He looked up at the ceiling of the cave, and he sounded completely exasperated with her.
“Look at me,” she gentled her voice as she added, “please.”
She didn’t know if it was the “please” or the desperation in her voice, but he finally lowered his eyes. Though they didn’t drop below her face.
“The pain you felt…”
He nodded, acknowledging her words.
“I’ve felt it for years.”
Aston’s eyes widened at her confession.
“There’s been a hole, an emptiness so raw inside of me, that sometimes I can barely breathe. And during all of that time, my heart has filled with a darkness that consumes me. I don’t know if there is anything good left inside of me.”
“That’s not true,” Aston interrupted. “I can feel your darkness, but I also feel goodness.”
Rory didn’t believe for a second that it was her goodness he was feeling. Aston was simply feeling the part of his soul that was joined with her own black one. She shook her head at him. “No. Whatever you’re feeling is you. The part of you that is now in me.”
She stepped closer to him, drawn to his goodness, his light, and the concern she saw in his eyes. “For the first time in a very long time, I can breathe. The pain has eased, but the longing is still there. I know we don’t know each other, but I want to. I want to know you. I’ve had you all of an hour, but I know just from that short amount of time, I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t,” he said quickly. “We don’t have to sleep together so you can keep me, Rory. You already have me.”
Rory shook her head. “You can leave me. Until the bond is complete, you can leave me, and then the darkness will have me. There will be nothing left of the girl I once was.”
Aston's hand reached up and cupped her face. His touch was warm and gentle. The only kind of touch she could remember in her life was Kimba’s. She couldn’t recall the last time someone had embraced her or even looked at her with adoration, like Aston did now.
“Please,” she said again.
He clenched his jaw, and a pained sound emanated from his chest. Rory could see he was about to shake his head no. So she rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his. He was still, not joining in, though he didn’t push her away.
The tears that had been building began to fall from her eyes. Rory pressed her body closer to his, seeking out his warmth, needing him to accept her, to hold her, to make her whole. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Aston wrapped his arms around her. She moaned and sank into him.
His tongue brushed against her lips, and she parted them as he deepened the kiss.
He pulled back until their lips barely touched, his hands rubbing up and down her back. “Please don’t hate me for this.”
She frowned. “Why would I hate you?”
“I feel like I’m taking advantage of the situation, and I never want you to think that I would do such a thing.”
“Kimba said we’re meant for each other. Destined to be together. You feel that, right?”
“You know I do,” he said as he pressed his forehead to hers.
“Then there is nothing wrong here. We are bound tighter than any normal couple.” She took his hand and led him further into the cave, to the thick blankets that made up her bed on the floor.
Aston didn’t stop her as she pulled his shirt over his head. He took over undressing himself, all the while kissing and touching her.
As they laid down on the stack of blankets and his body covered her own, Aston looked deep into her eyes. “You’ll never be alone again.”
Tears continued to fall from Rory’s eyes as he made love to her. But not the tears of sadness or anger or fear that she’d cried so many times. These were tears of joy. These were tears that seemed to wash away a little of the darkness living inside of her. She knew it wouldn’t be easy to let go of who she had become. She didn’t know if it was even possible. But because of Aston, for the first time, she felt a glimmer of hope.
“Are you sure you’re ready?” Liam asked Gabby as she stood at the foot of his bed. A few days had passed since the funeral of warriors, and she’d done a lot