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Bennick pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Then we’ll stay.”
She twisted in his arms, putting her back to the stone railing. His hands moved to her waist, and her palms settled against his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart. “Do you ever worry about the future?” she asked.
“No.”
Surprise lit through her. “You don’t?”
He shook his head, though his crystal blue eyes remained fixed on hers. “No. Because no matter what happens, I know what lies ahead.” His fingers flexed against her sides, fingertips pressing against her lower back. “You’remy future, Clare.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Her throat was suddenly tight. But warring with elation was reality. “How can I be your future when my life belongs to Newlan?”
“You don’t belong to him,” Bennick said at once, his voice edged.
“I swore oaths to him.” When his mouth opened, she hurried to continue. “I’m not the only one who swore oaths, Bennick.”
Intensity sharpened his gaze. “I know.”
Her chest tightened. “I love you. You know I do. But the future . . . I can’t even see it right now. You almost died at the border—I thought youhaddied. All my brothers are dead, and I feel like death is coming for me, too. And—”
Bennick ducked his head and captured her lips, drawing her into a kiss that made her fingers curl into his uniform and her stomach flutter. He stole her breath and her fears, giving her love and assurance. The kiss was everything she ever needed, because it was his.
When he finally eased back, her cheeks were warm and they both breathed shallowly.
His voice was low and a little rough as he said, “There will always be uncertainty. But I love you, Clare. More than anything.” His eyes sharpened. “I’m going to desert.”
Shock blasted through her. “But—you can’t.”
“I’ve given this a lot of thought, and I’ve made my decision.”
“Your career . . .”
He shook his head. “Inconsequential.” His voice gentled. “We won’t be able to return home, and I’m sorry for that. But once Serene is safely married, I’ll tell her we’re both cutting ties with Devendra. If you want, I can ask if Desfan will hire me, and we can remain in Duvan. Or we can go anywhere you want. Newlan won’t be able to stop us.”
Her mind reeled. She didn’t know what stunned her more—his words, or how methodically he had planned things. He wasn’t speaking on a whim. He’d thought this through.
Her heart cracked. “Your mother . . .”
His voice was soft, and tinged with a resigned sort of pain. “I know. I can ask her to join us, wherever we settle, but she’ll probably refuse. Even if she was well enough to travel, I don’t think she’d ever leave my father.”
Her heart burned. “Bennick, I can’t ask you to give up your entire life for me.”
“You’re not asking. And I’m not giving up anything. Not really. Not compared to what you’ll be giving me.”
She stared as he drew back a step, his hands catching hers as he sank to his knees before her. His thumbs slid over her knuckles, and her chest swelled as he peered up at her. “I have made many oaths in my life, but none is as important as the one I now give to you. Every drop of blood I possess, every beat of my heart, is yours. For you, I renounce all other oaths. No king can command me. No kingdom can hold me. I am yours. Completely.”
Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to cry. She wanted nothing to cloud her vision of him in this moment. The sunlight danced in his sand-colored hair, and his blue eyes had never looked so bright.
His throat flexed as he swallowed. “Clare Ellington, will you marry me?”
Her breath hitched. Those tears she’d been fighting were unstoppable, now.
“It may not happen today or tomorrow,” he continued, “but Clare . . . please be my wife.”
Emotion strangled her throat, rendering speech impossible. She couldn’t tell him how much she loved him, or how much she wanted him to be her husband. But that was all right—she would have the rest of their lives to tell him. Because for the first time since becoming Serene’s decoy, Clare felt like she had a future. And it was with Bennick Markam.
“Yes,” she finally managed, her voice wavering with tears. “Yes.”
He stared up at her, a grin breaking across his face. “Thank the fates,” he breathed.
