Total pages in book: 169
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156210 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 781(@200wpm)___ 625(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
I don’t need declarations of love when Kyran offered me that.
Though an I-love-you would have been very, very welcome.
“Careful,” Kyran tells me, pushing the blade of his sword against a column of shadow I erected. “Now that you can manipulate it, it’s become a part of you. You can get hurt,” he says, and I flinch, sensing a pressure at the tips of my fingers.
My breath hitches, even though I’ve felt it before. I’m still not used to something outside my body being touchable. The other day, Kyran tickled my shadow when he taught me how to make it material, and it was the most disconcerting feeling. Maybe that’s what the sensation in a phantom limb is like?
Then again, the shadow is most definitely not phantom.
I have a long way to go until I can gain anything close to proficiency, even if I’m making progress. At least the novelty of gaining such a power makes me want to practice all the time and explore what it can do.
We’re in a room Kyran reserves for our practice. It’s mostly empty, with high ceilings, dark walls and long heavy curtains. For now, massive windows let in the silver light of the moon. In just five days, it will rise red, and the Blood Moon will mark our wedding day.
To say I can’t wait would be an understatement.
My life has spun off track within a month. I wouldn’t dream of leaving him at the altar like last time. In fact, if someone tried to stop me from marrying Kyran, I’d fight them tooth and nail, because he’s proven himself to be the man of my dreams. I can barely believe I will get to promise him a forever in front of everyone, and that I will get to live out my days in this magical realm, far away from my hateful mother, mocking sneers, and all the people who ever made me miserable.
I, Luke Moor, who thought he’d never grow to trust anyone, will have an actual happily ever after.
How crazy is that?
Maybe I did get hit on the head in the parking lot behind Best Burger Bonanza, and all this is an elaborate coma dream? But if that’s the case, I want to keep on dreaming, because my reality has never felt this good.
“But Tristan said my shadow is impossible to shatter, even for Heartbreak. That it’s why dipping Gloomdancer in it as we battle Heartbreak will make such a difference.”
He nods. “But then it’s me using your shadow. There’s a lot more to it, as you will learn, but this is different. If I attacked the shadow you’re manipulating, I could hurt you through it.”
I frown, confused. “Would I bleed or my shadow? Can a shadow bleed?”
“No,” Kyran says and makes a little slash with his sword. I whine, stepping away when my index finger stings. It’s a tiny cut, but I stare at it, deafened by the thudding of my own heart.
He pulls my hand close and sucks the injured digit to stop the bleeding. “I’m sorry. You will learn to avoid this. I should have warned you. I don’t want to hurt you, but you did say not to go easy on you.”
A whiney part of me regrets that a little, but I know I’ll remember this lesson better after experiencing the consequences.
And then he does make it better with a kiss. “We’ll put some salve on it later,” he adds.
I have to take a deep breath. “Thank you. I’ve never been particularly brave, but now I want to be. For you. Because I have to be ready to aid you when Heartbreak comes. Or whenever you need me.”
Kyran stalls, his eyes, dark gray as if they’re swirling with wisps of smoke, are focused on my face, and I offer him a smile.
I used to sometimes dress very much out of the norm when going to parties, or when I was feeling rebellious, but even then, I was stared at rather than seen. Kyran? He actually sees me for who I am and never seems bored of that person. He is not going to attempt to change me. He won't have his fun and leave. He wants me to share everything with him, and that is more than anyone has ever offered me.
I’m so stupidly in love with him.
Sometimes, it takes my breath away. Other times, I remember he is the very reason I'm still alive, and I’m so thankful that he chose me on the day when I gave up on myself. I have no idea how, but when I felt like a dirty, unwanted rag, he saw a diamond. And now, years later, I want him to feel like a precious gem too.
He might be a prince, but I’m the only person who knows about his struggles, his years in captivity, his feelings of inferiority toward a twin who sounds like a terrible person. He deserves to rule this whole damn world, and I am making it my life’s mission that he understands it.