Page 65 of Covert Desires

“You have a whole world waiting for you back home, Nico. You’re either ending up in the ground, in prison, or on a throne—where does that leave me?”

“On the throne, right beside me, as my Queen,” he says without missing a beat, smiling like a fool.

“I’m no Queen, Nico. I’m an unwanted child turned assassin nearly twice your age.” I sigh, shaking my shirt to try and force a breeze onto my sweaty skin.

“Despite your terrible math, you’re perfect. You know you’re only 16 years older than me, right?”

I laugh, shaking my head. “I’ve literally nearly stabbed you to death, held you hostage for weeks, caged your cock against your will, put a bomb collar around your neck…and you think I’mperfect?”

Nico nods, that stupid grin not going anywhere. “Yup. Perfect…for me.”

“But why?”

Nico takes a deep breath, figuring out the words in his head first before finally laying his soul bare, “Because you see me, Kiah, the real me, and you still care. You could’ve just let me die, but you nursed me back to health when I didn’t deserve it. You trained me and punished me and calmed the chaos in my mind in a way that made the world feel okay for the first time in a very, very long time. Through it all, you somehow manage to channel all my fucked-up energy into something useful—all while looking like a fucking Goddess. A bad-ass Goddess who fights like the Devil.” He takes a step closer, the space between us disappearing, “I don’t want you by my side, Kiah, Ineedyou by my side. I meant what I said—I can’t do this without you.”

I stare at him in silence, letting the words sink in.

Surely, confessions like these are meant for other people only, not for me?

I’m hardly the girl next door—quite the opposite. I usually get death threats, not declarations of affection.

Yet, despite my instinctive skepticism, I know he’s being sincere.

Nico’s eyes do not lie, and right now, his entire expression is that of a star-crossed lover serenading his sweetheart.

That look of utter devotion on his face is my entire undoing. It's a primal need, etched onto his forehead like a permanent marker—undeniable, raw. Nobody has ever looked at me like that, like I’m their entire world.

That look is the only thing I trust in this fucked up world.

It’s stirred a part of me that’s been dormant too long, a part of me I’ve been too stubborn to admit I miss.

“Oh, Nico,” I finally say, unable to find the words to adequately respond to a confession so grand.

But I don’t need words to know how much his declaration has affected me, how badly I want Nico to be mine.

If he leaves, I know I’ll lose this version of me—who I am when I’m with him—forever.

“Come with me and rule by my side, Kiah. We’ll be unstoppable.” He takes my hands and brings them to his lips, pressing them to his warm skin in a soft kiss.

He’s certain enough for both of us, and it’s hard to doubt.

“You drive a hard bargain, kid.” I smile.

“It’s because I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“What about all my stuff, the inn?” I feel my resolve slowly melt under Nico’s imploring gaze.

“My family has more money than anyone knows what to do with. Sorting out those things will simply be a matter of logistics. We can ship whatever you want over. I’m sure we can find someone to run the inn if you want to keep it, or sell it, if you don’t.”

“It will be cold in the city,” I say, quickly running out of rational answers.

Nico smiles, like actually smiles, not just that sneer of his. “Don’t you miss the cold? It’s weird having it be this sweaty over Christmas.”

“Nico…I’m broken.” My final excuse…the sharpest arrow in my chest, the one that’s really holding me back.

“So am I. But you didn’t mind, why should I mind?”

I look around nervously. “We’re running out of time; you have to go.”

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