Page 123 of The King has Fallen
He gave that warm rumble that vibrated in his chest and made me smile. “I will hold your heart, and your hand, and any other part of your body that—”
I sucked in a breath and tried to whip around to face him, but with our hands bound together and his arm across my chest, the best I could do was to twist and look at him over my shoulder.
“You understood the words?” I gasped.
Melek frowned. “Did you think singing hid them?”
“No! I—Melek… I was singing in the ancient tongue. The tongue ofangels.Not fallen ones—you could understand those words? How? Who taught you?”
His frown deepened as he stared down at me. “I wasn’t aware of another tongue. You were just singing. You’ve always just sung—was this song different?”
I almost swallowed my tongue. “You understoodallthe songs I sang?”
It was a stunning revelation. The ancient tongue of angels was known and spoken by so few. A supernatural gift to those of pure heart. If Melek could understand it…
“Yilan, is your brain addled? You weren’t singing anything different than we speak.”
“Yes, Melek I was! And that can only mean… Melek, you don’t just have a soul. If you can understand the tongue of angels,you are called by God.”
“Why do you say that as if it is a surprise?” he muttered. “I’ve told you from the beginning I walk in God’s blessing.”
“Yes, but—argh!” I lifted his arm back over my head and turned around to face him, pushing to my feet. Thankfully he followed and stood also, which let me grip his shirt. I had to make him understand how important this was.
His brows rose when I took hold of him, but he didn’t fight me, even with the bound hand.
“This only proves mypoint,” I insisted, craning my neck to look him right in the eye and leaning in, shaking him. Or trying to. Moving the bulk of him felt akin to trying to shake a stone wall.
“Melek, don’t you see? You aren’t justmyhope. You are the hope of every person in this world. Theironlyhope to be ruled in redemption, not rebellion.”
“Not this again,” he growled.
“You hear the tongue of angels!”
“If that is true, it is only because I listen to the God who created them.”
“And you want me to believe He hasn’t opened His hand for you to rule?!”
“Yes, I do,” he said, his eyes flat.
“Have you asked the question?”
“No.”
“But then how can you—”
“Because I do notwant it,Yilan. And surely if it was in His plan I would at least desire it?”
I leaned back a hair. “Did you desire me on our first meeting?”
His lips pursed and a warning flashed in his eyes.
“You see! We don’t always—”
“Yilan, please. I ambeggingyou,” he growled, pulling my hands from his shirt, holding them in his, staring at me intently. “Youhaveto let this go.”
“But if Gall’s safety is your only concern, I know we can arrange—”
“Of course that’s not the only thing!” he snapped, then caught himself and looked over my shoulder, scowling at the lake and the trees and the distant moon. He breathed deeply, and was clearly working to control himself while I stood between his feet, heart pounding, my chest tight with the frustration of howblindhe was to his own strength. He refused to see what he was. What he could be!
