“Are you sure that is what you want?”
This answer was easy to give. “Yes, I am sure.”
Gerard leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against hers. And then his lips brushed her cheek and he whispered in her ear. “Be safe.”
Elea should have told him to be careful, but no words would come. Her emotions were too strong. He was walking away from her. She might never see him again and her tattered soul was breaking.
She stepped forward and took his hand, bringing the cut palm to her lips and kissing it as tears rolled down her cheeks. “Promise me that you’ll come back. Swear it on your soul.”
A smile twitched at his lips and then light filled his entire countenance as he gave her a true grin. “Is my word good enough, or do you need a blood oath?”
Elea threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. This time leaving nothing back. She gave her whole body, heart, and soul to this kiss. Gerard responded in kind, and their lips moved together in perfect motion. Her whole body tingled with hope.
Unfettered joy.
The kiss ended all too soon.
Like all perfect moments do.
Only to be a memory.
Gerard placed both of his hands on her face and gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs. “I will come back to you. I swear it on my soul.”
Her heart was full as he stepped away from her. More tears fell from her eyes as she watched him leave the room. She followed behind him as he made his way through the keep. When he reached the drawbridge of the castle, he glanced over his shoulder at her one last time. She made the sign of the trigon.
40
MATTEO
Matteo marveled at how light the celestial armor was. It weighed less than a few pounds, yet the material was as solid as any he’d ever held. He carefully placed each piece on Nora and buckled the latches. He wouldn’t mind trying out the sword. It was the most exquisite weapon he’d ever laid eyes on. The hilt to tip looked perfectly weighted. And the shield was a masterpiece of artistry. He would have expected Nora to be exultant wearing such armor, but her mood was lower than when they crossed the Dark Channel.
He pulled the last leather string tight and then looked her in the eye. “I’ve never seen you scared before.”
A shiver of fear swept through her whole body. “I used to think I was invincible, Matteo. And now, I know that I am not.”
Matteo put a gentle finger on her neck and caressed the scab there. She had taken off the bandages this morning. “I will be at your back. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She took her hand in his and kissed it softly. “But what if something happens to you? I couldn’t live without you. Besides, you’re a king of another country. You shouldn’t even be here. This isn’t your fight.”
“I should always be where you are,” he said, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Besides, we both know that my little sister, Isabel, would make an incredible queen.”
“This is no time to jest. I’m being serious.”
Matteo kissed her neck, underneath her ear. “I am being serious, my love. I have looked death in the face several times in the last few weeks, and every time I knew that battle could be my last. But I took comfort and found courage in knowing that I was fighting for you. And that if the worst should happen today, or tomorrow, or any numbers of days or years, I would not choose to be anywhere else but by your side.”
Nora pressed her lips hard against his. “I don’t deserve you.”
“You deserve every good thing,” he whispered against her lips. “And this new poem I wrote only for you.”
Nora smiled widely, her white teeth showing. Her smiles were as rare as rain in the desert and he loved every single one of them. “Very well, then. I will suffer through your recitation.”
My love is like a sharp, sharp knife
That slices flesh asunder.
Your love is like a bayonet,
Piercing my heart with wonder.