Page 199 of Brutal Knight

Three years of him chasing me across lonely and desolate landscapes.

Always finding me.

Staying true to his word.

Never forcing me to stay.

But every time I left,he chased.

Time that now consisted of tangled sheets, full laughter, and the endless murmuring of conversation into the deep, fathomless nights.

Of becoming more than our past.

No longer the prince and seductress, but rather, anonymous visitors, traveling from country to country, in an endless chase and test of loyalty and trust.

The blue sky brightened, oranges and pinks blazing, slowly turning into deep blues and purples. And then, the stars began to glimmer overhead.

It made me think of the falling star tattoo now coloring the skin of his shoulder. I leaned my head on it, my knees curled up to my chest and he leaned down, kissing my forehead.

A rush of sentimentality swelled in my chest and tears pooled in my eyes.

He'd left hisfamilyfor me.

I'd seen the proof with my own eyes, the text messages between him and Dante and Coulter, updating him of their lives, with pictures of Rose's kids (she had two now), as well as Aster's own adopted ones.

They'd been unable to have their own, but were making do with what they had, loving the little girl they'd adopted with all the love two parents could give her.

And yet, he'd left them,for me.

And now that all the lies and secrets were gone between us, the love left remaining was so strong and emotional, that sometimes I wanted to tear open my chest and show him how my heart beat for him. Let him wrap his fingers around it so that he wouldknowhow much I trusted him.

I was so deeply in love with this man, that I never, ever wanted us to part.

I glanced at him from out of the corner of my eye. He was still the handsome man I'd first met when I was a kid, except now he had newly formed wrinkles around his eyes that spoke of bright laughter--a sound that I hoped I would never, ever forget.

And yet, there was one last secret, one last breath that I was holding on to.

It was time to let it go.

"Knight?"

"Mmm?" He stirred as if he'd been lost in thought, a pinky finger rising to trickle over the skin of my knee. He'd been staring at the slow motion of the windmill off in the distance, turning like sand in an hourglass.

"I have a question, and I need you to answer it honestly."

"Okay."

"If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

He peeked at me, a soft half-smile to his lips. "You don't know?"

I bit down on my own smile, feigning innocence. "No." I needed to hear it from him.

Again.

Always.

"It doesn't matter where on this earth I am. All I need is you, by my side."

---