Crown of Feathers (Book 2 of the Crown Trilogy)

Twenty-Two

"I came back for you," I say again, my thumb brushing Kyron's bottom lip. "No matter how hard I fight it, the truth remains. My heart belongs to you. It will repair itself over and over again if that's what it takes, because you are worth infinite heartbreaks, Kyron LeFur."

His throat bobs as he swallows and his eyes grow wide, like he's afraid if he blinks, I'll disappear. He believed this moment would define my feelings for him and break us. I've toed the line of love and hate, wanting so desperately to cross it, but I could never abandon my love for him. Kyron sold his soul to the woman responsible for his darkest nightmares to buy my happiness. His love for me is limitless and mine for him desires to be its match.

He circles his fingers around my wrists and kisses each of my palms. "I won't break your heart again."

"I know you won't, and it is one of the many reasons I love you."

His breath hitches, and he whispers, "You love me?"

I lower my head, bringing my lips closer to his. "Yes."

"Say it again."

"I love you, Kyron."

He grips my nape and closes the short distance between our lips. The soft give of his mouth, the gentle strokes of his tongue, the steady rumbling in his chest, the scent of his skin—I breathe him in. After an eternity of shallow breaths, fresh, healing air fills my lungs. It is a spring breeze infused with blossoming flowers, awakening my soul and carrying away my fears. I wrap myself in the air...in Kyron and hand over my hemorrhaging heart to the promise of a safe place to mend and begin anew.

"I love you," he whispers against my lips as his hands move to my robe's sash. With a tug, it loosens, and he glides the fabric from my shoulders. His touch travels up my spin, and his mouth moves along my neck. My eyes flutter shut as I savor the reverent way his lips move across my collarbone, like he wants to memorize every single inch of me with his lips.

Kyron's tongue leaves a wet trail on my skin, and I ache for more. My hips roll over his, and I moan when the hard length of him press to my center. Grasping the back of his neck, I rock against him harder.

Every kiss, every nip of his teeth sets me on fire, and all I want is to let it consume me. But Kyron rests his palm to my lower back, slowing the friction between us.

"Don't rush it; we have all night," he says, his mouth moving across my shoulder. He lowers the straps of my nightgown and leans back to watch the linen drift down to my waist.

It's been so long since I've been vulnerable to his stare. My body isn't as it was when he last saw me like this. Sculpted muscles grace my once slender arms and scars testify to the fervor with which I trained. The abuse my body underwent to become strong is now the cause of my insecurity.

Kyron traces a trembling finger over a scar on my ribcage and furrows his brow. My worry heightens, afraid the imperfection puts him off. Unable to ask but aching to know he still feels the same, I call to his gift.

Immense tension grips my chest, squeezing my heart. Remorse.

I lift his face and shake my head. "You have nothing to regret. Everything that happened brought us to this moment. Now that it's done, I wouldn't change it. Besides, it's just an ugly scar."

"No. It's a part of you. Another piece for me to love."

My trepidation vanishes with those words, and I grab the bottom of my gown and lift it over my head. If my scars and bruises give him more to love, then I want them all on display.

Kyron's fingers move over the thick gouge along my outer thigh, and his lips kiss the dark bruise on the front of my upper arm. I want nothing more than for him to love every blemish, every stretch mark, as much as the next. I let him take his fill, and when his eyes return to mine, I reach for the hem of his shirt.