in the space between us, tentative but real. Yet when my gaze finds Riven, it dims just slightly, realizing he hasn’t moved at all. He holds himself too tightly, with the veins along his hands bulging.
I move toward him slowly, and he doesn’t back away. I watch the tension pulling at the corners of his mouth, the flicker of pain behind his eyes. He’s unraveling beneath the surface but still trying to hold it together outwardly.
I knew his upset was a possibility in sharing my true feelings, considering how far our relationship has progressed, but the thought of the hurt he feels makes my heart feel as if it’s cracking open.
I stop in front of him and take his hands in mine, curling my fingers along his enough to open the tight fists he’sballed them into.
“This changes nothing about our time together,” I say quietly, meeting his crimson gaze, needing him to hear the truth in my words.
“All of that was real, and it still is. It still lives here.” I press his hand gently to my chest. “We moved forward with our connection while I already had feelings for the others…and that’s proof I have room in my heart for more than one.”
For a breath, he doesn’t move, but slowly I feel the tension fading from him. Then his hand lifts slowly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger along my cheek, callused and reverent.
“I can’t lose you,” he murmurs, voice raw with the tender admission. “Not when I just found you, darling.”
My throat tightens at the sound of that word,darling, like it’s sacred to him now rather than just a casual nickname.
“You won’t,” I promise, the words shaped with more certainty than I’ve felt in days. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His mouth claims mine with a hunger that stirs desire low in my belly. One hand cradles the back of my neck while the other presses to my hip, pulling me flush against him like he’s daring anyone watching to deny what we’ve built together. There’s no hesitation, only possession.
It makes me think of every breath, every touch, and every moment that led us here.
When we finally part, I can barely breathe, dazed from the lack of oxygen.
“Slumber party it is!” Sylvin declares far too loudly, shattering the moment as he spins on his heel and marches through the tent flap. “Leave the details to me. I shall conjure us a place to house our chaos for the night.”
