Cyprus released the breath he'd been holding since the words, "you would have". He'd looked to the future so many times, and he'd never seen Jilsenna's death, never seen an ambush, never seen the chaos and blood, only Sadihra's naked skin kissed by shadows. Had he known
He shook it away and cleared his throat, slowly absorbing the rest of her words. His voice was soft when he murmured, "You're not alone, Sadihra. I'm here. I'm always here."
She lifted her face, her cheek close to his, her breath on his chin. "I know."
His body tightened as he gazed down into her broken blue eyes. Tears sparkled in her long eyelashes, like delicate crystals, and dripped down her face. Gently, he wiped them away with his free hand, letting his fingertips linger against her damp cheek. He felt the catch of her breath, saw the way her pupils expanded, the way she caught her delicate bottom lip between her teeth.
His voice was barely a whisper, "I'll always be here."