Broken Prince (The Broken Ones) (30 page)

Finally he nodded and crouched down. Garen sat and for
some reason opened his mouth. Aro watched in fascinated horror as Prince set
the sphere in Garen’s mouth and then sat back quickly.

Garen snapped his jaws shut. Color erupted, shooting
out from between his teeth as he snorted and pranced about, shaking his head.
With a final shake the lights faded away.

Did that hurt?

It was…unpleasant,
he answered her.

He sat before Prince and, tilting his massive head
back, opened his mouth again. Before he snapped it shut,
she
vaguely saw a tattoo on the roof of his
mouth.

Now I can protect you anywhere.

Garen, you didn’t have to do that.

Yes, I did.
It
was the perfect gift.
With another snort he padded over to meet the new
horses. They didn’t appear disturbed by him at all.

"Arowyn."

Her stomach twisted. The time had come.

Tearing her eyes away from the others, she found
Prince
standing before her,
staring down into her eyes. His hand rose to cup her cheek, his thumb tracing
back and forth across her skin.

Refusing to close her eyes to savor the
feel of his touch, she kept her gaze on him. After this, she’d never see him
again. She wanted to, needed to, remember every detail.

"I’ll miss you," she whispered
finally.

His eyes lowered for a moment, pain
crossing his face, marring his beautiful features. Looking up, a sad smile
crossed his lips. "I will see you again. One day."

The tears were suddenly so very persistent.
Blinking rapidly, she hardened herself against them. "One day," she
repeated. Her answering smile wavered, but it was the best she could do.

His hand dropped from her face. "Thank
you, for bringing me home."

A nod was all she could manage. She wanted
so very much to pull him to her and beg him to stay. He couldn’t, and she knew
it, just as she couldn’t go with him. It tore her apart.

Forcing one more small smile, he turned…and
walked away.

That was all?

Eyes burning, she clenched her fists and
struggled to keep breathing. This wasn’t how it she’d imagined their parting,
but it was done, the moment over.

Staring after him, watching him slowly walk
away from her, broke her down into little pieces. Inhaling a slow breath, she
held it, and then let it out just as slowly. This was how it had to be. It
hurt, but she would survive, and so would he.

I love you,
she whispered into his mind. She would have no
regrets.

At first, she wasn’t sure he’d heard her as
he continued to walk toward the gates. Then he stopped suddenly, motionlessly staring
straight ahead.

She sucked in a startled breath as he spun
on his heel and came charging toward her. Had she made him angry saying it one
last time? Steeling herself for a fight, she tensed as he quickly reached her.

Sweeping her up into his arms, his lips
found hers. He kissed her, firmly and deeply, leaving no doubt in her mind he was
quite serious.

She pressed her hands against his chest,
weakly trying to push him away. His pity was the last thing she wanted. She
refused to let him play games with her.
I told you not to kiss me unless–

I know.

Her heart stuttered at his answer and she
gasped against his lips. Taking advantage of the moment, his tongue slid across
her lower lip before gently dipping inside. A tremble rolled through her as she
melted in his arms. Slipping her hands up his arms, she twined them around his
neck, into his hair, pulling him closer as his mouth devoured hers.

Dipping over her, his hair fell around her
face as he held her ever tighter. She pushed up against him, wanting to be
closer. Their kiss turned frantic, demanding. Heat and longing and need coursed
through her veins and along every nerve. They kissed as though they’d never
kiss again.

Hearts pounding, both gasping for breath, he
reluctantly pulled back. Stunned, she stared up at him, her lips slightly
parted in wonder.

Placing a slow kiss to her lips, he then
rested his forehead against hers. They stood quietly for a moment, hearts still
racing, before she felt his sigh on her skin.

"I must go."

"I know."

"Please, be safe, my Arowyn," he
said quietly.

She tilted her head up. "I will. Be
safe, my prince," she whispered.
Be safe, Shael.

I will.

It seemed so sudden when he pulled away,
leaving her cold despite her flushed face and racing heart. Again, she watched
him turn and walk away, though his steps were much quicker this time. Watching
him leave again was torture. She supposed, she hoped, it wasn’t any easier on
him to go.

As he reached the opened gates her eyes
caught the rows of Elven warriors and her face burned again. "Wither me."
She’d forgotten they were there. They’d seen…

Her tender lips pressed into a firm line
and she raised her chin and straightened her shoulders. They would not think
her some weak human woman. If they gave Prince any trouble…they better hope she
never heard of it.

Prince did not look back as he crossed into
his land. The other Elves filed in to either side of him and then the beautiful,
massive gates glided silently closed.

The boom of their closing made her jump,
but she continued to stare at them, wishing she could see through them.

Truly, she
was
stronger now. After all, she’d
just lost another of her boys, her love, and she wasn’t even crying. The man she
loved had kissed her, he returned her love, and still she didn’t cry as he
walked away from her.

Aro stared at the gates for another moment
and then lifted her chin and turned to her grinning boys. "Let’s head out.
We have a horse to return."

She might have "One Day" to wait for, but she
still had a life to live.

Other Works by
Jen Wylie

The Broken Ones

-Broken
Aro

-Broken
Prince

Flashy Fiction and Other
Insane Tales (anthology with Sean Hayden)

-Volumes
1 & 2

Sweet Light (novel)

Ring Around the Rosie (short
story)

Jump (short story)

Immortal Echoes

-The
Forgotten Echo (novella)

-The
Untouchable Echo (short story)

Tales of Ever (YA novella
series)

-Banished

-Fire
Girl

-Shadow
Boy

-The
Lost Tree

-Dragon
Rising

-Sanctuary

About the
Author

Jen Wylie resides in rural Ontario, Canada with her
two boys, Australian shepherd and a disagreeable amount of wildlife. In a
cosmic twist of fate she dislikes the snow and cold.

Before settling down to raise a family, she attained a
BA from Queens University and worked in retail and sales.

Thanks to her mother she acquired a love of books at
an early age and began writing in public school. She constantly has stories
floating around in her head, and finds it amazing most people don't. Jennifer
writes various forms of fantasy, both novels and short stories. She loves to
hear from her readers!

How to connect with Jen:

Goodreads: Jen Wylie

Twitter: @jen_wylie

Facebook: Jennifer Wylie (page)

Website: jenwylie.com

Email:
[email protected]