Kingdom of Ash

Aelin would curse him for a fool.
He didn’t know what to do about the tattoo
down his face, his neck and arm. The lie it
told of his loss, and the truth it revealed of his
blindness.
He’d come to love Lyria—that had been
true. And the guilt of it ate him alive
whenever he thought of it, but he could
understand now. Why Lyria had been so
frightened of him for those initial months,
why it had been so damn hard to court her,
even with that mating bond, its truth unknown
to Lyria as well. She had been gentle, and
quiet, and kind. A different sort of strength,
yes, but not what he might have chosen for
himself.
He hated himself for thinking it.
Even as the rage consumed him at the
thought, at what had been stolen from him.
From Lyria, too. Aelin had been his, and he