Page 73 of The Stolen Kingdom

How could she have been so stupid…How could Arwin do such a thing? And for what? To keep Maris away?

“So, it wasn’t you who made the final blow?”

“If I did or didn’t… The injury I inflicted would’ve killed him, eventually.” Valda’s voice quivered, ashamed of what she had said, but as she had released her breath and anxiety, Maris turned her back on her and went back to the horse. “What are you doing?”

“I am leaving. I can’t stay here with you!” Maris said, her hands desperately grabbing hold of the reins.

“Maris, wait!” Valda took two broad steps, grabbed her by the elbow, and pulled her away from the animal.

This time when Maris tried to push her away, Valda dodged the swing of the trident, grabbing the shaft and pulling it away from Maris’s grasp before tossing it to the ground. Crouching low, Maris slammed the heel of her foot against her knees. Valda crashed to the ground just as Maris moved to grab the trident. With a flick of her wrist, Valda commanded the wind, making Maris cover her face, trying to protect it from the sand.

Valda grabbed Maris from behind and held her arms tightly. She covered the smaller woman with her body and pulled her to a sitting position on the sand.

“Maris! Stop!”

Maris slammed her head back and hit Valda’s nose, but Valda’s grip did not yield even when her nose bled.

“Listen to me!”

Maris struggled for seconds more before letting out a loud huff and leaning forward and away from Valda’s body.

“I am sorry! I am sorry I killed him! I am sorry I didn’t have the guts or the strength to stop myself… to stop Arwin. I am sorry that it was because of me that your life went to shit, and I swear if I could turn back time, I wouldn’t have done what I did. From all the wonderful things you’ve said about him, your father was a great man, and he didn’t deserve to die in such a way. Your mother didn’t deserve to lose her mate the way she did, and you did not deserve to lose your family.”

Slowly, Maris’s struggling subsided, and all that remained was her soft sobbing.

“I know it doesn’t matter what I say, it won’t bring him or your mother back, but Maris, believe me when I say I will do everything to make it up to you in this lifetime. And if it is still not enough, I will try to do so in my next life, then the next, and the next.”

Maris trembled in her arms as a sob racked through her. Ever so slowly, Maris leaned back to rest her back against Valda’s chest. Valda placed her large hand against her stomach, pressing their bodies as close as she could.

Squeezing Valda’s forearm, Maris shuddered a breath and said, “My father was a good man. He gave himself fully to his family, to me. His death was the downfall of everything I held dear… I was left with nothing!”

Valda nodded, her other hand released Maris’s wrist. “I know, Seashell. You did not deserve that pain.”

“I didn’t and yet, every night I wished for the one responsible for my suffering to perish the most horrible death possible. Every time I woke up from the nightmare of seeing my mother’s body swinging from the ceiling of her room, I prayed to the gods for my chance to find the person who did this to my family. I never would’ve thought it would be you that made all of this happen. I was so angry, Valda. So resentful toward you… and yet, I never could’ve brought myself to hate you.”

Valda sighed against the back of Maris’s head and closed her eyes tightly, trying her hardest to stop tears from forming.

“I did try to block you out, to stop the bond and go about my day as numb as I possibly could… but whenever I felt you, I relished knowing you were alive… and then came the evenings.”

Maris’s walls crumbled, dissolving into nothingness until all that remained was the aching need to be close. Valda didn’t dare to do anything more than hold the Sealian as tightly as she would allow her.

“I always looked forward to dreaming of you. Even if at the beginning we screamed at each other and fought. I didn’t care because you were there with me one way or the other at the end of it all. I could touch you. I could kiss you. I could have you and you could have me.” Maris sobbed again, her arms relaxing under Valda’s hold. Valda cradled the younger woman in her arms. “It was torture to wake up each morning to find my bed empty. I felt myself crack each time I opened my eyes, and you were not there next to me. And when I was pulled out of my dreams. I—” Maris shuddered. “I always wanted you with me.”

“I am sorry…”

“I am sorry for letting my anger dictate my actions.”

“You were blinded by rage. I was blinded by trust.”

Maris swallowed hard and pressed her face to the crook of Valda’s neck, her hand finding the dirty blouse. Clutching the soft fabric, Maris inhaled sharply before letting out a ragged sob. “I have missed you every second of every hour of every day.”

Valda shuddered in a breath and cradled the back of Maris’s neck, tilting her face enough to look down at her tear-filled eyes. “I was going insane not knowing about you. Whenever I got a sliver of you, I clutched to it as if my life depended on it. Holding you now…” Valda sighed and pressed her nose to Maris’s head. “I can’t believe I am touching you.”

Her grip tightened, not scared that she might crush Maris to her chest. She needed to feel Maris and engrave the feeling of her body on her skin. It had been too long, long enough to make the memory of Maris’s skin fade. She would rather die than forget that.

“I will make it up to you, Seashell. I will not rest until I have your forgiveness.”

Maris stirred against her enough to tilt her head and looked at Valda’s glassy eyes. “I don’t think I can— I mean, I need time.”

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