Page 110 of The Beast King's Bride

“I’m putting your lives in danger,” I murmur. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“Don’t say that,” Jassin says, turning to me. “He needs you. You have given him hope. I thought he was going to give up, and then he brought you here and he has been… different.”

“You’ve not been listening to me, Jassin. I’m not the cure. He brought me here for nothing.”

“You don’t know that. And as for putting us in danger… We have been in danger all along, Ash. Don’t run away, too, like everyone else.”

“That’s not what I want, I…” I rub at my forehead in frustration. “Not what I meant. Look, I’ll sit with him. Go and organize the guards or whatever it is you have to do to keep the palace and the kingdom running.”

“I’m just a manservant.”

“Very funny, Jassin. You’re his right hand, his advisor. You know what has to be done, so go do it while I make sure he stays alive.”

“You have given him hope.”

Is Jassin right?

I told him I’m not the cure, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up. We haven’t even received any visit from the sages, apart from the White Sage who turned out to be a prick.

Even if he helped heal Talen, for which I’m grateful.

We need to up our efforts, maybe go visit the sages ourselves, dig deeper, find out anything there is to find…

We.

I let that little word fill my head, my heart, as I sit on the bed beside him and reach for one of his hands. I stroke the scars on his knuckles, on his long fingers—the fingers that gripped the sword to defend me, that turned into claws to keep the dragon away from me, that pleasured me, that held me.

So I sit and guard his sleep, a sword I borrowed from one of the guards laid beside me. There are many guards outside the door but if these monsters leap out of shadows, then I’ll be ready to defend him. Foolish, perhaps, to think I can keep him safe, but I’ll do my best.

It’s a strange feeling, this need to protect him, even if it costs me, causes me injury, causes me pain. I can’t bear the thought of anything happening to him, of his life spark snuffed out, his bright presence extinguished from the world.

This is what love is, I think. Wanting to give everything to keep the other person breathing, living, smiling, laughing. Getting in front of one another to fight back danger even if the odds seem against you.

It’s scary. And also wonderful. It fills me with wonder. He fills me with wonder, everything about him, from his scarred fingers to his powerful body, his handsome face, the honorable thoughts, the kind heart beating in his chest.

His concern for me. His selfless sacrifices to keep me well and happy.

So I will guard his sleep and watch over his mending body, thereby mending my own heart.

He doesn’t wake up until late that evening. I’ve fallen asleep in a chair by the bed, my head resting on my arms that I have folded on the mattress, on top of the silken coverlets and quilts. I feel a gentle caress on my hair and I sigh, my dream of monsters rising from dark waters and detaching themselves from walls fading into meadows of lilac flowers and gentle streams.

“Sweetheart,” he says and I lift my head, blinking away the blossoms and streams and pink skies to find him gazing at me, the dark blue of his eyes peeking under long dark lashes, that generous mouth tilted in a faint smile. There is something like amusement in his gaze but also wonder. “Ash… You’re okay. I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“Talen.” I open my mouth to say more but words fail me. He’s awake. He’s going to be all right. I choke on the relief welling up in me.

“Come here.” He opens his arms and I climb onto the bed to curl against him, mindful of his wounds, sighing when those strong arms close around me, his wild scent mingling with the coppery tang of blood as he hugs me to his side. “I remember the dragon coming after you,” he whispers against my hair, “and I thought… I thought…” His deep voice cracks, the crack echoing in my chest, his despair seeping into me, meeting mine—my own terrible fear that I’d lost him. “Why didn’t you run like I told you?”

I shake my head against his shoulder. “At first, I lost my nerve,” I admit. “And then I couldn’t leave you there alone to fight the dragon.” I lift a hand to his forehead, feeling for a fever, but his skin is cool to the touch. He’s all right and I settle back into his embrace. “I’d never abandon you.”

“I’m a Fae king. I have magic.”

“Which you spent at the river this morning.”

“You could have died…”

“So could you. I’d always stay by your side. Always have your back.”

“My heart…” he breathes but says nothing more for a long while. Enveloped in his warmth, his strength, his scent, his affection, I grow lax and sleepy, my lids heavy. All my worry for him, all the fear, it crashes over me with the weight of a building, pressing me into the mattress, into his arms. “The curse is coming for us.”

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