The Summer King Bundle 3 Stories - Jennifer L. Armentrout Page 0,180

features softened as I spoke, causing warning bells to go off left and right. “I’m honored, sunshine.”

I blinked.

He came forward, each step slow and measured. “You don’t need to worry about what will happen to me. I’m not worried.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I replied. “And also concerning that you’re not worried.”

Caden sat down, his large frame seeming to overwhelm the bed. “I will be fine, with or without the throne. But I won’t be fine without you.”

My heart gave a happy little jump, and I closed my eyes. “I wish you wouldn’t say things like that.”

“Why?” His voice was quiet.

“Because it’s always so perfect. It’s always what I…” It was what I wanted to hear, and that was the problem. “I just wish you wouldn’t say things like that.”

“I don’t think you’d prefer that I lie.”

Actually, I would in this situation.

“This is why you’ve tried to push me away,” he said, and my eyes opened on the word tried. He was staring down at me, a slight smile on his lips. “It’s not because you don’t want me. It’s not because you don’t love me. It’s because you think you’re doing the right thing.”

“Because I am,” I snapped.

The smile grew. “Not that I needed the confirmation that I am right, but thank you nonetheless for providing it.”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re right or wrong.” I rose, shaking my head. “It doesn’t matter how I feel or how you feel.”

“It does matter that you believe you’re doing the right thing. That you’re willing to do the right thing. At least to me.” He looked up at me, gaze warm. “You know what that says about you?”

“Yes. I’m brave or selfless or whatever.” I waved a hand, dismissing that. “I’d rather be selfish.”

“But never a coward?”

I didn’t even have to consider the answer. “No.”

“I didn’t think so.” His gaze searched mine. “I’m going to ask you something, Brighton, and I want you to be honest. I need you to be honest. Do you love me?”

Tension settled on my shoulders as I started to speak—to lie. But he already knew the truth. I imagined he just wanted to hear me say it. Either way, I didn’t think I had it in me to force that lie past my lips once more.

“I love you, Caden.” My voice thickened as I crossed my arms and gripped my waist. “I think…I think I fell in love with you the moment you walked into Flux and let me pretend I was under the glamour of a fae. I know that sounds weird, but I’ve always been able to tell you things I couldn’t share with anyone else. As crazy as this sounds, I’m comfortable with you in a way I’ve never been with any guy, even though you’re freaking perfect, and I’m the exact opposite of that. You’re smart. You’re funny, even when you’re annoying the ever-loving crap out of me. You’re sensitive in a way I don’t think many people would ever expect you to be. So, yes, I love you, Caden.”

His eyes closed briefly. When they reopened, it was almost like twin fires had lit them from within. “Do you know that the fae believe that a piece of their soul is released upon birth and finds a home in their soulmate?”

Recalling what Luce had said about two souls and the mortuus, I had a feeling that whatever he was about to say was going to make me cry.

“I found that piece of my soul in Siobhan. When she was killed, I didn’t believe that I would ever find it again, even though the fae believe that upon death, that piece of the soul is once more released. You see, I was lucky when I found Siobhan. Not all fae find the missing piece of their soul. It doesn’t mean that their love for another is any less real. It’s just that two souls being connected is more intense and immediate. It can happen with just one look.” He pressed his palm against his chest. “What is in here recognizes what belongs. The joining of two souls is an unbreakable bond.”

A tremor coursed through me as I fought the urge to both run to him and run from the room.

“I saw you before the night the gateways to the Otherworld were sealed. Just brief glimpses, but each time, I felt this throbbing in my chest. It had been so long since I’d felt anything like it that I wasn’t sure what I was