Page 53 of Stolen Thorn Bride
Dechlan was sparring with Garvan, who took one look at Kasia and promptly called out, “Clear the yard!”
Not a single elf hesitated, and several leaped the barriers before disappearing at a run.
Had he been such a bear lately?
A moment’s consideration of the looming confrontation reminded him that he probably had.
Dechlan lowered his practice blade as his bondmate approached—stiff, but apparently unhurt. And utterly furious.
“I’m glad to see that you’re well,” he said, as neutrally as he was able. “Have you come to train?”
“Have I come to train?” she echoed, a sarcastic edge to her voice. “Dechlan, not so very many days ago, I thought you were dying. I passed out on the field, and when I woke up back here, all I wanted to know was whether we’d been in time to save your life. Clearly, you were fine. Just fine. But it didn’t occur to you evenonceto come tell me yourself?”
He started to say that he’d been otherwise occupied, but his bondmate deserved better than that—she deserved the truth. And while part of him wished to delay the inevitable as long as possible, that delay would buy him nothing but more pain. The longer she stayed, the harder it would be to let her go.
“I wanted to tell you,” he said wearily, throwing his practice blade aside with more force than strictly necessary. “I wanted to sit by your side until you awakened, and reassure you that the battle was won. I wanted to tell you that the Northwatch is safe, and that I nearly hung Fionn, Callum, and Nuala from the battlements for allowing you to leave the Keep in the first place. But in the end, it seems I am too much a coward.”
He glanced up, met her eyes, and saw her fear. She was afraid. Not of him, but of what he was about to say. Because… she knew. Someone had told her, and there could be no more hesitating. No more putting this off.
“Kasia, Fionn finally admitted what they did to you.”
Her arms folded, and her lips pinched together. “And?”
“This changes everything,” he said, as gently as he was able when everything within him was screaming for her to stay. “They broke our laws and stole you from the world where you belong. To continue to keep you here against your will would be a greater crime against justice than allowing you to return.”
“So you’re letting me go?” The expression on her face was indecipherable, and her emotions were in such turmoil he could read nothing with certainty.
“I’m sending you home,” he said, keeping his own inflection level so she could not tell how much it hurt him to say it.
She flinched anyway.
“And how long will I be staying?” she asked, her flat tone matching his.
“Kasia.” He folded his arms. “I’m saying that you’re going home for good.”
Her eyes widened, and she suddenly felt… hurt. “What if Iwantto come back?” she said. “Dechlan, my magic worked against the wraiths. I don’t know how, but it did, and I believe I could actually make a difference here. I might not be a warrior, but—”
“No.” He would not allow himself to consider this. Could not allow her to go on. “You should never have been brought here, Kasia. It was a crime, and I cannot continue to let it stand, but neither can I allow free passage across our borders. It would destroy everything we’ve fought so long to protect.”
Her chin came up, and despite the strength of her will, he could see it trembling. “And what if I plan to tell everyone in my village what I’ve seen here? What if I go to my king and tell him about the wraiths? About everything!”
He almost smiled at the absurdity of such an idea. Heknewher. She was brave and honorable and a defender to her core. She would never take an action that would threaten the safety of his people.
“Kasia, I will not hold you against your will any longer.”
She strode forward until she could have reached out and touched his chest, but her hands remained at her sides.
He wished she would touch him again—wished she would wrap her arms around his waist and lean on him for comfort as she’d done once before.
But he had no right to wish it. No right to accept the warmth of her touch after what he’d done to her.
“And what if I want to stay?” she asked boldly. “What if I don’t want to leave you?”
He could convince her to stay with him, he realized suddenly. All he had to do was tell her the truth. He could reveal that their bond was a true one, on his side at least. He could tell her that he’d come to genuinely care for her. That she was a bright, unquenchable fire in the darkness of his life. That her warmth had finally thawed the ice that had encased his heart since Aureann’s death.
But if she stayed—if she never found out for sure whether her family was all right—he knew she would always regret it. So he steeled himself to lie to her once more, and in the process, drive a knife through his own heart.
“Don’t be concerned that it will hurt me,” he said, as casually as he was able. “If the bond were a true one, we would have known it by now. I know you are worried for your siblings, and I can see how you are struggling to fit in here. Perhaps it is for the best if you return to your life, and I to mine.”