Well Beyond

36

"But I'm scared, Erik. I'm scared that we're too broken to fix. That this bond, this thing between us, is too much for me to handle," I say, my voice cracking as I force the words out.

Erik's eyes snap back to mine, and there's a flash of something fierce in his gaze—determination, maybe, or defiance.

"We're not broken, Delia," he says, his voice firm, resolute. "We're just... damaged. But that doesn't mean we can't heal. It doesn't mean we can't make this work."

I bite my lip, the tears I've been holding back threatening to spill over. "What if we're too far gone, Erik? We'll never have the spark that Emma and Ayanna have. Hell, we'll never have what any mated pair has—passion."

Erik's eyes darken, his gaze intensifying as he steps closer. "Is that what you want? Passion?" His voice drops an octave, thick with tension, and suddenly the room feels smaller, the walls closing in around us. I instinctively take a step back, then another, until my back hits the wall. The solid thud startles me, and my breath hitches as I realize just how close he is now.

He moves with purpose, his fists pressing against the wall on either side of my head, trapping me in place. His height looms over me, the sheer presence of him overwhelming. His breath is warm against my cheek as he leans in, his lips so close I can almost taste the words he's about to speak.

"I don't think you realize how much I'm holding back," he breathes, his voice a low rumble that sends shivers down my spine. "How much you've tempted me for years."

A mix of fear and anger surges within me, and I narrow my eyes, folding my arms across my chest in a feeble attempt at defense.

"Says the one who chased me for years."

He doesn't flinch at the accusation. Instead, his gaze remains locked on mine, unwavering.

"I let you go for a while," he counters, his tone smooth, almost casual, as if the words hold no weight. But the underlying intensity in his voice tells me otherwise.

Confusion flickers across my face as I try to make sense of his words. His hand moves slowly, deliberately, brushing a few strands of hair away from my face. The touch sends sparks dancing across my skin, leaving a trail of fire in its wake. My body reacts before my mind can catch up, a shiver running through me at the contact.

"What are you talking about?" I manage to huff out, watching him intently, trying to decipher the meaning behind his actions.

A faint smile tugs at the corners of his lips as he continues to toy with my hair, his eyes never leaving the strands as if they hold the answers to unspoken questions.

"Do you really think I didn't know you were in the kingdom? With Jasper," he says matter-of-factly, his voice so steady, so assured, it sends a fresh wave of unease through me.

I frown, my heart beating a frantic rhythm in my chest. "What?"

"I knew you were there the whole time, Delia," Erik says, his eyes finally meeting mine. The intensity in his gaze is almost too much, burning with a heat that threatens to consume me. I feel the flush creeping up my cheeks, the undeniable warmth that his presence always seems to draw out of me.

"How?" I stutter, my voice weak, barely above a whisper. 

The thought of him knowing all this time, of him watching from the shadows, unnerves me in a way I can't quite articulate. He shrugs as if it's the most natural thing in the world. 

"I tracked your flight," he says, the nonchalance in his tone at odds with the gravity of his words. "Then I paid off a guard to keep an eye on you."

My mind reels at the revelation. The betrayal I should feel doesn't come.