Chapter 59
KAIDEN
Ahand rested across my chest as I stirred awake.
Naturally, I assumed it to be Morrigan’s hand.
So, you can imagine my surprise as I reached to grab it, only to be met with callused skin and fingers twice the length of hers.
My eyes opened instantly, and I grabbed their wrist, wrenching them from my skin.
When Dez released a loud yelp of pain, I turned my fury toward him.
“Why are you touching me?” I seethed.
“I was asleep!” he yelled back, rubbing his skin that I had roughly grabbed. “I’ve never met someone who’s such a dick after a good fuck. I don’t know how Morrigan puts up with you.”
I rolled off onto my side, and groaned when I realized that I was still naked.
Had we all fallen asleep? Where was Morrigan?
Grabbing my clothes from the chair nearby, I quickly threw them on, not bothering to slip into my shoes as I speed walked out of the room.
As much as I enjoyed what we did, that was the last thing I wanted to happen the second Morrigan came back.
I had too much to say, too much to apologize for, and I just… I needed to talk to Morrigan.
She wasn’t with Lyra or Eowyn when I passed them in the halls, and they advised me to check the gardens. But as I reached the receiving hall, I paused when I saw him standing and talking with Eris.
Naturally, my body felt cold as I watched him, the territorial side of me wanting to ring his neck for what happened to Morrigan—for his mere existence in the first place.
But then, Eris chuckled at something that he said, and I watched him scratch the corner of his mouth as if to hide it.
Something about the interaction made an unwelcomed feeling sink into my chest, taking over the anger that had been there before.
Guilt.
I found Morrigan sitting on a few decorative stones in the garden.
She had changed into a shirt and pants, that I was sure had come from Lyra, and she just looked…
different. It wasn’t the bright blue eyes that now shone with white, iridescent power.
It was something in the way she held herself that hadn’t been there before.
She watched the young boy that the lycan had brought back as he picked several flowers across the field.
I could stare at her for hours. Just sit down in the grass and watch this new version of her, filled with such a confident glow. I would almost have assumed she was a different person entirely.
But as she sensed my presence and turned, smiling when she saw me, I knew it was my Morrigan behind that bright, white line circling her irises.
I walked to her, sitting down on a stone beside her, and followed her line of sight to the boy. “Can I ask?”
Her happy smile faltered a little, turning bittersweet.
“In the tunnels, Cain had a lot of people with gifts like his as prisoners. He made Azrael…” Her eyes glazed over for a moment, recalling something that she seemed to bury.
“Cain made him do pretty horrible things. He was blindfolded for most of his time down there. He had never even felt the sun. Never knew what snow looked like.”
Her shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath as she seemed to center herself. I couldn’t help but watch her. The way her lashes slowly absorbed the tears that glossed her eyes. The way her teeth dug into her bottom lip in a nervous tick.
“When Harley and I devised a plan for me to escape, I knew I couldn’t leave without him—” She gasped suddenly, and her hand gripped my bicep. “My— Harley. Is he—”
“He’s okay,” I assured her, and her entire body relaxed in relief. “He still needs some rest. Give him one more day, and I’ll bring him by tomorrow.”
With a nod, she continued her story. “I was able to convince Cain to let him have dinner with us—he knew I was fond of Azrael. In return, I made him a deal… I had to play a part.” Her throat bobbed and I could see how uncomfortable she was.
“I fed from Cain, and the second I had enough strength, I snapped that asshole’s neck and snatched Azrael before running.
Finding that gate was by pure coincidence. ”
I was absolutely captivated by her strength and courage. “You could have died,” I whispered to her, not to discredit what she had done, but to remind her of just how brave she had been.
“I was prepared to,” she answered with unwavering conviction.
Azrael ran across the field, stopping in front of Morrigan and showcasing the flowers he had picked; their stems were tied together with a string in a small bouquet. When he noticed me sitting beside her, his excitement fizzled slightly as nerves seemed to creep along his eyes.
He feels different now, I noticed instantly. All of that dark power I immediately sensed when I first met him was… gone.
“The princess used to let me put these on the table,” he said quietly, turning his attention to me. “I was hoping I could—”
“I’m sure Dez will like that.” I tried to sound less intimidating, but the awkward nod that he gave told me it didn’t quite work.
When he ran off, Morrigan sighed, leaning back and tilting her head to the sky as she basked in the sun’s warmth.
Why isn’t she saying anything? The last time we truly spoke to each other, I was a complete bastard to her.
And here she was, smiling with her eyes closed like she couldn’t have a care in the world.
All the while, my heart threatened to completely burst out of my chest.
When several seconds of silence passed, I turned toward her and opened my mouth. “Morrigan—”
“I planned to tell you, you know,” she immediately interrupted.
“Tell me what?”
“That night, when Cain took me from the village, I was going to come home and tell you I loved you. That I wanted to be with you—truly be with you. I also planned to tell you how I felt about Dez as well. I had hoped you would understand. That you would find a way to accept what I felt. Because the idea of losing you, well, that just wasn’t on the table for me. ”
I had to physically slow my breathing, waiting for some kind of twist in her words where she would tell me how stupid I was. Where she would turn to me and yell in my face—remind me of the asshole that I was… The asshole I am.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and I almost reeled back in confusion.
“I tried so hard to fight it, Kaiden. I didn’t know who he was to you at first. I didn’t know he was your…
” She turned to me with glassy eyes that made the light in her irises shimmer.
“When I found out, I thought you were going to hate me. I thought I would lose you forever, and I swear I almost made myself sick—”
“Little dove.” I interrupted her, lightly plucking a curl dangling in front of her eyes and pushing it behind her ear.
“I could never hate you. I can be angry, and I might say things that I don’t necessarily mean, but my love belongs to you, Morrigan.
You can’t help what the stars had planned for you, and the rest of us will just need to figure out how to navigate through the part we share in your story. ”
The look she gave me was so soft, I wanted to reach out and feel it for myself.
“I heard everything you said to me. All of your promises, Kaiden.” Her hand slid over mine and she looked down at it, pinching her brows together in a tight line. “I should have been more understanding, too. I shouldn’t have freaked out like that. I think I was just—”
“Scared,” I answered for her. When she smiled, her eyes rose back up to mine.
I didn’t need to hear her thoughts to read them on her face. I loved that about her—how clearly she wore her emotions on the outside. Or maybe it was just me that saw them every time.
“I should have told you,” I admitted, gripping her fingers tightly. “Morrigan, I… It’s going to take time, but I meant everything I said to you. I love you. I don’t ever want to see you crying again knowing that I was the reason for it. I want to be the man that you deserve for me to be.”
She placed her other hand on my cheek, and she inched her face closer, brushing her nose against mine. “I want you. All of you, Kaiden.”
“You have me, little dove.” I brought my fingers to her chin, tilting her head until I could feel her breath on my lips.
“Till death?” she teased, smiling up at me.
“Not even he will stop me from loving you.”