Then he’s kissing me, his lips soft against mine. “One day, you’ll tell people the story of the faery king and the human girl,” Kiaran whispers. “And how he watched from afar as she lived out twenty thousand human days. And if she listened closely during winter, when the wind was cold and the nights were longest, she could hear him whisper that he cherished her so much he was willing to give her the world.”
I shut my eyes before tears fall. “What if I don’t want the world?” I ask him. “What if I just want you?”
“You already have me. This doesn’t change that.” Another kiss, and then he pulls away and I feel his absence like an ache. “I’m not asking your permission. I’m telling you to let me go.”