Page 70 of Captured By the Monsters
“That’s it!” I exclaimed in exasperation, mostly for the dramatic flair. “I’m never telling you that I love you again!”
“I’m sorry!” she wheezed, still chortling. “I swear I’m not making fun of your words. It’s just that…I never expected you to be the first to say it. Sylan, yes. Axton, maybe. You? Never.”
Even though I know she didn’t mean to, her words wounded me. I supposed that was my own fault for being so standoffish in the beginning, but Sera was the most special person in the whole world to me now. Feeling guarded, I pondered how to respond without sounding like a lovesick fool, or worse, insincere.
“I…don’t like talking about feelings,” I whispered. “I’m sorry I gave you the impression that I didn’t like you at first. You and the others are the most important people in my life.”
Her cheeks tinted with a beautiful blush as she smiled softly and walked up to lay her hands on my abdomen. Tilting her head back to look up at me, she admitted, “I know that you care for me, Rowen. I feel it. I just never expected you to admit it so soon. It surprised me, that’s all, and it actually does make me feel better.”
“Better? Why’s that?” I wondered, confused. I wasn’t sure how it could make her feel better after she had just stared at me like her brain malfunctioned.
She nibbled on her bottom lip gently before taking a deep breath and exhaling. “Because now I don’t feel so silly for admitting that I’m falling in love with all of you.”
Her words sent a thrill through my body. Even though she hadn’t said the exact words back, Sera still said that she had similar feelings. With time, she would love me as I loved her—could I ask for anything more?
“You never have to feel silly for telling us how you feel,” Sylan reminded her, and I just shook my head.
Sera and I were too alike to ever feel one-hundred percent comfortable in airing our true feelings. It took rash decisions like I had made to spill what we were holding in. Perhaps, with time, this is something we would overcome, but for now, our relationship was still too new. We were charting unknown waters together.
