I reached out and grabbed his hand. His fingers curled around mine.
“So I tried to restart your heart.”
“With magic?”
He shook his head. “Magic can’t bring back a passed soul. I pounded your chest and breathed air into your lungs in that dungeon and screamed for help…”
“And it worked?” My head was fuzzy, the events still whirling around, begging to be placed in order.
“It took longer than I thought. I’ve never—” He took a shuddering breath. “I’ve never manually restarted someone’s heart before. And I had almost given up when you gasped for breath andyour eyes fluttered open.” His hand trembled in mine. “But your body was so weak… I knew I didn’t have long before…”
“You brought me back.”
He stared past me, as though caught in memory. “I didn’t know what to do, so I put you in a restorative sleep.”
“Like with Asha.”
He nodded. “So your thread could find its way back and respool. And I’ve been watching your recovery closely. If you had woken up, your heart would have failed again without the magic needed to sustain it. I put you in a sleep so deep that I… I was scared you would never wake up again.”
I leaned my head back against the headboard. I eyed his mussed hair, the normally-pristine clothes that looked as if they hadn’t been changed in weeks. If he’d been monitoring me, managing my recovery, he would be drained of magic himself.
“You saved me.”
He shifted in his seat. “I, well, you saved me as well. It’s only fair.”
I took a deep breath at his words, questions still pressing on my mind. “And is that why you saved me?”
“No, well.” He adjusted his glasses with his free hand. “That was part of it. But not all of it.”
My stomach fluttered.
“When I was a frog, you said some things no one has ever said to me. Things I never expected a girl like you to tell me.”
“A girl like me?” I lifted a brow.
His eyes widened. “No, not like that. Not…”
“I’m teasing,” I said. “I know you don’t mean it that way. At least, now I know it. I... I read the last letter you sent me.”
His cheeks reddened. “I meant that letter.” He cleared his throat. “And I just want to know… did you mean what you said? When I was a frog?”
My own cheeks grew warm as memories of my final words came flooding back.I love you, flaws and all. And a whole lot more.
“I did,” I said.
His brows furrowed, awe flickering across his face. He moved his hand to my cheek. “You love me?” he asked, his voice hoarse. “You cannot—I didn’t think—”
“Oh Thomas,” I said, interrupting his thoughts. I flung my arms around him, pulling him close. I pressed my head to his chest, his heartbeat wild in his ribcage, mirroring my own as he leaned over me on the bed.
When I finally pulled back, his eyes scanned mine.
“What is it?” I whispered.
“You’re more beautiful every time I see you.”
My face broke into a grin. “I suppose there’s a benefit to being honest about one’s feelings.”
I bit my lip, and his eyes caught the movement. My heart skipped a beat as he leaned forward again, one hand tipping my chin up so I looked directly into his face. His warm breath tickled my skin.
