his body where I couldn’t help but breathe him in. However, I wasn’t going to let it distract me. Smirking, I replied, “I think the real question here is if you are ready to face me. I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
“WHEN DID YOU realize it was me?” Brayden asked. He was so close I could smell his Winter scent and feel the coldness of his skin through my dress. It sent chills down my body, and made more than my skin shudder at the close contact.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I didn’t realize it was you until the very end. I could feel you near, but with you dressed in the Summer armor I didn’t think it could possibly be you. I have to say, it was the first time I’ve been tricked by someone. Whose idea was it to dress you in the Summer armor?” I asked. “I figured someone like you would have despised giving up the Winter crest during a fight.”
He licked his lips and sighed. “It wasn’t easy, Princess, but it was something I had to do. Pride and loyalty to my court has always been my top priority.” He paused and took a deep breath, closing his eyes with his next words. “If you must know, Ariella, I did it all for you.”
“Why, Brayden? Why did you do it for me?” I challenged. Pushing away from the door and from him, I went to stand in front of my father’s desk, crossing my arms over my chest. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. When he didn’t respond, I opened my arms wide and gazed around the empty room. Exasperated, I snapped, “There’s no one in here for you to be embarrassed about hearing you. What is so hard about answering a simple question?”
“It’s because it is not a simple question,” he retorted. “Nothing about you is simple, Ariella. You’re very … complicated.”
I scoffed. “ I’m complicated? What about you? Why do you even bother with me if I’m so complicated? You could easily go back to your Winter Court and have uncomplicated relationships with whoever you fill your bed with.”
Brayden groaned and ran his hands over his face. It was the first real emotion I’d seen from him and with it I saw the fire … literally. His ability was for fire and his hands blazed with it. He stalked toward me with nothing but heat in his gaze until I backed up against the desk; it made me tremble, and for the first time ever being around him I saw the spark.
“First off, Princess, I may be complicated but I’m not the type of man to spill out my feelings like a damn female, especially in front of others. And about the women you speak of, I haven’t indulged in a woman’s touch since before I met you at the Winter palace. I know I walked away from you after the vision and I apologized for that. It was a mistake on my part and I asked for your forgiveness. I did what I did tonight to win back your trust and mend what I had broken.”
He smiled sadly and continued, “If you bond with me tonight you will know exactly how I feel about you, and I offer those feelings freely. Only you are the important one to know how I feel. I may not speak them openly and I will most likely infuriate you more because I keep them hidden inside, but you will be able to feel them.” He grabbed my hand and placed it over his heart. “In here,” he added.
I didn’t know I was holding my breath until I had the sudden urge to release it. The anger I felt before had diminished with each word that came out of his mouth, and all I felt was … excitement, love. I was shocked and completely taken aback. He spoke the truth and I didn’t need to have the guardian bond to know that he was genuine. We were both so different, yet so much alike in ways. The last thing I wanted was to attach myself to him knowing I had a dark fate ahead of me.
Unfortunately, I had no choice.
Was I selfish that I wanted to bond to him even though I was going to leave him? Yes, I was selfish, but in a way I wanted to experience what it was like to be bonded before my life ended.
“WHEN DID YOU realize it was me?” Brayden asked. He was so close I could smell his Winter scent and feel the coldness of his skin through my dress. It sent chills down my body, and made more than my skin shudder at the close contact.
I shrugged my shoulders. “I didn’t realize it was you until the very end. I could feel you near, but with you dressed in the Summer armor I didn’t think it could possibly be you. I have to say, it was the first time I’ve been tricked by someone. Whose idea was it to dress you in the Summer armor?” I asked. “I figured someone like you would have despised giving up the Winter crest during a fight.”
He licked his lips and sighed. “It wasn’t easy, Princess, but it was something I had to do. Pride and loyalty to my court has always been my top priority.” He paused and took a deep breath, closing his eyes with his next words. “If you must know, Ariella, I did it all for you.”
“Why, Brayden? Why did you do it for me?” I challenged. Pushing away from the door and from him, I went to stand in front of my father’s desk, crossing my arms over my chest. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity. When he didn’t respond, I opened my arms wide and gazed around the empty room. Exasperated, I snapped, “There’s no one in here for you to be embarrassed about hearing you. What is so hard about answering a simple question?”
“It’s because it is not a simple question,” he retorted. “Nothing about you is simple, Ariella. You’re very … complicated.”
I scoffed. “ I’m complicated? What about you? Why do you even bother with me if I’m so complicated? You could easily go back to your Winter Court and have uncomplicated relationships with whoever you fill your bed with.”
Brayden groaned and ran his hands over his face. It was the first real emotion I’d seen from him and with it I saw the fire … literally. His ability was for fire and his hands blazed with it. He stalked toward me with nothing but heat in his gaze until I backed up against the desk; it made me tremble, and for the first time ever being around him I saw the spark.
“First off, Princess, I may be complicated but I’m not the type of man to spill out my feelings like a damn female, especially in front of others. And about the women you speak of, I haven’t indulged in a woman’s touch since before I met you at the Winter palace. I know I walked away from you after the vision and I apologized for that. It was a mistake on my part and I asked for your forgiveness. I did what I did tonight to win back your trust and mend what I had broken.”
He smiled sadly and continued, “If you bond with me tonight you will know exactly how I feel about you, and I offer those feelings freely. Only you are the important one to know how I feel. I may not speak them openly and I will most likely infuriate you more because I keep them hidden inside, but you will be able to feel them.” He grabbed my hand and placed it over his heart. “In here,” he added.
I didn’t know I was holding my breath until I had the sudden urge to release it. The anger I felt before had diminished with each word that came out of his mouth, and all I felt was … excitement, love. I was shocked and completely taken aback. He spoke the truth and I didn’t need to have the guardian bond to know that he was genuine. We were both so different, yet so much alike in ways. The last thing I wanted was to attach myself to him knowing I had a dark fate ahead of me.
Unfortunately, I had no choice.
Was I selfish that I wanted to bond to him even though I was going to leave him? Yes, I was selfish, but in a way I wanted to experience what it was like to be bonded before my life ended.
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