Page 156 of The Kingdom's Reckoning
He took a deep breath. "I never wanted…I didn’t want to become one of them."
She slipped her hand over his shoulder. "You’renotone of them, Laurince."
"But…" His throat dipped, his brows furrowing. "Look at me. Look at what I’ve become."
"I am looking, and all I see is a kind, courageous man who would do whatever it took to protect those he cares for and those who cannot protect themselves. The wings do not change that." She slid her hand up to the back of his neck and gently squeezed, beckoning him to face her.
Laurince stared back at her as if searching for the lie hidden within her words. But he wouldn’t find any lies. Myra meant what she said. Now, he only needed to believe it, too.
"They do not changeyou," she said.
He nodded, but it would take him time to believe it.
"Do you feel different?" she asked.
He looked down at his hands. "I…I don’t know. Everything feelsmorenow."
"More?"
He nodded. "Yes, like the light is brighter than normal. Sounds are louder, like a thunderstorm in my ears. Everything is too much. It’s as if my senses are overloaded, going insane at every sound, every sight."
He grew silent, and Myra drew circles on the back of his head with her thumb, unsure how to support him but wanting him to know he could talk to her.
He squeezed his eyes shut at the movement and breathed out, "Every touch is—" He swallowed hard.
Myra immediately stilled her hand. "I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you." She quickly dropped her hand, but Laurince caught it before it could fall to her side.
He shook his head. "No, you misunderstand me." When he looked at her, there were so many emotions flitting about his irises that she struggled to comprehend them all. "Your touch…it’s the one thing that doesn’t hurt."
A blush rose to her cheeks. "Oh."
Smiling softly, he brought her hand up to his cheek and leaned his head into her palm. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being here, for being you. I remember only bits and pieces of yesterday. I think the pain was too great, but…" He brushed the tips of his knuckles across her cheek. "I remember you, being there. Staying."
Myra looked up at him. He spoke with such earnestness that the cracks within her heart, the emptiness that she had felt for so long, felt a little less.
"I’ll always stay if you ask me to."
Chapter 61
KALLIE
Kallie yawnedand shifted on the bed. She pressed her hands into the sheets?—
Her eyes flew open as her fingers dug into the sand. Above, a cloudless blue sky greeted her. She pressed her palms against the soft ground, the grains of sand shifting from her weight. With her head spinning, she sat up. This time, she ignored the pile of rocks and turned toward the trees lining the springs, already knowing who waited for her.
Terin strolled toward her, his jaw set and steps heavy. The bags under his eyes were impossibly heavier than the last time she saw him, and his tanned skin was slightly green.
Something was wrong.
"Is Da?—"
"We’re on our way," Terin interrupted, words clipped.
"What?" Kallie sputtered as she stood. "On your way where? What happened?"
