Page 136 of Song of the Heart Scale
“I’m not joking,” he said. “I’ve lived long enough. Centuries more stretch ahead of me, but she only has one life. I want to spend it with her, and when it ends, I want to die with her.”
My eyes filled with tears. “You don’t have to do this.”
He turned to me. “Yes, I do. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that time without meaning is no time at all. You gave my life meaning.”
I shook my head. “I won’t let you sacrifice yourself.”
Determination shone in his eyes. “It’s not a sacrifice. It’s a choice. One I’m finally free to make.”
Garrick looked between us, the levity gone from his face. “This kind of binding isn’t easy. Nor is it reversible.”
“I know.”
“Are you sure, Your Highness?” Garrick said, looking at me for confirmation.
“No he’s not!” I shouted. “And Garrick doesn’t do anything without something in return. Since you won’t be here to pay him back, he won’t be able—”
“My uncle will guarantee him a place on the council,” Damien said quickly. “How does that sound, Garrick? You no longer need to carry the name ‘Garrick the Betrayer’.”
Garrick’s one eye widened. “That…” He looked at me as if this was one deal he couldn’t pass up.
I sighed and realized there was nothing I could do at this point. If Damien was this determined, then he would make it happen regardless of what I said. “Fine,” I muttered.
Garrick exhaled and nodded. “Then let’s do it.”
I buried my face in my mate’s chest. Damien wrapped his arms around me, grounding me as much as himself.
Royal Prince Bai looked away, misty-eyed.
For once, there were no thrones, wars, or titles.
Just love.
And the choice to live it fully, no matter how long—or short—that life might be.
Thunder crackedlike a war drum above us, echoing across the valley in rolling booms that shook the sky. Rain pelted down in heavy sheets, soaking my cloak and turning the dirt road beneath our boots to thick sludge. Still, we pressed on. Damien’s hand was warm and steady in mine as we climbed the rocky ridge that overlooked the River Elara.
The river churned violently under the storm’s assault, a silver serpent slicing through the valley with wild, frothing teeth. Lightning illuminated the landscape in strobe-like flashes, casting the jagged cliffs and dripping trees in stark relief. The air was thick with the scent of wet stone and pine, and the hiss of rain over water drowned out nearly all other sounds. Nearly.
I could still hear my galloping heartbeat.
Damien’s cloak flared behind him as we came to a stop at the river’s edge, where the current thrashed just inches from our toes. This place—the mouth of the River Elara—was said to be ancient, older than even the first dragons. And hidden within its depths, as I had learned from Malachar, was the portal that tethered this world to mine.
Earth.
Los Angeles.
“Are you sure?” I asked, my voice barely audible over the storm.
Damien’s obsidian eyes met mine, steady and searching, and he nodded. “There’s nothing left for me here. Not without you.” He reached up and brushed a wet strand of hair from my face. “We go together.”
We stood there for a moment, caught in the eye of everything we were leaving behind. Elaria, filled with all its scars, shadows, and magic. His past, his pain. The war-torn remnants of a realm we helped save.
I took a deep breath. The storm filled my lungs with cold, clean air that felt almost like a baptism. “Ready?”
He grinned that lopsided smile I had memorized. “After you, my love.”
Hand in hand, we stepped forward. The cold water rushed around our ankles, biting through leather and skin like knives. Each step into the river was a battle. The current pulled at us and tried to drag us under, but Damien held me upright, his grip unyielding. The deeper we went, the stronger the pull became, as though the portal itself sensed our presence and sought to claim us.
