Page 47 of Heir of Broken Souls

“Does your head feel as if it’s going to explode from all the new information?”

He barks out a short, humorless laugh. “I fear I lost all my senses the moment Elysia began to unravel part of the prophecy.”

After a tense moment of silence, Knox turns to me, his eyes full of awe and wonder. “There is so much we need to discuss…but all I can keep picturing is you.” His fingers trail down my cheeks in a soft caress. “You were magnificent. I’ve never seen such a beautiful sight.”

My cheeks flame at his soft words and tender touches.

“Do you know what happened to me?” I lower my eyes. “You still haven’t gone into my mind… Are you afraid of what you might find?”

Knox’s callused hands slide up my cheeks and hold me there, forcing my gaze to lock on his. The heat in his eyes makes my breath catch.

“Nothing you could ever do would frighten me.” He considers my question. “I’m curious about your transformation, and I still don’t know exactly what it means, but no, nothing about it frightens me.” A coy smile spreads across his lips. “In fact, just the opposite. You’re the only safe place in this world. You are my home, Delilah, and nothing will change that.”

My heart pounds furiously, beating wildly to the rhythm of a four-letter word I haven’t dared to utter. Out of fear that once I do, he will be taken from me. Losing Knox would be like losing myself, and I would not be able to survive the loss.

And I tell him as much.

Trailing my fingers across his lips, where mine so desperately want to be, I whisper, “I couldn’t imagine existing without you now that I have met you.” I brush my fingers higher into his soft raven-black hair. “You are the center of my universe, Knox. Everything revolves around you, and so long as I have you, I feel as if everything will be okay.”

“That’s interesting,” he drawls slowly.

“Why is that?”

“Because I can’t help but think that if you perished my world would stop turning. I would simply cease to exist because wherever you go, I go.” He leans forward and captures my lips in a tantalizing kiss. “As one, Angel,” he whispers against them.

My heart skips a beat. “As one.”

“Can I see it now?”

A coy smile dances across my lips. “Oh, you’re ready now?” I pull back, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Only took me declaring how deeply I feel for you, I suppose.”

He rolls his eyes. “Don’t play cute.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I shrug. “You tell me I’m cute all the time.”

He chuckles darkly and grazes his canines down my neck. “Now look at who’s procrastinating.”

I would have moaned if it weren’t for his words. There’s no greater sensation than opening yourself to one of your greatest vulnerabilities. Knox could pierce those fangs into my neck and end my life, but there isn’t another soul I would ever allow this close.

“Since when could you not talk and walk?” I tease. “I’m waiting.”

And I always will for Knox.

Standing before my mind’s door my heart pinches as Knox steps out of his mind and takes steady strides across the bridge. Despite his soul appearing dimmer than usual, the flower beds dotting the bridge, the ones we planted with our love, are still intact.

Because despite our world crumbling around us,weare steady. The calm flow of the river below the bridge is a testament to that.

Knox reaches me in under ten steps and wraps his arms around my waist. He might not be afraid of what now lies within my mind, but that doesn’t mean I’m not trembling out of fear. He doesn’t know what he’s stepping into.

Are you ready, Angel?

I should be asking you.

His face lights up with a dazzling smile.I’ll always be ready for you.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, I lower my forehead to his chest and soak up the warmth of his skin, the calm steady beats of his heart, and open the door.

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