“And I will guard it with my life,” he whispers.
I believe him, wholly and completely. “If you’re to be with me, you should know me—all of me.”
“It would be my honor.” He kisses both of my cheeks.
I kiss his lips in reply, and he holds me tighter. For a heartbeat, the world is still, and quiet, andgood.For tonight, we will indulge in a singular dream that everything can be right and normal. That we can simply be two people in love.
Chapter 74
I wake up in his arms. The morning is slow. Cold. Golden sunlight streams through the cracks in the curtains. We went to bed without saying a word to anyone else, too encased within our own bubble.
It’s strange to wake up with Kaelis in a room so plain. As though we’re a normal couple. A smile cracks my lips. Nothing about Kaelis and me could ever be “normal.”
As I shift, Kaelis tightens his arm around me, keeping my back pressed against his chest. His breath is slow and warm against the nape of my neck.
“Good morning, darling.” His voice is thick with sleep, and the added depth stirs something within me. I shift, fighting arousal. It’s far too early for that, especially after the hours we spent muffling our moans to little more than heavy breathing last night.
Instead, I focus on “Darling?”
“Dearest, then?”
“Dearest?” I twist to face him.
Kaelis barely cracks open an eye. “I’ll try on every term ofendearment until I find one that fits. Or perhaps I’ll just rotate to whatever suits me, or you, in the moment.”
“And what suits me best in this moment?”
A lazy smile widens across his cheeks. “Kitten.”
I choke on a laugh. “You’re joking.”
“Absolutely not.”
I cannot believe he says it with a straight face. I fight laughter and fail, and he quickly spirals as well. We both curl in on each other, laughing until our ribs hurt.
Finally, I compose myself to let out a breath and shake my head. “I’m going to find breakfast. I think I smell bread.”
“Bread is winning out over lying naked in bed with me?”
“Bread wins out over most things.” I sit. “Besides, I am starving from the exertion of last night.”
“I can satiate you.” He takes my hand with a grin.
“While you are immensely satisfying, you cannot help me in this way.”
Kaelis falls back dramatically and brings his forearm to his forehead, as though fainting. The covers barely offer modesty, and his naked form looks like some kind of artist’s study in figure. “You wound me, kitten.”
“Don’t push your luck with the nicknames.” I pull away from the warmth of the bed, feeling his eyes follow me as I wrap a simple dress around myself and layer a heavy coat on top of it.
“Luck is on your side, after all.” With a yawn, he rolls over, settling to doze once more.
Still smiling, I slide on my slippers and make my way downstairs, expecting to find Ren at the stove. But I’m surprised that it’s Arina working two eggs in a skillet, with two thick cuts of bread toasting nearby. She hums to herself, unaware of my approach. Scars still line her forearms and neck, as they always will. But they don’t seem to carry the same weight they once did.
“Fresh eggs? What a luxury,” I say, coming up to the counter.
She startles but then greets me with a smile and a thoughtful hum. “And the bread didn’t even require picking off moldy bits.”
“Look how far we’ve come.” I sink my chin into my palm.
