Page 55 of Urban Gladiator

“A year, maybe longer. But I could return every year to the point of entry into the barrier. I won’t need to be inside to do the spell. I could do it from the outside.”

Rowan chewed over my response. “Then that’s how we’ll do it.”

“And your father?”

“Will be confronted over the way he started the war. It’s time I challenge him for the throne.” He sounded so resolute, so sure of himself. But then, he had confidence in spades from the moment we met. But I never expected he would do this. Challenge his father for the throne. And I would never know if he was successful or not.

“You believe me?” Because I hadn’t expected him to.

“Yes, without question. I trust you, Ember. You have no reason to lie to me when you're leaving Avalon.” He made it sound so simple.

No, I didn’t have cause to lie. But my heart ached because we’d just found each other. Trailing my fingers over his handsome face, I swallowed the lump in my throat at the wealth of meaning in his eyes. It was all there. “You know what I wish?”

He pulled me closer so there wasn’t an inch of space between us. His hands caressed my back, leaving a trail of shivery pleasure in their wake. “No. What?”

“That we’d met earlier, before I was sacrificed by the coven. And that we had more time.”

A pained expression flashed across his face. And then, with a ragged sigh, he lowered his forehead to mine. “We still have a few days left.”

“But it’s not enough.”

A lopsided smile formed. “No, it’s not. You’d make an excellent queen.”

“I don’t want to leave. I—”

His fingers pressed against my lips. “Don’t say it, or I won’t ever be able to let you go. I feel it too.”

Tears slipped down my cheeks. Because I’d fallen for him. It went beyond the mating connection and the sex. It was elemental. Two halves forming a whole. Rowan wasn’t just my mate; he was the man I was destined to give my heart to forever.

Oh Maiden, Mother, Crone, why? Why can’t I keep him? Why couldn’t I stay and spend my life loving this man?

But I knew the answer. If I stayed, it would tear the kingdom apart. Rowan would already have his hands full when he overthrew his father and changed the gladiator tournaments. Having a witch as his queen would start a war.

He kissed my cheeks, catching my tears with his tongue, before swooping down and claiming my lips. And his kiss was rife with meaning that was layers deep.

Because he was telling me he loved me.

And I could do no less. I poured my heart into my kiss, needing him to feel it, feel me. I used every part of my being as I kissed him. Body, heart, soul, and magic. Every facet of my being infused was in my touch.

Our lovemaking was different from the previous storms. Because our joining to this point had been quests of ecstasy and dominance. We’d fucked like a mated pair in the purest sense of the word. But this, here and now, wasn’t merely sex.

We worshipped each other’s bodies. There wasn’t a part of Rowan I didn’t caress or kiss or both as we rolled around the bed. My magic twined around us. With my touch, I vowed there would never be another. And I felt the same promise in his touch.

Rowan rolled us until I was on my back. He wedged himself between my thighs. Not that it took any convincing on my part. I welcomed him with open arms.

And when he slipped inside, connecting us as he threaded our fingers together, my heart broke. But it didn’t stop me from giving him every part of me, broken pieces and all. Not a day would pass when I wouldn’t think of him, of this time we shared, and remember that for a short slice of time, he was mine and I was his, fully, without reservation, as close as two people could get.

It wasn’t enough. It never would be enough. We would live our lives apart, with this hole inside us, knowing our soulmate was out of our reach. And that’s what Rowan was, my soulmate. What I felt for him went beyond love.

My heart would be devoted to him until the end of my days.

I ached in ways I never thought possible. Because giving him up would be the hardest thing I had ever done. Even harder than when I offered myself up as sacrifice.

Because at least with that, I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

But when it came to Rowan, I knew exactly what I was giving up. I knew what I would be missing. I tried to hold on and make our lovemaking last. But my body had other ideas.

Rowan followed me over, burying his face against my neck. And I wished his wolf would take the decision out of my hands.

---