Page 85 of The Sacrificial Heart
Kade chuckled, wrapping one arm around Florian’s shoulders as they walked. “Well, I’m glad I could help.”
They walked through the meandering path, Florian pointing out where he’d placed the different plants Kade had brought him, and Kade admiring the statues that Florian had sculpted with his magic. Ultimately, they ended up in the center of the garden where the four paths met, marked by the now running fountain. A marble bench stood across from it, and they sat there to look out on the rest of the garden. Florian leaned his head against Kade’s shoulder, warmth blooming in his chest as they sat quietly. These were the moments he lived for, the ones that made it all worth it.
“How are you holding up?” Kade asked quietly, snaking one arm around Florian’s waist. Florian sighed, leaning closer to the wolf shifter. Most of the time he was okay now, but there were still some days where even just getting out of bed felt impossible, or days when he felt like the walls were closing in and would pace restlessly along the perimeter of the Summer Court as far as he could go.
There had been a few times he’d tried to push past it. He’d discovered it was his eye—the blue one from Soleil—that couldn’t pass beyond the border of the Summer Court. The first time, he’d just taken a small step past the edge of the ruined city, and pain exploded in his eye socket, so intense that at first he thought maybe it had ripped his eye out. The next time he’d laid on his back and scooted down slowly until he felt the pressure just touch his eyeball, so everything below his eyes was beyond the border of the city.
That was the farthest he would ever go, he’d realized when he was laying there. He stayed there for hours, then trudged back to the castle and didn’t get out of bed for a day or more.
But that had been almost three years ago. Now enough time had passed that he’d truly come to terms with everything. If he kept himself occupied, he never felt too down; even on his worst days, he bounced back again eventually.
He managed a smile, realizing Kade was looking at him with some concern.
“I’ve been good,” he finally replied. “Really. I’ve had plenty to keep me busy, and Elodie and the other witches keep me company. And everyone who moved into the city is pretty nice too. So I’ve been feeling fine. I miss you, and everyone else, but I...”
He trailed off, unsure of how to put into words the resolute acceptance that he felt when he thought about what the rest of his life here would be like. It wasn’t exactly a warm, happy feeling, but it wasn’t sad anymore, not really. It was just... the way things were, and he knew he could adapt.
“Now that Bowen’s in the wolf kingdom again for a while, I should be able to visit more often,” Kade offered. “It’s hard to get away without him. Amka and my mom have been helping a lot, but I hate to leave them alone for long. Bowen is getting a lot better about things, so now he’s back from this trip...”
Florian shook his head. “I know. I understand. It’s okay. I’m just happy for the time we do have, and we can still talk every day. So that’s enough for me.”
Kade’s expression became pained. “I wish I could give you more, though. I wish things weren’t justenough.”
“I know,” Florian said, and leaned closer to him. “But it’s okay. I’m okay. It’s not everything, but it’s still good, you know?”
Kade was quiet for a long moment, long enough that Florian pulled away so he could look up at him. The other man’stangerine eyes met his, but there was a conflict behind his expression that made Florian’s heart squeeze.
“Hey,” he said, reaching up to cup Kade’s face in his hands. “You don’t need to worry about me. I know things aren’t what we planned. But I have you. I have everything I need right here. It’s different, but it’s still a good life, you know? I’m alive. That’s what you kept saying in the beginning. We saved the world, and I’malive, and that’s enough.”
Kade’s expression broke into a smile. “Yeah. You’re right. Thatisenough.”
Florian tugged his face closer and leaned forward, kissing him deeply. His face was a little scratchy with stubble, but his lips were soft and warm against his own.
“I love you,” Kade said softly when they parted, eyes still closed. Florian smiled and pressed a softer kiss to his lips again.
“I love you too,” he replied.
“And I’ll always come back,” Kade continued, opening his eyes to meet Florian’s gaze, his expression earnest. “No matter how long we have to be apart, I’ll always come back.”
“I know,” Florian said. “I know you will. And that’s enough for me, Kade. As long as we can still be together, then I’m happy.”
Kade’s gaze softened. “You’ll always have me.”
Florian grinned. “I know,” he said, turning so he could lean against Kade again and look up at the stars. Kade wrapped his arm around Florian’s waist again, and they sat there looking up into the night sky and out across the garden for a long while. Finally, when Florian yawned against the sleep making his eyes heavy, Kade chuckled and pulled him to his feet.
“C’mon, let’s get some rest,” he said softly, interlacing their fingers. He grinned, then added, “We still have a big day tomorrow.”
Florian’s smile widened, thinking about everything he wanted to do with August and Nadia while they were here. That wasmore than he had ever dreamed. Despite everything, he still had so much to be thankful for.
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Let’s go.”
He took one last look up at the night sky, filled with the same stars and glowing moon that had shone down on them in the Winter Court, in the wolf kingdom, and now the entire Veil. Then he squeezed Kade’s hand, and together they walked back up into the castle of the Summer Court.
