2_-_court_of_mist_and_fury_a_-_sarah_j._maas

CHAPTER
55
I watched him consume every spoonful, his eyes darting between where I stood and the
soup.
When he was done, he set down his spoon.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?” he said at last.
“I was going to tell you what I’d decided the moment I saw you on the threshold.”
Rhys twisted in his seat toward me. “And now?”
Aware of every breath, every movement, I sat in his lap. His hands gently braced my
hips as I studied his face. “And now I want you to know, Rhysand, that I love you. I want
you to know … ” His lips trembled, and I brushed away the tear that escaped down his
cheek. “I want you to know,” I whispered, “that I am broken and healing, but every piece
of my heart belongs to you. And I am honored—honored to be your mate.”
His arms wrapped around me and he pressed his forehead to my shoulder, his body
shaking. I stroked a hand through his silken hair.
“I love you,” I said again. I hadn’t dared say the words in my head. “And I’d endure
every second of it over again so I could find you. And if war comes, we’ll face it.
Together. I won’t let them take me from you. And I won’t let them take you from me,
either.”
Rhys looked up, his face gleaming with tears. He went still as I leaned in, kissing away
one tear. Then the other. As he had once kissed away mine.
When my lips were wet and salty with them, I pulled back far enough to see his eyes.
“You’re mine,” I breathed.
His body shuddered with what might have been a sob, but his lips found my own.
It was gentle—soft. The kiss he might have given me if we’d been granted time and
peace to meet across our two separate worlds. To court each other. I slid my arms around
his shoulders, opening my mouth to him, and his tongue slipped in, caressing my own.
Mate—my mate.
He hardened against me, and I groaned into his mouth.
The sound snapped whatever leash he’d had on himself, and Rhysand scooped me up in
a smooth movement before laying me flat on the table—amongst and on top of all the
paints.
He deepened the kiss, and I wrapped my legs around his back, hooking him closer. He
tore his lips from my mouth to my neck, where he dragged his teeth and tongue down my