‘I knew you could do it—believe that—but I couldn’t put you through the emotional damage it would bring. Your distress...it cuts me.’ He shook his head again. ‘How did you get up on that stage?’
‘I got Melina to come to the palace and put me through the workout of my life. With all those endorphins racing through my blood I imagined I was an Agonite—a born warrior. I imagined your voice in my head, telling me to fight.’
‘But why? I gave you a free pass to leave.’
‘And it was that freedom which gave me the choice. Do you remember what you said to me? You told me to loosen my hold and fly, and you were right—and the only person who could cut that hold was me. I wanted to fly. I wanted to throw off the past, stand on that stage and play that beautiful score. And I wanted to do it for you and your grandfather as much as I wanted to do it for me.’
‘You wanted to do it for me?’ How he had hoped...
‘I knew how much it meant to you and how much you love your grandmother.’
A painful lump formed in his throat. ‘My grandmother died without ever hearing me say those words. When my parents died I became lost, out of control. I didn’t want to let people get close to me—not on an emotional level. I have friends...I’ve had lovers...but I kept them all at an emotional distance. And then you...’
‘Me?’ she prompted gently, her fingers digging into his arms.
‘You...’ He swallowed. ‘I let you in. I had no choice in it. You crept into my heart.’
Something sparked in her eyes. ‘Say it,’ she urged. ‘Please. Even if you only say it once I won’t care, once will be enough. Say it.’
‘I...’
‘Shall I say it first?’ Reaching up to palm his face with her hand, she stepped flush against him. ‘I love you. You’re ferocious and loyal and you’ve taught me to fly. I will love you until I take my dying breath.’
All the air rushed from his lungs.
‘Say it,’ she beseeched.
‘I love you.’ And as he said the words more tumbled out with them. ‘I love you and I want to protect and honour you until I take my dying breath.’ He kissed her hard. ‘I love you.’
Raining kisses all over her face and neck, he kept repeating those words, letting them sink into every part of him until he was enveloped in the love that bound them so tightly he knew it would never let them go.
‘Will you let me love and worship you for ever?’ he asked, his hands buried in her silky hair.
‘Only if you let me love and worship you for ever too.’
‘If we marry you’ll have no choice. Divorce is forbidden for me, remember...?’ He pulled back to look deep into her eyes. ‘Will you marry me?’
‘It’s only a piece of paper, but I’ll sign my heart on it because it belongs to you now. I’m trusting you to take care of it for me.’
‘I’ll protect it with my life.’
And with those words his hungry mouth moulded to hers.
He felt cleansed. Whole. Loved.
He loved her. And she loved him.
He would say the words to her every day for the rest of his life.
EPILOGUE
AMALIE STEPPED ONTO the sunny balcony of the New York hotel in time to catch Talos hastily turning the page of the newspaper he was reading.
‘Stop reading my reviews,’ she chided him, settling herself gently onto his lap and nuzzling his neck. Even after two years of marriage she liked nothing more than to bury herself into him and smell his gorgeous, woody scent.
He laughed. ‘Do you want me to tell you what it says?’
‘No.’
It was a standing joke between them.
Talos trawled the media for any review and snippet about her career he could find, getting any paper versions couriered to wherever they happened to be in the world. Although his pride in her touched her deeply, she preferred to live in blissful ignorance of the critics’ voices.
The past couple of years had been a whirl. It made her dizzy to think back on it. After the gala she’d been inundated with offers to perform and record all over the world. Talos had encouraged her to follow her dreams, had been by her side every step of the way. It had been hard—especially the live performing side, which she chose selectively—but the nerves she’d lived with for so long had almost been banished. Almost.
He placed a hand to her swollen belly. ‘Did you manage to get any sleep?’