First And Last - By Stacey Kennedy Page 0,12

personality has been nothing but trying to me. Your unwillingness to let me help you, your hard headedness and your smart mouth are a constant pain to me.”

What in the hell? I snorted a loud sound of unhappiness. “It better get better than this.” Seriously, he is on the verge of losing a limb.

The crowd laughed in response.

Kyden smiled, gave me a wink. “On a nightly basis, I feel frustrated, irritated, and aggravated with you.”

I scowled at him. What type of non-romantic shit was this?

He laughed, rubbed away my frown lines with his fingers. “That night…” His smile drifted away as he swallowed deep. “That night, I would have died for you. I would have given my life for yours because, as much as you drive me to the high moons with your independence, it’s for all those reasons that you have captured my heart.”

My frustration dissolved and tears welled up in my eyes. My chin started doing that thing, the little quiver that let you know you were about to burst out into sobs.

“I would never change a thing about you.” He reached up and wiped my tears away. “Nothing—not one piece of who you are.” His hand cupped my cheek. “That night, I knew I was going to die, but I never feared it because if I only had a few short months to love you, then that was enough. I would have died fulfilled, with a need for nothing more.”

Tears ran down my face.

“It’s for those reasons that I chose this bond. If I have the chance to love you longer then I will do it, fully and completely. And will always be entirely grateful that I have been given that right.”

The crowd was silent enough to hear the wind rustle through the trees. After many quiet moments passed, Zia finally stepped forward, wiped her own tears.

Kyden’s eyes never left mine as she handed him a ring. I stayed locked in his gaze while he glided the ring over my finger. When it popped over my knuckle, I glanced down and my eyes went wide.

Valor’s diamond looked tiny compared to what was on my finger now. It was a sparkling fancy pink diamond. On either side of the cushion-shaped diamond sat shield-shaped diamonds, all mounted on a Victorian inspired platinum band.

It wasn’t normal to do a ring exchange at a bonding ceremony in the Otherworld, but I needed it. I liked the idea of having a symbol for our ceremony. Maybe there was a little human in me after all.

“Nexi,” Zia’s laugh was loud next to me. When I glanced up to her, it was obvious she’d said my name a couple times before I responded.

Kyden chuckled.

I took a long deep breath to stabilize myself. “I’m never going to get through this without being a blubbery mess.”

Low laughs ran through the crowd.

Kyden took my chin and our gazes locked. “It is you and I. Nothing else.”

I gathered every ounce of control on my emotions. I took another long breath, before I looked back at him. “When I first came here, my world had been shattered. My heart was broken until you loved me. You fixed my heart and became an undeniable part of my life.”

I gave him a small smile. “You might be possessive and a bit of a pushover.” The crowd laughed in response. So, I was getting him back a little. He smiled at the attempt. “But I understand the reasons behind it. You’re right. We are in constant battle with the world around us. The odds are always stacked against us. Loss has become something that I’ve grown to accept as part of my life. But nothing, no loss I’ve ever felt, compares to what went through me when I stared at you lying on the ground, lifeless.”

Zia burst out into tears in front of us and I could hear Haven’s deep sobs behind me.

As much as I could have fallen to pieces, I needed to get through this. He deserved to hear it. “When I lost my family, it was hard.” I sighed again. “So hard, but I knew once I met you, that it’d be okay. I could be happy again and would recover. But that night, I saw for the first time I couldn’t. My life held no meaning anymore. My world couldn’t exist if you weren’t in it.”

A tear fell down Kyden’s face and Talon behind him was in a similar state. I reached up and wiped away the tear