Page 38 of Black Hearted (Cursed Fae #4)

Lorelei

That kiss with Zane was incredible. My heart ached just thinking about it—the way my soul seemed to sing when his lips moved against mine, the rightness of finally coming together in that way. The magical confirmation of our mate bond should have elated me, but instead, it made me feel sick.

“You’re quiet,” Zane observed.

I cleared my throat, smoothing my cloak.

I didn’t want to pretend with him, but I couldn’t tell him what I was really thinking.

Small talk would have to do. We’d been traveling all day, and night was about to fall.

According to the map, we were close to the Tree of Transformation.

It should be just over the hill in front of us, but I was extra tense because we hadn’t been attacked today.

It felt like the curse was just lying in wait, ready to pounce on us the moment we got comfortable.

“Just thinking about what I’ll name my new puppy,” I lied.

He gave me a winning smile. “And what did you decide?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Peony. After my favorite flower.”

Zane glanced at the wildflowers around us—bluebells, chrysanthemums, irises, and jasmine. He leaned in slightly and whispered, as if they could hear him, “Are you even allowed to have a favorite?”

I barked out a laugh. Stars, he was funny, which only made him more attractive. “Yes, I’m allowed to have a favorite. I can assure you, they don’t mind. What will you name your puppy?” I asked, curious.

His face fell slightly, though he quickly recovered. Even though I hadn’t known him long, the fleeting moment of sadness felt so uncharacteristic that it caught my attention.

“I’ll let Nellie name him.”

Nellie. Oh, how I would have loved to meet her if Zane and I had been given more time together.

“That’s very kind of you. I’m sure she’ll be excited to give him a name,” I said, though my throat pinched with emotion.

He stopped walking and turned to face me, forcing me to stop as well. He was so tall I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes.

“We have no idea what will happen when the curse is destroyed,” he said, his voice low.

I nodded. He wasn’t wrong. I knew what would happen to me, but the rest was uncertain.

“Promise me that, should something happen to me, you’ll take care of Nellie.”

I frowned. “Zane, nothing is going to happen to you.”

“You don’t know that. This tree could require my heart,” he said quietly.

I knew it didn’t. It required mine.

“Promise me,” he begged when I didn’t immediately respond.

Seeing the worry in his gaze, I couldn’t bear to deny him. “I promise,” I said softly, if only to ease his fears.

His eyes fell to my lips, and a selfish need surged within me. I wanted one more kiss before I met my end, and I wasn’t going to deny myself this final wish.

Zane must have been thinking the same thing because we crashed into each other at the exact same moment.

This kiss wasn’t like the first. This kiss broke my heart in a million different ways.

I ached for thousands more of them, but I knew this would be the last, so I savored it.

I didn’t pull away. I panted into his mouth as his hands dropped to my hips and squeezed.

Pressing into him, I wrapped my arms around his neck, trying to draw him closer.

This was all I would leave Zane in the end, and I wasn’t about to squander a second of it.

Then, Zane grabbed my hands, pulling them from his neck and pinning them together in front of me. The gesture was unorthodox, but I was so lost in him that I didn’t question it—until I felt the bite of restraints around my wrists.

I yanked back, startled, just as another restraint wrapped around my ankles.

My eyes widened as I stared down at the lightning ropes encased in shadows that encircled my wrists. “Zane, what are you doing?”

He took two steps away from me, and I looked up at him, hurt, confused, and in shock.

With a shaking hand, he pulled the vial and the Wise Ones’ note from his pocket. Panic shot through me like a lightning strike.

“No. What are you doing?” I yanked against the restraints, but they only burned against my skin when I struggled.

“I’m in love with you,” Zane declared, and I froze, my heart thundering in my chest. “And I refuse to watch you die. Please forgive me. Please know I’m doing this so you can live—so you can plant your flowers, enjoy the sunshine, and snuggle your puppy.”

He was going to drink the potion. He was going to sacrifice himself.

“Zane, no.” I sobbed as the realization hit me, struggling harder against the restraints. I tripped and fell forward, tears blurring my vision.

He caught me, lowering me gently to the ground. “Forgive me,” he whispered. “And take care of Nellie. You promised.” He kissed my forehead, then turned away.

“Zane, don’t do this!” I screamed until my voice went hoarse. “It’s me. I’m supposed to do this, not you.”

But he began to walk away. As he disappeared over the hill toward the Tree of Transformation, I realized with heartbreaking clarity that I’d fallen in love with him, too. Now, I would have to watch him die. I would have to live on with a hole in my heart that could never be filled.

I could think of no crueler fate.

“Zane, please don’t do this to me,” I begged, sobbing as uncontrollable grief overwhelmed me. When I read the Wise Ones’ letter, I had accepted my own death—but not his.

I couldn’t lose him. Not like this. Not now.

The man who had traveled across the realm to rescue me. The man who bought me a puppy because I said I liked them. A man of such noble character, he would take my ill fate and make it his own.