Alaric's POV
Lyra sucked in a breath, her chest pressing against mine. God, I wanted to shut her up with my mouth, to steal that shocked gasp right from her lips.
But she had to hear this first.
"I'd be the world's biggest idiot," I said, my voice coming out rougher than I intended, "if I walked away from you. The wedding's off—I called it last night. Was planning to drag you into my office today to lay it all out. Guess you saved me the trouble."
Her lips parted in surprise. We stared at each other, electricity crackling between us. Then her hand shot out and slapped my arm—though she barely put any strength behind it.
"You almost let me break our bond!" she said, breathless.
I couldn't hold back the low laugh that escaped. The sound made her arch into me, molding her body against mine.
"Wasn't going to let you do a damn thing," I murmured, my mouth hovering near her ear. "Just wanted to give you the choice, if that's what it took to make you happy."
