Page 120 of Kingdom of Chains

His gaze fell to them, and then he brought his mouth to hers, kissing her softly for a long time. He wanted to memorise the taste and feel of her lips. Only when he felt his control slipping did he break the kiss and drop his forehead to hers. They remained that way until their breathing returned to normal.

‘I need to ask you something,’ he said.

She drew back, waiting.

‘If there was a way I could be here, would you want that?’

Her eyes moved between his. ‘More than anything.’

‘Good.’ He nodded slowly, his mind working. ‘I need to return to Chadora to settle some things, and then I’m coming back.’

She stared at him, visibly confused. ‘Why?’

‘Are you really asking me that?’

‘For how long?’

‘Until you tell me to leave.’

‘What if I never tell you to leave?’

He looked in the direction of the house. ‘Then I’ll have plenty of time to fix that roof.’

She stepped back from him. ‘If this is a joke, it is not funny.’

‘It’s not a joke.’

Clearly she was struggling to process what he was saying. ‘You cannot leave Chadora. What about Tatum, Alveye, and Hadewaye?’

‘They’ll be fine without me.’

‘And will you be fine without them?’

He sighed. ‘If you don’t want me to return—’

‘Of course I want you to return, but I do not want you to regret it later. If all of this had not happened, you would not even be here. You would have continued to move forwards with your life and forgotten all about me.’

He waited for her to fall silent. ‘Are you finished?’

‘For now.’

Margery circled overhead. Isabel raised an arm so she could land. The eagle got comfortable, as though waiting to hear his response.

‘There’s no moving on from you,’ Blackmane said. ‘Trust me, I’ve tried.’

She studied him for the longest time before asking, ‘Would you like to pet her?’

‘The bird?’

‘No, Ita.’ She laughed. ‘Yes, the bird.’

He reached out to stroke her feathers. She did not move away or attempt to slice his face open, so he took that as a good sign.

‘She is an excellent judge of character,’ Isabel said, looking up at him. ‘Go do whatever you need to. We will be here waiting for you when you get back, defender.’

‘Stay out of trouble until I get here.’

Her lips turned up. ‘I make no promises.’

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