The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and..

He drew back enough that his forehead rested against
mine. “I didn’t…” He cleared his throat as I ran my fingers
along his jaw. “I mean, I…I thought you did. I believed that—
or maybe I needed to believe it—but I don’t think I really
knew.” His voice roughened again as he reached between
us, wiping away a tear that had escaped. A moment passed,
and his chest rose with a sharp breath. All the many masks
Casteel wore cracked and fell away then, as they had in the
ruins when he’d thrown his head back and screamed. “I
knew you cared for me. But love? I just didn’t know if you
could after…everything. I wouldn’t have blamed you if you
were unable to feel that for me. Not after what—”
“It doesn’t matter what was done in the past. I
understand why you did those things. I’ve moved past that.”
My fingers tangled in the soft strands of his hair at the nape
of his neck. “I love you. I would”—I swallowed—“I would do
anything for you, Cas. Like you did for me. Anything—”
His mouth found mine again, and this time…oh, gods,
the kiss went deeper. I melted into him as his tongue
stroked my lips, parting them. Tiny shivers erupted all over
my body, and we kissed until we were both breathless.
“Cas,” he echoed against my lips. “You have no idea
how long I’ve waited to hear you call me that.”
“Why?” I hadn’t even realized I had used the nickname.
“I don’t know. Only those I trust most call me that.” His
laugh was soft, and then he drew back farther, clasping my
cheeks carefully. “You know, don’t you?” He searched my
eyes with his. “What you mean to me? What I feel for you?”
“Yes.”
He wiped away another tear with his thumb. “I never
knew it could feel like this. That I could feel this for
someone. But I do—I love you.”
I trembled as my chest swelled with love, hope,
anticipation, and a hundred other wild emotions that felt so
strange after everything that had happened. And yet, they
felt so right. “I think I might start crying harder.”