“
You did it once, you can do it again. Please, I
need
to see her.
”
I saw the hesitation in his eyes, but he
nodded slowly and pa
tted my shoulder. He leaned forward and whispered,
“
Come back
at midnight
when the rest have been reassigned. I
’
ll get you to her.
”
I exhaled with relief and took a step away from him.
“
Thank you.
”
“
I
’
m just as dead as you are, no need to thank me,
”
he said ruefully, smiling.
“
This girl must be something special.
”
As I treaded down the dirt roads and waited in the trees for midnight, I said with a smile,
“
She is.
”
I just hoped she
’
d still be there waiting for me.
T W E N T Y-
O N E
Echo
W
hat was love anyway?
I thought contritely.
Love wasn
’
t
an emoti
on or a feeling you suddenly got
when you
’
re around someone. Love wasn
’
t something you thought about or regretted. Love was something you allowed to control you, and you prayed to the gods it would lead you to the right person. Love was addicting, a sinful narcotic. Love was…
Love was
Ayden
.
I sighed and shifted on the boulder I
’
d been lying on for hours. Tears streamed down my face and I was too depressed to move, to will myself to return to the palace. I wondered if Ayden was screaming for me, missing me. I was sure he realized he couldn
’
t get through the border by now, and it filled my heart with a void so unlike any other that it, on top of breathing becoming impossible, living became ridiculous.
My heart aching for Ayden was ridiculous, but for seventeen years I had tried to squeeze myself into a world not fit for me, and he came along and showed me that it wasn
’
t about squeezing or fitting in, dammit, but becoming a part of something—some
one
—that already has
a place for you. There would be no n
eed for fitting in because I would
already
be
welcomed.
Was it too much to wish for the best? Or to hope for a happy ending? Couldn
’
t I have it if I wanted it? Couldn
’
t I have Ayden? Couldn
’
t we be happy? Forever? I cried out and my
heart
burned within my chest
. I hated my father for making me choose between Ay
den
’
s life and my own happiness.
Didn
’
t he know that they were one in the
same?
Time away from Ayden was unthinkable, him gone was unimaginable. This man who
’
d practically come out of nowhere and stolen my heart.
My feet moved before I could stop them. I felt like an infant taking their very first steps, my legs shaking and bones snapping. The sun had long gone down and left me alone and unsheltered. The river roared in front of me and I stared into the black abyss
, holding
back the tears that came. My hands shook and my faith waned. What gods would do this to me? What could I have possibly done?
I turned to walk back, and there he was.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes watching me with longing and love. I opened my mouth to say something, but found myself running to him instead. I slammed into
him
and nearly knocked him to the ground.
“
Oh, gods!
”
I cried.
“
Ayd—
”
He quieted me with his lips and I melted into him, crying but
refusing to let him go in fear that I
’
d been conjuring dreams of him again. But the way his hands held me told me this was very much the realest moment of my life.
He pulled
back
and wiped away the tears from my cheeks. I wanted to
tell him
about a million things, but he said,
“
We should talk, Echo.
”
I nodded, kissing his lips again, and allowed him to lead me back to the boulder. My knees buckled under the anxiety, but he was here. And that was all that mattered.
“
How
’
d you g
et pass the border?
”
I asked
,
embracing
him. I would have sat in his lap if he didn
’
t look so serious about what he wanted to talk about.
“
I know a guard and he let me go.
”
He looked down at me and stared directly into my eyes as if he could see through my soul and all the clustered emotions I
’
d accumulated in the past weeks.
“
There
’
s something that I need to tell you.
”
I frowned. It wasn
’
t what I was expecting, not at all.
“
No. I don
’
t want to hear it, Ayden.
Please
. I missed you so much. My
father—,
”
I chocked on a sob,
“
m
y father knows about us and he
’
s threatened your life, even your mother
’
s.
I wanted to go to you, but I feared the guards at the border
would stop
me.
”
Ayden
’
s eyes shone with tears and it frightened me, never before seeing a man cry. It was emotional and genuine. To be honest, it felt like I was losing him already.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and stood. I
pulled
my dress over my head and Ayden asked,
“
What are you doing?
”
I turned from him and slipped off my underskirt.
I took off my sweater and my bodice next, standing
in front of him with nothing but my
undergarments
. I whispered,
“
My mother thinks me to be asleep, Ayden. The palace
slumbers
and I am
here
with you. If this moment is all I have, I will regret nothing. I
’
ll cherish every moment.
”
He smiled, beautiful and bright.
