Chapter 45
Chapter Forty-Five
Isat up, as best I could, to look at him.
I watched as his eyes fluttered open. I saw the beauty of the golden color that I had missed, reborn before my eyes.
Did it work? It seemed too good to be true.
I moved away to see more clearly, and I realized that I hurt everywhere.
My entire body felt like it had been chopped up and stitched back together, but I didn't care.
If Shad was himself again, I will endure pain every single day of my life for him.
“No,” I heard Shad say, and I frowned, wondering why he was saying ‘no’ to me?
He reached a hand up and cupped my face.
“No, I will never let you endure pain, especially not every single day, for me.” He gave me his crooked smile, and I nearly jumped on top of him.
I heard him chuckle as I wrapped my body around him.
He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back.
“Is it really you? Do you really know me?” I cried out into his chest as he stroked my back.
“Yes, darling, you saved me.”
I hugged him tighter, every inch of me was on top of him, my legs meeting his legs; his body and mine fit so perfectly together. I lifted my head to look at him, and I kissed his jaw. “We should probably sit up or move from off of the bed.” He cleared his throat as he tried to sit up.
“Shad, seriously?”
“Emma, you have no idea what you do to me,” he said, stroking my hair.
“Probably the same as what you do to me.” I moved from on top of him to sit beside him. It was him; it was Shad. He was always so proper.
“I highly doubt it,” he said as his lips touched my cheek, the corner of my mouth, and then his lips found mine, and I melted; I melted into him, but as we kissed, I noticed that my melody rushed back into me, the part which I had split and divided to give to Shad was going to leave him and meld with me again.
I quickly pulled away. The look of passion in Shad’s golden eyes wasn't lost on me, but I wouldn't risk losing him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, looking at me with worry and concern. I paused, listening to make sure that he still had his half of our melody.
“If I kiss you too long, my melody will come back to me,” I said, wanting to groan. Yet again, there was something keeping us apart. But he was there, and I was in his arms; that was more than I had dreamed of.
“We will figure it out. This is just a temporary fix, until we can return to Terra and figure out how to restore my melody back to me. Do not worry, darling, you have given us more time, and that is more than I could have ever asked for, Emma. You wonderful, incredible—” He kissed my face, and I giggled as he whispered my name as if it was a prayer.
His new melody, which was half of mine, and my melody, the other half, mingled together, and the pain started to fade away.
“Shad,” I said, leaning into him.
“I can never repay you for what you have done. I didn't even know if it was possible—I should never have asked that of you—but I knew what losing you would do to me, and so I had to find a way to take that pain away—even if it was a long shot.” I put my hand over his lips.
“Shad, you—those beautiful memories you left me, they brought me such hope and such peace.
You knew that I would need you. You were willing to die, I am sure, for me; you were willing to become a soulless and become a memory.
But you didn't think I would be okay with that after all that I have lost, and after all that I have found in you.” I touched his cheek as my tears fell.
“You say I saved you, but by saving you, Shad, I saved myself. I need you.”
“I vow to be yours. I am yours until my last breath and beyond, wherever that takes us.” He kissed my cheek and lingered so close to my lips that I turned, thoughts swirling inside of my brain, wishing I could kiss him again.
Terra was the only place where we could truly restore his melody back to him.
Ryker and Glasson had Cade; they had the crystal.
We had everything we needed. I wasn’t sure what Terra was going to be like, wasn’t sure with all the threats and talk of corruption and war if it was even a safe place to be, but it was our best chance for him—for us, and even if I had never been to Terra before, I couldn’t let anyone destroy it.
We had to go, and we had to save everyone.
“Hearing your thoughts is magic,” Shad mumbled into my skin like a promise of something to come that I desperately wanted—needed.
“Having you back is magic,” I responded, trailing kisses up his perfect jaw and to his cheek. There was a loud thwack at the door, and we both froze and stared at Shad’s locked door. For the first time, I could hear banging and shouts from the other side. How long had they been there?
“Emma, open this door!” I heard Ryker bellow, but I was content where I was, and I didn't need my guardian knight to ruin the happiness bubble I had created with Shad.
“Don’t answer them,” Shad said with his joyful grin, and in another moment, I was laying on my back, and he was above me, his body not touching mine as he braced himself there.
“I won't,” I said breathlessly with a wide smile. Shad leaned into my neck, and his lips trailed pathways between my neck and my jaw, and then to my ear as he kissed me softly, lingering. I thought that I would combust from the thrill of him being there, being himself, and me being with him.
“Emma, what is going on in there?” Ryker shouted again, and I huffed out a breath.
“I guess you should answer him,” Shad said with a chuckle against my throat. “We shouldn't be here alone, at least not for much longer, darling.”
“I've missed your gentlemanly side.”
“I am sorry for how I behaved—”
I cut him off by putting my hand over his mouth.
“I don't want to think about the last few months and how horrible they were, right now.”
I watched his face fall.
“I will be plenty mad at you later for all you put me through, but for now—” I reached up and kissed the corner of his mouth. He let out a soft sound from the back of his throat, and I laughed.
“I will make it up to you,” he whispered. “Even if it takes me everyday for the rest of my life, I will make it up to you.” His beautiful golden eyes locked onto mine, and I let a tear fall.
I was hurt, yes. All I had gone through was awful.
But how could I truly be mad at him when he was a soulless and not himself?
Seeing him with Karen would always hurt me, but I knew that, eventually, it would be just a memory, and hopefully one that I didn’t revisit too often.
I had kissed his brother after all. We had both been through a lot.
He wiped my tears away and frowned a bit.
The gold in his eyes was not as bright as it had been before.
“You don't have to do that. I love you, Shad.”
“I love you, Emma, so much.”
“We still have to save you.”
He caressed my face with his fingertips.
“You have saved me. Do not worry about all that; you have done more than enough.” I pictured Terra in my head, the small peek I had seen from Glasson’s keeper device.
I wanted to see Terra in person. I knew that Terra was where we could be together as our true selves.
You will love Terra, Shad said into my soul–our soul.
Take me there, my soul begged. Speaking to him felt like magic.
“Yes, darling,” he said, pulling me into his arms, his breath heavy, his voice low against my throat as he repeated himself with a soft kiss: “yes.”
Then the door burst open with a loud crash.
The End, for now . . .