“Then that wouldn’t be fair to her.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I know we are asking you to do the impossible. To understand this nonsense that is our life. But I doubt very strongly that any man could, except for you. Because you know us in a way no one else ever will. Chrysa was right when she said you saved us. You saved us both. And I know she will fall as madly in love with you as I have. No matter if it’s you, or if it’s someone else, I’ll never be able to live a full life with any man unless he accepts the duality of my nature. And the truth is, I would rather her fall in love with you and know you and touch you, because then it is only ever going to be you in my mind and in my thoughts and in my heart. I won’t have to remember the touch of another man on this body, because it will only ever be yours. And I want that.”
His heart increased its beats. Because now that she was telling him it was okay, he realized he wanted that too. Looking back on his journey with Lissa it was now easy to see the moments he’d been with Chrysa, and how she’d make him laugh. Or get irritated. Or stand in awe of what she could do. He didn’t love Chrysa as he did Lissa, but it was the two of them combined that made him feel what he now did.
“I almost feel like I’d be cheating on you,” he admitted.
This time her smile was a little sad. “The only time I’d ever feel that way is if you ever loved her more than me. I can never be apart from her. But nor could I lose you. I will learn to be happy and I want you to be too. Together, the three of us, we can make this work. I believe it.”
He licked his lips. “That means I will need to be with Chrysalis. I will need to fall in love with her, and her with me. Are you really sure you understand this, Lissa? Because I will do it, and I won’t lie to you now and say that a part of me is not intrigued, that would be an untruth and I never wish to do that to you. But unless I truly know I have your blessing, I will not do this.”
Her hand didn’t tremble as she laid it on his cheek, and giving it an emphatic jerk, she nodded. “You don’t have a choice, hunter, for I refuse to let you go. Ever. I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”
And with a final, lingering kiss she vanished.
And he knew the moment she’d withdrawn because the languid warmth of her body was replaced by one that went immediately rigid. Her eyes widened and when she glanced down to note that not only was she naked, but he was still deep inside her, Chrysalis laughed.
“Bloody hell, hunter, I did not expect things to happen so soon.”
He chuckled. Moving off her, he helped her dress and as he did, he looked at her.
“What?” she said with a bashful grin.
“One thing about all of this has always bothered me.”
She frowned.
“Right before the end, the sun rolled through the sky. In all the times I’ve gone through our story, that’s never made a bit of sense to me. Did you do that?”
Her smile was brilliant. “I never knew that Danika was secretly helping me along the way. You knew she was the one who made Pillar give you the drink, I told you, but she revealed to me that the sun was also planned. Jericho was the only one who could handle Siria’s fire. He needed to be there, but because of his curse, he could not. The month hadn’t yet rolled over.”
“She did that?” He shook his head, feeling a sense of admiration for his godmother in a way he never had before.
“I’m not sure how she did it, as that defies even the laws of Kingdom. But I’ve learned never to doubt what my godmother can do.”
He laughed. “I’ll second that motion.”
But then the tension was back because he knew it was time to make her fall in love with him. But how did one actually go about doing that?
She grabbed his hand. Her fingers were strong and firm and sure in his. “Look at me, Aeric.”
He lifted a brow.
“The moment this gets weird, we stop. You shouldn’t have to force this.”
“Well neither should you,” he whispered.
Smiling, she led him toward a distant knoll.
“Where are you taking me?” he asked.
Her lips twitched. It was so easy to forget that in her head, she was a different woman. They looked so similar, holding her hand felt right.
“We have a few months to get to know one another, I’m going to show you who I am, hunter, and when we’re done learning us,” her hand waved between them, “you and I both will know if this could really happen.”
Stopping her, he covered her hand with his. “I want it to work.”
She looked at him so long that he wasn’t sure whether she was going through another one of her trances when she finally said, “Me too.”
Chrysalis led him back to where it’d all ended. To the moon pool.
Stopping she spread her arm and nodded, “for so long, ever since I was four, I’ve come here. Dumping memories into those bushes,” she sighed, “wondering why the one voice in my head just wouldn’t go away. Trying to take it out of me with each pass through here.”
Sensing her sadness, he was moved to trace her cheek. She paused, stilled at his touch and it made his stomach twist, because to her this intimacy with him was all new. He’d held her before, talked with her, but never truly knowing it was her.
Vivid blue eyes full of keen intellect peered deeply at him before her lashes fluttered in acceptance of his touch.
“I’m not sure how to do this.” Her voice broke and he tugged her in for a hug.