corridors of Arx as we fled to the inner sanctuary. I was weakening, suffering as I felt every bond I had developed with the forest in your absence suffering and dying. I could barely stand when Raskyuil had come for me. He removed me from our chambers and attempted to flee with me, but when it became apparent that Cacus was within the castle he chose to head to the hidden courtyard. We did not make it there before we lost the other guards, and not before we were found by Alseida.”
Her voice shook and choked cry roughened her speech. “She killed Borbekel with her own hands. She would have killed us too if Arx hadn’t saved us, but not even her alliance with Cacus saved her from his appetite when she failed him. While he was distracted with consuming her, Raskyuil hid me beneath the ground,” she choked out.
Easing himself onto his knees, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her close to his chest. To his relief, she didn’t fight his touch, but sank against him, tears pouring from her eyes with hard, ragged sobs. Only after she silenced did he drop slowly back to the floor again, his gaze trained, carefully observing her emotional state as his nostrils flared to provide more information. Once more he hated himself for blocking the bond. He would have felt her emotions and would have had some clues on how to soothe her if he hadn’t been so stupid.
“I still don’t understand how you escaped,” he murmured. “That very thing that had initially incited me toward action, still confused me even when I knew that there was no way it could have been you.”
She shook her head. “I don’t even know, really. My mind was muddled, and I was consumed with pain and fear. I remember hearing Raskyuil cry out, and there was a flash of white light. I passed out at that point, but it was for the best because it stopped all that terrible pain.”
Regret consumed him. She had suffered while he, with Nocis in his hand, had wanted nothing more at that time than to destroy her. He had thought so many horrible things and had thrown his suspicions at her.
Selvans groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. He really was a huge, arrogant idiot as his sister liked to claim. Gradually he let it drop and regarded her soberly. “I can never say enough how sorry I am. If I had known… No, it is no excuse. There is nothing that can forgive that.”
“Nothing may be able to excuse it, but I can forgive you,” she said softly. “I think I started to forgive you the day that you informed me that you knew that I didn’t do it. This, though… This means a lot.”
He grimaced. “I should have apologized sooner. I miscalculated how much you might have needed words of regret and apology. It very well may take me a few centuries to make it up to you… if you allow it.”
A small smile played at the corners of her mouth. “I’m sure we can find a way of offering amends that will be satisfactory for both of us,” she replied serenely before a wicked smile broke over her face. “I mean, groveling is fun and all, and you are free to do that for a little while, but I bet I can come up with something better.”
Just that easily, she brought a smile to his face. His cock tightened with interest. He would be happy to make amends in any way that brought her pleasure and happiness. Not only because of what he had done to her, but because he took a personal delight in her happiness. That she considered accepting pleasures from him in atonement was a step in the right direction, even if it was mostly jest.
Truthfully, her outlook on their changing relationship was a never-ending surprise to him. Just when he was worried that he pushed her too far and pressed his presence too much into her life, she did not react with hostility as he thought she might. Their initial reunion had not boded well for any sort of peace between them, much less any hope for their bond, but somehow things changed. Granted, sometimes she was frustrated and yelled at him, and he did his share of growling and snarling as well. She even threw a shoe a time or two, which was a surprisingly painful projectile. But