It’s all too much.
The stars have ripped us asunder, wedged worlds and years and other people between us, and yet here we sit, embracing each other.
Resisting this bond from afar has been torture. Now that I’m in his arms once more—now that he is holding onto me as tightly as I cling to him—I know I’m about to do the one thing I swore I wouldn’t.
Senan’s hand slips to the back of my head, those eyes I’ve dreamed of for so long searching mine. “Allette?”
Hearing the way his lips caress each syllable shatters my resolve, and I give in, letting my mouth claim what will never truly be mine.
For too long I’ve been dead inside, but his kiss brings me life. The way his tongue tangles with mine is so much better than in my memories. Because this…this isreal.
His possessive hands lost in my hair.Real. The heat of our bodies molding as I climb onto my mate’s lap and my knees fall to either side of his trim hips.Real.
He isn’t yours.
He tastes like mine. Feels like mine.
You can’t keep him.
I want to. Stars, do I want to.
“We can’t,” I protest, even as my tongue searches for his, stroking and tasting.
Senan’s fingertips dig into my scalp, his lips punishing yet reverent, claiming me once more. “We can.”
“You’re betrothed.”
“I’ve been betrothed since I turned ten,” he whispers, his harsh breaths matching my own.
That may be true, but this isn’t like the first time we were together. I’ve seen him with his princess. Recognized the adoration shining in her eyes and the love in her perfect smile.
Senan deserves someone like her. Someone better. Someone whole.
For that reason alone, I find the strength to pull back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t come here for this.”
Senan’s hands fall to his sides. That is when I see the blood coating his swollen knuckles and remember…
“You sent my friend to the pit.”
His mirthless chuckle puffs against my cheek. He falls onto his back, giving me a glorious view of his taut abdomen peeking from beneath the hem of his shirt. “Fucking brilliant. You’re only here because you need my help.” Sighing wearily, he drags his palm over his face. “I should’ve known this was too good to be true.”
“Senan, please. If you want to punish someone, punish me. I’m the one who kept my presence a secret from you. Me. No one else. Jeston has done nothing wrong.”
His jaw flexes beneath his stubble. “He hit me.”
“You hit him first.”
“Because he touched what is mine!”
Rage and regret collide in my chest, sparking a fire I haven’t felt in years. Yes, Jeston caught my hand. But Senan kissedher. Heldher. Is marryingher.
“And I saw youkissher!”
Senan jerks back as if I’d struck him, his eyes growing more guarded with each blink. The starlight dancing beneath his skin flickers, becoming fainter. It’s like watching a star burn out and die.
“What you saw was a lie,” he says softly as his tattooed hand glides over his chest, his breaths coming quicker than before. “When I kiss her, I have to pretend she is you. Every moment I am forced to spend with that woman, I can feel myself fracturing. And when I try to put these broken pieces back together, none of them fit.
“If I’d never met you, maybe I would’ve been able to accept this fate. But I did meet you, Allette. I met you, and now your memory haunts the very air I breathe.” His throat bobs when he swallows. Still holding my gaze, he says, “I may have kissed her, but I love you.”