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“I don’t have much choice in the matter. But whatever you decide, I trust you.”
He looked me over for a moment.
“And what will you do once we find the Eros and go home?” he asked.
I shrugged. “We might die in the process and then I won’t have to worry about it.”
“I’m serious.”
“As am I.”
Silence took over for a moment. He reached out and took my hand in his, his touch warm and inviting. Chills ran up my arm as he turned to face me, his eyes determined.
“You know I’ll protect you,” he said. “Whatever happens on the other side of that star, I won’t leave you.”
I gave him a warm smile. “I have no doubts.”
He chewed on his bottom lip, seeming to build up the courage to say something else. I waited.
“You said you loved the sea. And sailing. That you hadn’t tired of it. Is that still true?”
“Well…yes, it is.”
“Is it safe to assume that you haven’t grown sick of us yet either? I mean, despite the circumstances?”
“You mean, despite the fact that I was kidnapped?” I gave an ironic smile. “To be honest, this is the most comfortable I’ve felt since my mother passed.”
He stepped in closer, still holding my hand in his. His eyes searched mine, and I could only look back, entranced by their glow in the moonlight.
“I want you to stay with us, Esmeralda,” he whispered. He swallowed. “With me.”
My lips parted in surprise, no sound coming from them even though I tried.
“Stay with me,” he pleaded. “I’ll take care of you. You have my word.”
I finally found my voice. “What are you saying? Why are you suddenly—”
“I’m in love with you.”
I heard the words, but they struggled to process. As I searched my mind for how to respond, Henrik took both my hands in his and looked at me with such sincerity that I lost my thoughts a second time.
“I tried to ignore it,” Henrik continued, stroking my knuckles with his thumb, “but it feels impossible to keep to myself anymore. Not when we’re this close to the unknown. Not when death could find us at any moment. I’m obsessed with you, Esmeralda. I have the ability to read the stars and tell the future, but it means nothing to me if you aren’t in it.”
His confession was so passionate and overwhelming that I had to take a step back.
“Henrik,” I breathed out, “I absolutely adore you, but this is a lot for me to take in… I’m not sure what answer I can give you.”
“Say you’ll stay with me.”
He gently pulled me back toward him, leaning down to meet his lips to mine. Before they touched, I put a hand on his shoulder, stepping away as my heart pounded, sank, and clenched all at the same time.
“I’m sorry, I can’t. It wouldn’t be an honest answer,” I replied, a hand on my chest to calm my heart. “My father has probably already announced my engagement. If I go back on it now, then his reputation will be—”
“What’s more important then?” Henrik asked, voice on edge. “Your father’s reputation or your happiness?”
“How can I be happy with my family in ruins?”
“Are you saying I would stain your family name?”
