Page 96 of The Crown of the Dark Prince
I had something new to fear now, though.
Maybe my being here was causing more chaos in their lives than my presence was worth.
“You think leaving would fix this?” His voice cracked, the words landing heavier than I’d expected.
“You’re talking about starting a war, Clay. People will get hurt. People we love could die. You said yourself you’re not ready to fight that war, and I don’t want to be the reason you lose your kingdom.”
My voice cracked, and he stood instantly, moving to my side before kneeling in front of me and taking my hands in his. Silently, he reached up and brushed aside the tear that rolled down my cheek before tucking my hair behind my ear and running his finger down the length of the strand.
“Youaremy kingdom.” His hands traveled down my forearms until they held my waist. The future King of Athenia, descended from Zion, bowed before me with an expression filled with such adoration it made me only want to cry harder. “War will always come with casualties. I know that better than most, Thea, but everything that means anything to me is right here in this room. I would burn my own kingdom to nothing but embers if it meant I could protect you and have you with me. I’m not afraid of war. I’m afraid of losing you.”
“Our bloodlines-”
“It’sjust blood, Thea. It only holds power over you if you let it.”
“I don’t know how it can’t,” I confessed. “You’d be a King from House Zion, and I…”
My voice trailed off, not willing to give sound to what we both had already realized to be the truth.
“And what if we weren’t?”
My brows pinched together in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
He looked away, battling some internal frustration. “I’m tired of always having to think like a king, especially when that means we can’t just be honest with each other about what this is between us.”
I shivered. “So, be honest with me, Clay.”
“You want honesty?” He leveled his eyes on mine. “I’m terrified I’ll never measure up to what you deserve, but I’ll never forgive myself for letting this kingdom’s expectations stop me from trying.”
He stood and pulled me up, stepping closer as his hands brushed my hair over my shoulders and cradled my face. “Tomorrow, I will lead a rebellion that will make history, and when I have finished and I sit on the Athenian throne, I want you to be the woman sitting next to me.”
It was a pretty vision, us together, treated as equals and free to simply be with each other and live as we wanted with no ridiculous rules or arranged marriages keeping us apart.
It felt impossible, it always had.
But Clay was right.
What he was about to do could change everything that this kingdom deemed possible.
“That’s what I want,” he whispered, his fingers warm around the back of my neck. “Last year I told you that you didn’t know what you wanted, that you never had.”
I laughed through my tears, recalling the moment he’d shouted those words at me and stormed off, each syllable feeling like a stinging blow against my skin. “I recall.”
He lifted my chin, forcing me to meet the eyes that glowed golden with emotion. “So now it’s your turn to be honest. Do you know what you want now?”
Thick emotion filled every part of me, making me both hot with passion and frozen with fear all at once. It was all I could do to simply nod up at him.
“Then tell me,” he demanded, his voice dropping. “Tell me what you want.”
Words felt impossible. My throat felt too clogged with emotion for any words to pry themselves free, even if they were swimming in a frantic swarm in my head. There were so many things to say, so many things I finally wanted to allow myself to tell him. I wanted to admit that I’d realized something important.
The problem between us had never been that Clay wouldn’t choose me over his duty. He already had time and time again. The problem was that I had been unwilling to let go of the role that had been forced upon me, because giving it up meant I’d have to truly accept who andwhatI was.
With him, though, holding me like this in the privacy of my home, maybe I finally felt safe enough to accept it all.
When I met his eyes and saw him gazing down at me with such unguarded vulnerability, I wasn’t able to stop myself from simply pushing forward and pressing my lips against his, allowing my body to provide my answer. I poured every ounce of doubt and longing into the kiss. And for the first time all day, everything else fell away.
When I kissed him, it wasn’t just an answer - it was a choice. To trust him with all of me, even the parts I was still afraid to face.
