Page 34 of Black Hearted (Cursed Fae #4)

Lorelei

Hiking up a mountain in the dead of night while black floodwaters tried to consume me wasn’t exactly what I had planned for this trip. Fatigue pulled at my limbs as we climbed higher and higher.

“The black water will eventually stop rising, right?” I asked Zane.

He’d been quiet, probably tired, but as hard as I tried to put it out of my mind, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“Normally, I would say yes, but I think this place is determined to kill us, so I’m not sure,” he answered honestly.

I chewed on my lip. “What if it floods all the way to the Tree of Transformation? What if it washes it away?”

He merely shrugged. It was too dark to see the far-reaching consequences of the flooding—something we’d probably have to wait until morning to figure out.

With a sigh, I trudged on. When we reached a steep incline just before the top of the mountain, I struggled to scale it. A few steps ahead of me, Zane reached back, offering his hand. I grasped it, and he pulled me up.

Finally, we made it to the summit. I was happy the climbing was over, but I was too exhausted to feel a sense of accomplishment. I collapsed onto my butt, panting, while Zane sat down slowly beside me, so close that our knees were touching.

I peered out at the open expanse. The moonlight cast strange, glowing shadows across the black, oily liquid below, and from what I could see, it covered everything. My view was limited, but it looked endless.

I could feel Zane watching me, so I turned to him. “What are you thinking?”

Rather than answering, he glanced away.

He was silent.

“Hey.” I nudged him playfully. “You’re too quiet. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

He sighed, turning back to face me, his gaze dipping to my lips. “I’m thinking that I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you by my side.”

I sucked in a breath at the admission.

He turned away again. “Sorry, that was too much.”

I shook my head. That wasn’t how I felt at all, but he couldn’t see my reaction because he was looking away.

I didn’t think. I just let my body act.

Reaching out, I grasped his strong jaw and turned his face back toward me. His gaze was questioning, and as I stared into his blue eyes, I searched for the small drop of brown in one of his irises. A tiny reminder of how unique he was.

“It wasn’t too much,” I said firmly, feeling courage grow in my chest. “Anything with you could never be too much.”

Leaning forward, I captured his mouth.

From the moment our lips met, it was as if the world itself shifted, turning from the darkest night to the brightest dawn. A fire ignited deep within me that I never even knew existed.

Zane’s lips were warm and soft, and tentative at first, but then he twisted toward me, cupping my face in his hands and taking complete control of the kiss. Deepening it, he stoked my desire, and I gasped lightly, completely overwhelmed by the intensity.

Fireworks exploded inside me. My entire body melted into the kiss, savoring the rightness of it, but then Zane started to pull back, mistaking my gasp for hesitation when it was anything but.

Acting on instinct, my arms looped around his neck, holding him in place, and then I shifted, sliding onto his lap. With my knees bracketing his hips, I leaned into him, parting my lips to let his tongue tease mine.

The world around us seemed to dissolve, leaving only the fire between us. If I could stay in this moment forever, I’d trade every breath I had left for an eternity of this feeling.

As we kissed, tendrils of icy fire unfurled and surged through me, like a second heartbeat coursing through my veins. I didn’t even think to stop until something bright flashed behind my closed lids, and I felt Zane grin against my mouth.

My eyes popped open, and I pulled away in shock, finding shimmering black stardust suspended in the air around us. It settled softly on our skin, glowing faintly in the moonlight.

“What is it?” I asked, my voice trembling with a mix of fear and wonder.

Zane, grinning ear to ear, reached up and gently traced my swollen lips with his fingers. “We call it the soul bond. It happened with my brothers and their wives as well, although the color of the mist is unique to us.”

“It’s beautiful,” I murmured, watching the midnight shimmers slowly fade into the air.

“It’s only something the two of us can see when we come together like this,” Zane explained, his voice soft and reverent.

My eyes widened. “You mean this will happen every time we kiss?”

He chuckled, a deep, rich sound that vibrated through his chest. “I certainly hope so. It’s also confirmation of the mate bond.”

My breath hitched.

Mate.

The sparkling particles, shimmering like tiny black diamonds, were undeniable proof that Zane was my mate. And instead of filling me with joy, the realization crushed my heart into a thousand pieces.

Zane’s smile faded as he noticed my reaction. I couldn’t meet his gaze, unsure of what to say.

Yay, we confirmed we’re mates. By the way, I plan to die soon.

A sickening wave of dread settled in my stomach. Nothing about this was okay.

For a fleeting moment, I didn’t want to be perfect, self-sacrificing Lorelei. I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to reach into my pack, toss the vial into the black waters below, and live happily ever after with Zane.

“Sorry,” I whispered. “It’s just …”

“I get it. It’s a lot to take in. It’s all right,” he said gently, though I could see the joy slowly seep from his expression.

My chest ached. I did that to him. I caused his pain, and the guilt gutted me.

Still straddling his lap, I suddenly felt awkward and slid off, settling onto the cold, hard stone beside him. But I wasn’t ready to break our connection completely, so I leaned my head against his shoulder, trying to offer him what little comfort I could.

He placed a warm hand over my thigh, and we sat there like that for hours until the sun rose. Silent, contemplative, devastated.