“
Is that so?
”
I nodded.
“
Shall we go for a swim?
”
I stared out at the water and smiled through the tears and the sadness that hid behind this moment.
“
We shall.
”
He stood and began undressing.
I watched him for a moment, admiring his physique unab
ashedly, and leaned forward to kiss
his cheek. I whispered into his ear,
“
Beat you there.
”
I ran in the direction of the waves, feeling alive for the very first time, and hit the water with a start. I didn
’
t get too far in, though. I felt Ayden
’
s arms grab me from behind and I squealed. The water was cold, but his
arms around me were
warm and familiar.
“
Cheater,
”
he whispered into my ear. I laughed and turned out of his arms to splash him with water. His face in the light of the moon was stunning
.
“
You
’
re asking for it, Princess.
”
“
Asking for what, Hunter?
”
I laughed, swimming away from him. He easily caught up and held me in a tight embrace. I looked up at him and caught myself smiling, something I
did
so frequently
now
thanks to him
.
Ayden reached out and touched my face. My breath caught in my throat and I closed my eyes.
“
You are so beautiful,
”
he whispered. Tears came to my eyes and I tried
desperately
to hold them back. I
’
d heard that so many time
s
from Noah, but hearing it from Ayden? It was like a blessing bestowed upon me, filling me with hope again.
“
You don
’
t mean that,
”
I said, wrapping my arms around him. He was warm and still smelled of that rich Ayden scent—
lilacs
and leather, a mix of working in the garden and Miss Othman
’
s shop.
Ayden shook his head and kissed my forehead with a long, lingering kiss that spoke volumes.
“
If I had the money to spell it out in the clouds, Echo, I would. I would write it on the stars, on the moon. Your
beauty is foreign and special. Any man to forsake you is a damn fool, and I promise you that would never be me.
”
I let the tears fall and they felt colder than the water I stood in. I leaned in and kissed Ayden
’
s lips gently, unsure of the emotions flooding me. He meant it. He thought I was beautiful, and coming from a man who had become the very air I breathed, I would cherish it.
I broke away and held him close, loving the proximity and the feel of his skin against my own. I missed the sound of his voice and
the way his presence had a way of making me feel like I was walking on water. His kisses had quickly become a drug, an ever-sweet reminder that he was love. That this was love. I held onto him and my heart soared.
This is love. This is your life, Echo. Own it.
I smiled and traced circles into Ayden
’
s chest.
“
Take me away,
”
I whispered to him.
“
I don
’
t care what my father thinks or how angry my mother gets. I just want to be with you.
I want to be happy.
”
He ran his fingers through my hair and said,
“
I wish I could, Echo, but I
’
m afraid I can
’
t.
”
He kissed my forehead and held me closer.
“
I
’
d take you as far from here as I could. Anywhere you want to go, but not in this life.
”
“
I get married in days, Ayden. I
’
ve tried so
hard to make them listen to me,
”
I cried into his chest.
“
Promise me you won
’
t let them take this freedom from me. I don
’
t think I could survive a day without seeing you. It hurts too much.
”
“
I promise.
”
He nodded, tears in his eyes. He kissed my lips, and then whispered,
“
I have
something for you.
”
Without
another word, he pulled me in the direction of the shore and we climbed out of the water, undergarments sticking to our bodies. My hand in his, he sat me on the boulder and smiled
up
at me. He reached into his trouser pockets and my eyes caught something silver. The moon hit it and the glass heart glistened in the light. I stared at it, the b
leeding heart captured within
, and then at him. I wanted to say something, but words just wouldn
’
t come.
“
You—
”
I started.
Ayden shook his head and kneeled down into the sand. I sighed br
eathlessly and slid down the boulder to sit beside him.
“
You
’
re so far away,
”
he whispered to me,
“
it
’
s almost impossible to not miss you.
I
f I could, I would knock down every border that dared stand in my way of getting to you
every day
. Right here.
”
I stared into his violet eyes and smiled. He took my hand and feathered a kiss to each of my knuckles.
“
The distance is too much,
”
I whispered.
He chuckled silently and nodded.
“
It is.
But I
’
ve been wandering in this darkness, Echo, I
’
ve been so—
”
“
Lost,
”
I finished for him.
“
Lost, absolutely. But then you come along with this irresistible smile and brighten up my life. It
’
s ridiculous, but it
’
s how you make me feel.
”
He unclasped the necklace in his hand and I moved for him to put it around my neck. The heart pendant sparkled against my olive skin where it lay just above my own beating heart.