Page 15

"The final battle," Thornix said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We were outnumbered, exhausted. Willow saw an opening, a chance to turn the tide. But it was a trap."

I felt my heart constrict, imagining the scene. "She didn't make it," I said, not a question but a statement.

Thornix shook his head. "I watched her fall. I felt her life force fade, felt the forest weep as it lost one of its guardians. And in that moment, something in me broke."

He turned to me then, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I unleashed everything I had, every ounce of power the forest could channel. I destroyed our enemies, but at a terrible cost. The magic changed me. Bound me to this place in a way I had never been before."

"Is that why you never leave your territory?" I asked, pieces falling into place.

He nodded. "I became one with the forest that day, more tree than nymph. And I vowed never to open my heart again, never to risk that kind of pain."

The weight of his confession hung between us. I struggled to find the right words, to offer some comfort for a loss centuries old but clearly still raw.

"Thornix," I began, then faltered. Instead of speaking, I shifted closer, wrapping my arms around him in a fierce hug.

For a moment, he remained stiff in my embrace. Then, with a shuddering sigh, he melted against me. I felt the dampness of tears against my neck and held him tighter.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I can't imagine how much that must have hurt."

He pulled back slightly, meeting my gaze with an intensity that took my breath away. "Can't you?" he asked softly. "You've lost too, Acacia. Your home, your dreams, your freedom. Yet here you are, fighting for a forest that was once your prison."

I swallowed hard, thrown by his insight. "That's different," I argued weakly. "I didn't lose someone I loved."

"Didn't you?" Thornix challenged gently. "You lost the future you thought you'd have. The person you thought you'd become."

His words hit home, and I felt my own eyes fill with tears. "Maybe," I admitted. "But I've gained something too."

Thornix's hand came up to cup my cheek, his thumb brushing away a tear that had escaped. "As have I," he murmured.

I leaned into his touch, my heart racing. "Thornix," I breathed, not sure what I was asking for but knowing I needed something.

He hesitated for a heartbeat, searching my eyes. Whatever he saw there must have convinced him, because suddenly his lips were on mine, soft but insistent.

I responded immediately, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer.

Thornix's hands tangled in my hair as he deepened the kiss. I felt the forest come alive around us, responding to our shared emotion. Flowers burst into bloom, their sweet scent filling the air. The stream's gentle burble became a joyful song.

When we finally broke apart, both breathing heavily, I was stunned by the raw emotion I saw in Thornix's eyes.

"Acacia," he said, his voice rough. "I never thought I'd feel this way again. I never wanted to. But you..." He trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words.

I smiled, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. "I know," I said simply. "Me too."

He pulled me close again, resting his forehead against mine. We stayed like that for a long moment, just breathing each other in. The forest hummed with contentment around us, as if it, too, had been waiting for this moment.

"So," I said eventually, not wanting to break the spell but needing to lighten the mood a little. "Does this mean I get to call you my tree boyfriend now?"

Thornix laughed, the sound rich in a way I'd never heard before. "Is that what the humans are calling it these days?"

I grinned, delighted by this playful side of him. "Well, what would you prefer? My leafy lover? My chlorophyll companion?"

He silenced me with another kiss, this one lighter but no less affecting. "How about simplyyours?" he suggested when we parted.

The sincerity in his voice made my heart skip a beat. "I like the sound of that," I admitted. "As long as you know that makes you mine too."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Thornix said softly.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in that sacred grove, talking and laughing and sharing soft kisses. Thornix told me more stories of his long life, of the changes he'd seen in the forest over the centuries. I opened up about my life in the terramares, the dreams I'd had before being matched with him.