Chapter 131: Making a Decision

Elara:

The man lying across the couch looked completely at ease, one arm resting lazily against the back while a spell book had been placed directly over his face. I didn’t need to remove it to know who he was. There was only one person who could somehow turn the quiet corner of the library into his personal bedroom without anyone apparently having the courage to question him.

Kairo Greymark.

I hadn’t expected to find him here tonight, and I certainly hadn’t expected to find him sleeping on a couch that I had absolutely no idea had ever existed in this library, let alone when it had appeared.

For several seconds, I simply stood there staring at him, wondering whether I should leave before he noticed me. Instead, curiosity won.

I stepped closer, my hand instinctively reaching toward the spell book covering his face, but I stopped myself just before my fingers touched it.

What exactly was I thinking? Sneaking up on a sleeping Kairo and removing the book from his face was precisely the sort of thing that could turn into a situation I wasn’t prepared to deal with.

I immediately turned around, deciding that walking away was the safest possible option, but I hadn’t even managed to take a single step when a hand suddenly closed around mine.

My entire body froze and my heart slammed violently against my ribs as Kairo’s fingers tightened gently around my wrist, stopping me before I could escape, and then his familiar voice reached me from behind, low and slightly rough with sleep as he asked, "How long are you planning to ignore me?"

There was something in his voice that made my stomach twist. It wasn’t teasing. It wasn’t playful. It was genuine pain, and somehow that hurt more than any flirtatious remark could have.

Slowly, I turned around, and my throat immediately went dry. Kairo had pushed the spell book aside, leaving his face completely exposed, but somehow that wasn’t what made it difficult to breathe.

His ash black hair was ruffled from sleep, strands falling carelessly across his forehead, and his shirt was half unbuttoned, revealing far too much of his broad, muscular chest.

It was snowing outside, the temperature had dropped enough that the library should have been freezing, and yet this man was dressed as though he were preparing to sit somewhere under the summer sun with an iced coffee. I realized I had been staring far too long only when he suddenly tugged on the hand he was still holding.

I stumbled forward with a sharp gasp, falling directly into his arms before I could catch myself. My hands instinctively pressed against his chest to steady myself, and suddenly our faces were far too close. Close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath against my skin.

Every rational thought in my head screamed at me to step away immediately, but my body refused to cooperate.

Kairo’s arm slid around my waist, holding me securely against him while his other hand lifted toward my face and gently pushed a loose strand of hair away from my cheek. His eyes searched mine for several seconds before he quietly admitted, "I would have happily apologized to you again for kissing you that night. I would have promised to keep my distance if I hadn’t known you wanted me too."

My breath caught. Being called out so directly made heat rush through my face, and I should have denied it. I should have told him he was imagining things, that he had misunderstood me, that whatever moment had passed between us meant nothing. But I couldn’t.

The truth sat between us, impossible to ignore, because somewhere beneath all my confusion and fear, I knew he was right.

His fingers moved slowly along my cheek, tracing a soft line toward my chin before he gently tilted my face upward until I was looking directly into his eyes. There was no teasing in his expression now, only a quiet intensity that made my heart pound harder.

"Then why are you punishing both of us?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why are you holding yourself back when you already know what you feel?" ℯℯ𝑙.

I stared at him without answering, my thoughts racing in every possible direction at once. I had been avoiding him because I was afraid.

Afraid of making another mistake. Afraid of becoming attached to someone when my life was already complicated enough. Afraid that allowing myself to want something could somehow make me weaker. There were enemies surrounding me, mysteries I hadn’t solved, powers I still couldn’t control, and a royal identity I was only beginning to understand. Surely this wasn’t the time to complicate everything with feelings.

And then, unexpectedly, Violet’s voice echoed inside my head.

"If you like someone, enjoy liking them. If they make you happy, let yourself be happy. If you discover you don’t want anything more, walk away. You don’t need to turn every attraction into some grand, terrifying decision about your future."

At that time, these words had sounded almost too simple. Now, wrapped in Kairo’s arms with his eyes fixed on mine, they suddenly made perfect sense.

I didn’t have to decide what Kairo meant for my future. I didn’t need to know whether this attraction would last or whether it would eventually become something deeper. I didn’t need to promise him anything, and I certainly didn’t need to promise myself anything. I only needed to decide what I wanted right now.

My heart answered before my mind could interfere. I closed the remaining distance between us and kissed Kairo.

His lips were softer than I remembered and colder from the room. He made a sound low in his chest the moment I touched him - surprise, relief, or maybe something rawer than either.

His hand slid from my chin into my hair, while the arm at my waist hauled me in until there was no space left between us. Nothing but his mouth opening under mine and the taste of him, mint and cold air and something sweet underneath.

His fingers spread wide at the small of my back and pressed, and my hand fisted in the open front of his shirt and stayed there.

The book hit the floor, and neither of us looked.