Page 30 of Clash of Kingdoms
I was quiet, unsure what to say to that.
“It was hard for her to accept at first, but then she embraced it.”
“She could have changed back if she wanted to…right?”
“Technically,” he said.
“And you could have changed too.”
“Yes.” His eyes were on his cards.
“Can I ask you something?”
He put down his cards, and of course, both of our hands were defeated by Fang’s. “Always.”
I knew Kingsnake’s kindness and openness came from his love for his brother. He didn’t strike me as the kind of man to make small talk with a human like me. He had a beautiful wife whose company he undoubtedly preferred to mine. “Would you be willing to be human for her?”
Fang hissed before he gathered the cards again, the victor in yet another match.
Kingsnake remained silent, as if he’d dismissed the question.
I didn’t repeat it.
“I told her I would if I had no other choice, but I really didn’t want to. Why would I want to live a single life with her when we could have forever? I understood her desire to have children, but life can be just as fulfilling without them. More so, if you ask me.”
“But you would make that sacrifice?”
“Our love wouldn’t be real if I weren’t willing to make the same sacrifice that I asked her to make.”
I wasn’t willing to sacrifice my mortality for Aurelias, and he wasn’t willing to make that sacrifice either. But our love felt so real, as real as the sunrise every morning and the rainfall on an autumn day.
“I understand your curiosity. Aurelias is one of the most hardheaded men I’ve ever known, and I can’t see him choosing a mortal life for any reason. I don’t say that to hurt you, but to prepare you.”
Aurelias had already told me this, but it still hurt to hear it from another source.
“As much as I love my brother, I don’t think you should make a sacrifice he’s unwilling to make himself. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”
My eyes had drifted away, my heart heavy. “Does Larisa have any regrets?”
“It’s been such a short amount of time that I don’t think there’s been an opportunity for regret. Maybe someday in the future she will. But I will make her so happy that she’ll never have the chance to feel a moment of lament.”
I sat in front of the warm fireplace with a book on my lap, reading the same sentence over and over because I couldn’t focus. The sun had set, and the frost pressed against the windows. My bed was empty because Aurelias was still gone. I’d only slept beside him a couple nights, but without him there, I felt utterly lost.
The door cracked, and then Fang slithered across the floor, approaching the rug and then the couch. He climbed up then curled his body into a ball, his head perched on top.
The door opened wider, and Larisa entered, wearing an oversized shirt that obviously belonged to her husband and lounge trousers. “Fang wanted to keep you company. Is that okay?”
“Of course it is.” I scratched my nails over the scales on his head, and he closed his eyes in relaxation. “I’m pretty lonely without Aurelias.” He wasn’t much of a talker, but his presence brought a sense of peace to my soul. He felt like…home. “But I don’t want to take him from you.” I looked at her.
“Honestly, he’s been sleeping under the sheets right between us because it’s cold, and it would be nice to have a break… He’s kind of a cockblock.”
I chuckled. “Well, there’s no cock to block here, unfortunately.”
She turned away. “Goodnight.”
“Larisa?”
She looked at me again.