Page 35 of Broken Bonds

He squeezes my hands and rubs his thumbs along my knuckles as he stares down at them. It takes him a moment to get the words out and I wait silently, not wishing to push him or deter him from telling me the truth in any way.

A long last, he says, “I was afraid…that if I broke the bond between us, you wouldn’t care about me anymore at all.”

I gape at him. “What?”

He nods, peeking up at me. “It’s silly, I know. And selfish, but…I couldn’t shake the feeling that the bond was the only thing holding you to me, and while I want you with me, and I want that very badly, Samantha, I want you with me willingly. Not because some strange instinct within you compels you to be.”

I stare at him, completely caught off guard by his confession. It sounds very much like he telling me he has feelings for me. I’m almost too afraid to hope, but now I have to know for certain.

“What are you saying exactly, Aleixo?” I murmur. “You…you care about me?”

He holds my gaze and his tone is firm when he answers, “I don’t just care for you, Samantha. I love you. I love you with all my heart, and I can say with certainty that it has nothing to do with the bond. Nothing is driving me toward these feelings but you.”

I’m speechless. Completely and utterly speechless. I can only stare at him as my mind whirls, trying to catch up with everything he’s just said. In the span of less than twenty-four hours we’ve gone from a fragile friendship to lust, anger, hatred and now love. He loves me. This strange, beautiful, brilliant man loves me…all of me.

“But…but earlier…when you accused me of such terrible things…”

“I’m sorry,” he firmly replies. “I’m so sorry. I was caught off guard and upset. Vulnerable still, I think. I should never have said those things to you. I know you better than that, and I know you wouldn’t have done anything to try and use me.”

Here come the tears again. “Really? You believe me?”

He nods. “I do. I never should have doubted you.”

This is like a dream. I’m actually not sure if it’s real, it’s all too amazing. He holds my hands to his lips and kisses my fingers.

“I love you, Samantha,” he tells me again with clear conviction in his voice. “You are everything I could have ever hoped for in a mate, and it’s only made better by the fact that I know what I feel for you is real. I have no doubts, and I want to spend my life with you, whatever that looks like.”

I stare at him for several long moments, speechless. He holds my gaze, never wavering in his confession, and finally, I’m able to find my voice and give him a response.

“I love you too.”

His face lights up with biggest smile I’ve ever seen on him. “Really? You do?”

I nod. “Yes, yes, I love you. I think I’ve loved you for some time now.”

“Before you learned that I was a phoenix?”

“Yes,” I assure him. “Well before then.”

He looks relieved, and then overjoyed again. Pushing to his full height, he urges me out off the stool and then tugs me into his arms. His mouth descends on mine in an eager kiss that I’m all too happy to respond to. I wrap my arms around his neck and push up onto my tiptoes so that I can press my whole body against his.

There’s magic in this kiss. I can feel it. I can taste it. This is us making our own bond. One that is our choice fully and completely. It’s more than instinct…it’s love.

As we kiss and laugh and hold each other in this perfect moment, we both know that the future won’t be easy. We’re from two different worlds, after all. However, making our way through it will be more than worth it in the end, because we’ll be with each other.

And there’s no better fate I would rather meet.

Epilogue

Aleixo

Being back among people after being fairly isolated for so long is rather jarring. I gaze out the passenger side window of Samantha’s car and watch as the buildings of her hometown zip by us, as well as all the people out enjoying the warm, sunny day. It’s just a small town thirty minutes outside of Boston, but it’s almost too stimulating for me. If we were in a city right now, I’d probably lose my mind.

I turn my gaze from the window and stare down at my hands, needing just a moment to calm my racing heart and nerves. Samantha reaches over and intertwines her fingers with mine, giving them a reassuring squeeze.

“It’ll be okay,” she tells me with a soft smile. “Once you get used to everything again, you’ll feel right at home.”

I return her smile with a tentative one of my own. “So long as I’m with you, I’m always home.”

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