Page 77 of King Foretold
“Oh gods. Are you okay? What’s wrong?” He raises himself on his forearm and reaches out a hand to wipe away my tears. “What can I do? Sunny, please don’t cry.”
“Ethan . . .” I sob.
“Yes, baby. What is it?” His voice breaks. “Tell me what to do.”
“I love you.” Then I wail, falling apart and not caring. “I love you so much.”
Ethan’s lips part on a rush of breath, and his face becomes a blank mask, so completely devoid of expression that he looks lifeless. He slowly backs away and rises to his feet. I sit up and tug his outer robe free from under me to hold it against my breasts. I heave sharp, stuttering breaths, trying to stem the tide of tears.
He picks up his discarded pants and pulls them on, one leg at a time. I watch his quiet and careful movements, not knowing what to think. No, I don’tletmyself think. I hold myself still and wait. He straightens to his full height, but his eyes are unfocused, and he stares at the wall of the cave like he’s confused why there are no answers written on it. When he stays that way for endless minutes, I can’t hold my fear at bay any longer.
“Ethan?” I sound small and scared, like a lost child.
His eyelids flutter, then he glances down at me. At first, I’m not sure he even recognizes me, then he sucks in a gasping breath like he’s surfacing from an airless place. When his eyes finally focus on me, it takes all my strength not to look away from the intensity of his gaze. I see relief and fear, joy and sorrow, greed and reverence. Above all, I see love, pure and endless.
“Thank the fucking gods.” His voice breaks. “But if you love me ... Why, Sunny?”
“Because the prophecy says—” I begin.
“I willneverhurt you,” he interjects.
“I know you don’twantto hurt me.” I clutch the robe tighter against my chest and take a halting breath. “But we don’t know what lies ahead.”
Ethan’s lips press into a hard, straight line.
“If you have to kill me ...” I hold up a hand when he opens his mouth to protest. “If you have to kill me, I thought it would hurt you less if you didn’t know I loved you too.”
“If I kill you”—crouching down in front of me, he takes his robe from my hands and wraps it tenderly around me—“there would be nomeleft to hurt.”
“Ethan.” I gasp, my eyes widening with horror. “D ... don’t you dare ...”
“I won’t forsake all those who sacrificed their lives for me,” he says grimly. “But don’t you see? I would be dead inside. Without you, there is no me.”
What can I say to that? I understand too well what he means. It would be the same for me. I’m done trying to figure out how to make him hurt less. If the prophecy comes true, nothing can do that. I can only offer him the truthnow, before our destiny catches up with us.
“I love you.” I hold his gaze and whisper, “Now and forever. From this life to the next.”
Fresh tears slide down my cheeks, and he jumps into action. He sits cross-legged on the ground and pulls me onto his lap. Tucking my head under his chin, he rocks us back and forth without saying a word.
His calm strength seeps into me, and my tears finally quiet. But I let him hold me awhile longer because I know he needs it as much as I do. This is our moment—the moment we becameus. We are whole and complete, together at last. Nothing has ever been morerightthan us.
Is this what it feels like to accept your destiny? It’s like all the puzzle pieces are falling into place, smooth and easy. None of it is forced. Everything fits perfectly. And I see the whole picture with crystal clarity. I tilt my head to meet his eyes and cup his beloved face.
“I love you, Ethan.”
“I love you, Sunny.”
No matter what happens, I am his, and he is mine. It is a fundamental truth, written in stone. Our love is eternal. Nothing can ever change that.
Chapter Twenty
When I step outside the cave, the sky is still blue, the trees are still tall, and the ground still lies beneath my feet. Buteverythinghas changed in the span of hours. Ethan is mine, and I am his. I laugh and strut around in my hanbok, but I stop with a wince. I’m sore in an odd but not unpleasant way, which makes me grin harder. Pleasant or not, it seems I’m in no condition for smug strutting. Because ofsex.
I might’ve dissolved into obnoxious giggles if Jihun hadn’t walked out of the woods at that exact moment. But all thoughts of laughter evaporate when I don’t see the gamas at his side. I pick up my voluminous skirt and run toward him.
“What happened?” I grab his sleeve. “You couldn’t get the gamas?”
“Have some faith.” His lips quirk as he gently loosens my grip. My stomach drops when he hangs on to my hand a second too long.Gods, I don’t want to hurt him.“I glamoured them and hid them in the woods. They would be too conspicuous out in the alcove.”
