Page 30 of Bound By Shadows

“So am I.”

My heart sinks at her words. A knot forms in my stomach, tightening with each passing second. She’s still going to leave. It didn’t matter that I chose her over vengeance. It didn’t matter that I bared my soul.

Awkwardly, I begin to fumble for words. “I—I’ll take you to see the elders. Those who might help you find a way back to your world. We can set out at first light. If you’d prefer to travel alone, I understand.”

I swallow hard. The thought of her leaving makes my chest ache.

Elara steps closer, closing the distance between us. Gently, she cups my cheeks with her hands. Lifting onto her tiptoes, she presses her lips against mine. The kiss is tender, filled with a sweetness that catches me off guard.

She pulls back just enough to look into my eyes. “You still don’t get it, do you?” she whispers, a hint of amusement dancing in her pale green eyes. “I love you, Ronan. You’re my home now.”

“Elara…” I breathe her name like this breath is my last.

“I’m not going anywhere without you.”

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close as my lips find hers, pouring all the words I can’t seem to say into that single kiss.

I help Elara mount before moving to swing up behind her, but she shakes her head with a playful grin.

“No,” she says, sliding back to make room in the saddle. “You lead. I’ll be right here.”

Elara wraps her arms around my waist and rests her cheek against my back. “Thank you,” she whispers after a while, her voice barely audible over the rhythmic hoofbeats.

“For what?” I ask, guiding Sabre onto the road that will lead us away from the shadows of the Kingdom of Pentacles and toward the Kingdom of Swords.

“For choosing us.”

I place my hand over hers. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

She hugs me tighter, the steady beat of her heart thrumming against my back.

The horizon ahead is tinged with the first indigo and violet splashes of dawn, the promise of a new day, a new path forward, a new life. The past remains where it belongs, and the future stretches out before us.