Page 82 of Forever My Siren Luna

~

Elelira

My heart froze for a moment, thinking that Lachlan may not be as ready for this as I was. The fear I had of him not being ready when I thought I was manifested fully, and I started to have doubts about myself again. His silent and stunned expression was hard to interpret, but then his animated excitement was all I needed to know I made the right choice in telling him.

At least I hope I did. The fright I felt thinking he was about to reject my proposal triggered negative thoughts to start swirling in my head.

“I love you, Lira. Goddess, I love you more than I could ever express to you. You just made me the happiest man there ever was.” Lachlan's face was evidence enough that his words were true. I know he loves me. I love him too.

“GET A ROOM!” Nilo yelled out jokingly, making me aware again that there were dozens of others watching our intimate exchange all around us. My face got so incredibly hot all of a sudden, and I wanted to bury it in his chest to hide my embarrassment.

Lachlan snarled with annoyance. “Everyone out! Practice is dismissed.”

Snickers and hoots of celebration could be heard, but I do not dare to look up to meet any of their gazes. I have been trying for weeks to maintain the image of a warrior, but feel like a lost, weak-kneed girl at the moment.

Lachlan seemed unbothered. He is too busy beaming at me, the glow on his face something I have never seen before. He has no doubts about this, though I have run away from him twice and rejected him once already. I told him of my trauma from the past, and he knows I can be a flight risk and I am a little irrational when I am triggered.

He still has no doubts.

“Do you?”Val asked me.

“No. I don’t think I do. I know he loves me. I’m just…. Struck by the reality of this. His silence was disheartening for a moment. There is no going back after we mark one another. There is no undoing it once it is done.”

“Good,”Val snorts, “I don’t want it to be undone. Ever.”

I don’t either. But negative thoughts still bloom in my brain.

“What are you thinking?” Lachlan asked, brushing my hair away from my face.

I shrug, biting my lip.

“You are thinking of something that is worrying you,” he stated. “I may not be able to feel it yet, but I think I can read you and your expressions pretty well by now.”

He does know me pretty well. Probably better than anything at this point. We share everything with one another, and he always seems to know what I need or what I am thinking before I even do.

There is no point trying to hide these thoughts. He can help me work through them better than anyone.

“I was just struck by how permanent this would be. You seem so sure that this is what you want.”

“It’s what I need, Lira. I can not and will not live without you. You know that. The finality of being mated to you is the greatest gift I could ever receive.”

“Be that as it may, what if we have an argument down the line and you realize I wasn’t worth all the sacrifice?”

His thick brows pulled down, shadowing his face. “I would sacrifice anything and everything for you, Lira. You know that.”

I smiled sweetly, because I really did know that.

“I’m being silly. I know. It just struck me that this could be something you truly can’t take back. It feels like years in the making, and now that it is about to become a reality, I guess I am having jitters.”

I can’t even fully explain how I’m feeling. When you have been waiting and striving for something for so long and it is finally upon you, you get scared, reliving all you've done to get to that moment. This is similar to what is going on inside my head right now.

“Is there something I can do to make the jitters go away?” Lachlan asked. “Some test or feat I could do to prove to you I will never love another? You said that I am the only man you will ever want. I feel the same. You are the only woman I ever want to be with. Let me prove that.”

“I’m not going to test your love,” I softly shook my head. “There is no need for that.”

He has proven himself plenty by now. There is no greater test that can be done. He loves me. I know it. And I know I love him.

“You can test my love for you whenever you want, Lira. You can do whatever you want and ask for whatever you want and I will do it. I never want you to doubt my love for you again, so if doubt starts to enter your mind, test me. I'd rather you test me a hundred times a day than ever leave me again or let any doubt enter your mind.”