Page 91 of Legend
“My life did not begin until I met you.” He pushed back the bench, and it scraped loudly across the stone floor as he stood. “You are without a doubt the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
My heart pounded as he walked around the table and took my hands in his. “I have fallen in love with a human woman. I have fallen in love with you, Fiona.”
He pulled me up so that I was standing, and I stepped over the bench so I could face him. My throat was tight as I looked up at him.
“I was wrong about humans, I was wrong about the human women at the academy, and I was especially wrong about you.” He cupped my chin on one hand and leaned down so that our faces were so close I could feel his breath. “You are the most incredible, brilliant, talented, gorgeous female I have ever encountered in all my years and all my travels across the galaxy, and I love you more than I believed it was possible to love someone.”
My breath was shallow as tears blurred my vision and my heart hammered relentlessly. I had not imagined that I would win or that he would say such sweet words to me—and mean them. But there was so much intensity and feeling in his words they were no longer the ones I’d given him. They were his own.
The walls I’d so carefully built from my own pain and loss crumbled to dust, and I saw in his eyes that his own barriers were gone. Neither of us were holding the other at arm’s length so we would not be hurt, disappointed, abandoned. Neither of us were letting fear rule our hearts, but instead of feeling panic that I was so unprotected, I felt relief. Relief and joy.
I couldn’t remember feeling such happiness since before my brother died, but even thinking of Jack now didn’t bring the usual twist of pain in my heart. It made me smile, which I know he would have loved. He had loved making me smile and laugh, something I’d almost forgotten in my desperate attemptto shield my heart from being broken again. I managed to nod as I fought off tears, even though my throat was so tight it was impossible for me to speak.
“Oh,” he added with a smile, “I will spend the rest of my life making up for being such a colossal dick to you when we first met.” He brushed a kiss across my lips and then scooped me into his arms. “Starting now.”
He started toward the door, but I glanced back at the table.
“What about my winnings?”
He laughed as he walked. “Who said you won?”
I curled my arms around his neck and leaned my head against his shoulder. “Oh, I won.”
Chapter
Sixty-Nine
Kann
Iran across the suspended bridge as it swayed over the deep, misty chasm, the rickety wooden slats cracking and wobbling beneath my feet. An arrow zipped past my ear and was so close it ruffled my hair.
“Grekme.” I forced myself to keep my gaze forward as I raced toward the other side that was blanketed in fog, my heart hammering. There was no point in looking back and confirming what I already knew—the aliens were gaining on me.
This wasn’t the first time I had faced off against the pygmy barbarians of the Lanthow, but today, they seemed faster than usual. Or I was slower. I gritted my teeth and lifted my knees higher, refusing to believe that they could catch me, even though the looming fog prevented me from seeing how muchfarther I needed to push myself before my feet were on solid ground again. Well, as solid as the ground got for Lanthow.
Another arrow skimmed my shoulder just as I squinted through the white haze to make out the edge of the chasm. I was almost there. I pumped my arms and bent low as the bridge shook from my relentless pace. Then I lengthened my stride, giving a final leap through the air to reach land as everything around me dissolved. The bridge fell away, the fog vanished, and I landed on nothing but the hard floor of the holo-chamber.
“What in thegrekkinghell?” I popped to my feet, wincing from the pain of my knees hitting something much harder than soil.
I strode to the exit, pressing the panel for the door to slide open, and stomped into the corridor. Two figures at the control panel jerked to standing. Well, one jerked and one merely glanced over at me.
“Were you in there?” Britta slapped her hands to her cheeks as I glared daggers at her and the Taori, who was cocking his head at me in either confusion to amusement, not that I cared at that point.
“Yes, I was in there,” I snapped. “You did not check before you opened the operating panel?”
Britta’s face flushed. “I was showing Zav the holo-chamber programming. I guess I got too excited and forgot to check.”
I exhaled, calming myself as I watched Britta’s pained expression. I knew the cadet well. She did not make mistakes. “It is fine. I am not hurt.” Even though my knees stung from the impact, a Blade would never admit to such a minor injury.
“I apologize for interrupting your session in the holo-chamber,” Zav said. “I understand that they are extremely lifelike, although they should not be dangerous. Is that correct?”
“Correct,” I admitted.
“As long as the safety protocols are engaged and functional,” Britta said, with a nervous giggle.
Zav nodded. “I should go. As part of my posting here, I must check in periodically with the Academy Master’s adjunct.”
“Tivek?” Britta tugged two sections of her high ponytail to tighten it. “He’s also really good at Drexian cards.” When the Taori raised an eyebrow, she shrugged and laughed again. “Not that you’d ever need to play cards during a check-in.”