Page 68 of Gilded Curses

He tilted his head to the side while studying her. “When you first entered the Cursed Realm, you probably never thought you’d say such a thing or cry for me.”

“That was before I learned you have a far kinder soul than you realize,” she whispered. “I don’t think you did this just to spite them.”

A small, sad smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “You may be the only immortal who thinks that of me.”

“And now you’re going to tell me I’m wrong and you’re a heartless bastard.”

“No. I’m going to tell you that if I have a far kinder soul than I realize, it’s because you gave it to me. You are my heart. You are my soul.”

Those words sucked the air from her lungs as his thumb stilled on her bottom lip, and his eyes held hers. Her heart raced as emotions flooded her.

That was by far one of the sweetest things she’d ever heard, and it had been uttered by Orin, her one-time enemy and now the man she loved. Unable to contain her emotions, she whispered, “I love you.”

Her jaw dropped at what she’d revealed. Sahira didn’t doubt Orin cared for her too, but the mention of love might make him run for the hills.

He’d just gotten to a point where he could admit he only wanted to be with her, and now, she’d dumped this on him. She was astonished there wasn’t already an Orin-shaped hole in the wall as he bolted away from her.

Instead of fleeing, he smiled before bending to kiss her. The tenderness of his lips caused her to melt as their tongues intertwined. His good hand slid around to clasp her head as he pulled her closer.

Panting and breathless, she broke the kiss when his cock lengthened against her belly. “You cannot be aroused right now,” she said.

He chuckled and kissed her cheek before nuzzling her ear. “I can’t help it, Enchantress. I want to fuck the woman I love.”

Sahira’s eyes flew up to his as shock riveted her to the spot. She’d believed they were past it, but she couldn’t help questioning if this was a game for him. Orin didn’t do love.

“It’s not a game,” he said as if reading her mind. “After this place, I’m done playing games. And I would never say those words without meaning them. I never have before, and I never will again.”

He traced her bottom lip with his thumb as his eyes bored into hers. He wasn’t lying to her; this wasn’t a game for him.

“I love you,” he said again.

Sahira grinned at him. “I know.”

He chuckled before resting his forehead against hers. “I’m going out there tonight, Sahira. And while I’m going to survive this place and make them all pay for what they’ve done, I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“You’re not in any condition to go anywhere.”

He brushed loose hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear before kissing her nose. “We can’t sit back and wait to see what’s going to happen anymore. We already know what they plan for us, and it will only get worse.”

“Then I’m going with you.”

“No. I can’t be worried about you while I’m out there; it will only slow me down and make it more dangerous for both of us.”

“Orin—”

Before she could protest further, he reclaimed her mouth in another kiss. Despite her determination to resist him, her fingers encircled his wrist, and she leaned into him.

She loved him, he loved her, and this could be their last night together. She couldn’t turn away from his kiss when she needed to feel this joining between them as badly as him.

He’d just lost his hand, was weakened, and should rest, but the stubborn man would leave tonight and not take her with him. Trying to fight him on it would be a lost cause, and she was so tired of fighting.

She tried to resist when his fingers skimmed her breast before finding the buttons running up the back of her dress. He slipped them free and broke the kiss to lean away so he could pull the dress forward.

“I’ll cast a protective spell over both of us,” she said as the front of her dress fell to her waist. “That way, you won’t have to be concerned about me, and you’ll have someone to watch your back.”

He smiled at her, but she saw the truth in his eyes; she wasn’t making a dent in his determination to leave her behind.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” she said angrily.