“You see their empathy as a weakness when, in fact, it’s their greatest strength,” I grit out.
King Ruel laughs without humor. “We shall see. But let’s not worry about my children. You want your mate back, don’t you?”
My nostrils flare, and I don’t dignify him with a response.
“I will allow you to travel to the Valley of Lost Souls accompanied by Selor, but only if you both swear an oath to me.”
Fucking hell. All my instincts are telling me that making a bargain with King Ruel is a terrible idea, but I’m out of options. He won’t release me otherwise.
“Don’t do it, wolf boy,” Selor warns me with difficulty, barely getting the words out. Unlike me, the roots are still squeezing his body like a boa constrictor.
I shake my head. “I don’t have a choice.”
“Smart, pup.” King Ruel smiles.
“I won’t do it.” Selor shakes his head vehemently. “Kill me, torture me, do your worst. I won’t be bound to anyone ever again.”
I can’t blame him for his decision, but it doesn’t help me. Then I remember Selor is bound to me already. “You don’t need him to swear an oath to you. He’s already committed to guiding me through Ellnesari. If I make a deal with you, he’ll have no choice but to help.”
“No! Goddamnit, wolf boy. Don’t do this to me!” Selor pleads, but I have to ignore him and the guilt swirling in my chest.
I look away from him and stare into King Ruel’s eyes. “Let’s get this over with.”
Twenty
RONAN
ELLNESARI, PRESENT DAY
The room Cheryl is in belongs to Dukie, Phylia’s son. She sent him to the market to fetch some herbs, but I suspect she just wanted the boy out of the house for a while. He’s a talkative youngster, full of energy.
His room is an explosion of colors. Each wall is painted a different shade of blue, and hanging from them are several paintings that I suspect were done by Dukie himself. They have a childlike style. I don’t see any toys, but at the far wall, there’s a workbench with pieces of wood, metal, and gears scattered over the surface, plus one piece that seems to be a work in progress—an apparatus of sorts. I can’t tell what it’s supposed to be.
I pull up a chair and sit next to the bed. Cheryl is sleeping on her belly, one hand tucked underneath her chin. Phylia braided her hair so it wouldn’t get in the way, but loose strands frame her face. She has a small bandage on her cheek, covering the small cut she sustained. It wasn’t deep enough to require stitching, and Phylia said it won’t leave a scar.
I’m relieved the rosiness has returned to Cheryl’s face, and her breathing is even. Her heartbeat is also steady, acontradiction to mine, which is pounding so fast, I can almost hear it out loud.
My chest tightens when I remember I almost lost her again. I’ve faced many dangerous situations throughout my life, but the only times I’ve been scared out of my mind were when Cheryl was in peril. The very thought of her not existing anymore flares into an agony that’s nearly impossible to bear.
I touch her face with my fingertips. She doesn’t flinch, and her breathing doesn’t change. Likely, she won’t wake up for a few more hours. I think about Phylia’s suggestion. Maybe if I say what I feel while she sleeps, I’ll be able to confess it to her when she’s awake.
“You have to stop scaring me like this, Cher. I can’t lose you.” I shake my head, laughing softly in derision. “If you were awake, you’d probably roll your eyes and say I’m full of shit. I suppose I’ve never done anything that would make you think differently.”
Releasing a shaky breath, I rest my elbows on my knees and lean forward, keeping my gaze down. “When you left with Karl all those centuries ago, you took my heart with you. I tried so hard to go on without you near me, and I thought that perhaps, with time, your absence wouldn’t hurt as much, but the ache never went away.” I swallow the sudden lump in my throat. “Then, one by one, we started getting weaker, needing to hibernate, and I worried you might suffer from the same malady, but there was no way to know for sure. All I know is that you were the last thing on my mind before I succumbed to that deep exhaustion, and my very first thought when I woke up again, years later.”
I rub my face, fighting tears. “I woke in a panic, fearing something had happened to you while I slept. Only when I felt your presence in my heart, pulsing, could I relax.
“What I’m trying to say is that I love you. I’ve loved you from our very first meeting, when you hated me, and I never stoppedloving you since. I know you think my heart is torn, but it never was. It has always been you, Cher. Always you.”
I look up and stop breathing when my gaze collides with Cheryl’s emerald-green eyes. Suddenly, it’s like all the air goes out of the room. My palms start sweating, and my pulse goes at a hundred miles per hour.
“You’re awake,” I say like a dumbass.
“Do you really mean everything you said?” she whispers.
I swallow so hard that it’s audible. “Every word.”
Cheryl doesn’t move, doesn’t blink, and her expression remains the same. But I search our bond and discover her emotions are all over the place. I just don’t know if her reaction is positive or not.
