Page 180 of The Kingdom of Eternal Ice
“I know, my wolf,” Shayan says, grabbing the back of Orion’s neck and pulling him up into a sitting position. The position makes Shayan bury his dick even deeper in us, making me moan in delight. “You may,” he says.
Orion doesn’t need any more invitation. His teeth elongate and he buries them into Shayan’s neck, marking him as ours. Shayan gasps, rolling his eyes at the intensity of being marked. I push Orion back again, wrapping my arms around Shayan to make sure we don’t drop off the bed.
I can feel him so much more intensely now. For a second, my breath gets caught in my throat. I thought because he couldn’t mark me in return, it wouldn’t be that intense. But fuck, was I wrong.
A shudder goes through Shayan’s body as he comes inside me. Still slightly delirious, he goes back to thrusting his hips upwards while I cling to him, basking in the feeling of being bound to my mate now. One more twist of his hand around my cock, and I come in shudders.
fifty-six
Passing
*ROYAN*
Ifeel like I’m floating. For the longest time, I don’t feel anything. Nothing; no pain, no heartache. Everything is just dull and warm.
When I focus, I can see my mother standing in the distance waving at me. I beam, seeing her. It’s been so many years, and I miss her so much. There was not one day where I didn’t miss her. On the other side, I can see Rona, too. She lowers her head slightly when she sees me. I’m not sure how to feel about that, but somewhere I recall how she saved my life.
It’s such a comforting view.
Only the slight murmur I keep hearing is more comforting.
It’s just so comfortable here. The last hours of my life were so painful. There was nothing but pain, fear, and terror. Betrayal. My heart broke, and my body broke. I don’t want to return to this place anymore. I’m so tired of fighting.
I find myself lying on my back in a green meadow, my mom walks towards me. She sits down and puts my head in her lap. “My poor boy,” she whispers.
“I’m tired,” I sigh.
“I know,” she says. Tears fill her eyes. “What happened to you shouldn’t have been done. So much cruelty.”
“Let me stay,” I whisper. “There is nothing for me back there.”
“Nothing?” she asks sadly.
My mate betrayed me and then died. My mother died. Dad… dad is alive. He will be so lonely, so devastated. I’m his only child. And there are my friends, my comrades, my extended chosen family.
My first attempt at love and happiness failed so badly, though.
“I don’t know,” I cry. “I… it hurts so much. Everything hurts.”
She massages my temples, raising her gaze slightly when there are footsteps approaching. I shift my gaze too, looking at Rona now. I’m not sure what to say, but she beats me to it. “I’m not going to bother you for long," she says quietly. “I just… you were right, I was awful. I wanted to have it all. But I didn’t plan to use you. You were never part of the plan to gain power. When we met, I thought I finally had a chance to be happy. Then, I blew it.” She pauses. “I really fell in love with you.”
“I know,” I say. “In the end, you saved me. Thank you for that last sacrifice.” I’m not sure what else to tell her. Even if she had survived, and I made it back to the living, too, I don’t think I would have ended up with her again. When I died the first time, our bond broke. I still feel sentimental about what we could have had, but everything else has either died with her betrayal, or with my first death.
There are bridges you can’t rebuild. And there are wounds you can’t just heal.
I can’t help but keep wondering: Is that supposed to be it?
Was that really it?
“No,” mom whispers, brushing over my forehead. “There is more.”
I can hear voices around me again, a murmur. Someone is reading something for me… far, far away. Sometimes my skin feels warm from someone touching me.
This here–I turn to look at my surroundings, noticing how Rona gets more and more distant–this isn’t it. “I loved you, too, Rona,” I say. “Rest well.”
She nods with a sad smile, but looks relieved. Then, she is gone completely. Mom kisses my forehead.
“Watch out for your father, will you?” She smiles. “Until next time. May it be long in the future.”
