The Prince's Gift

Chapter 30.

Zane's POV

Her shoulders shook slightly and the smell of salt water filled my nostrils. I heard her scoff as she pulled her eyes away from the water. Was she staring at her reflection?

It killed me that she was filled with so much pain, her memories tormenting her, haunting her. I felt useless, like there was nothing I could do to help her. I walked up to stand in front of her, taking her hand and placing it on my chest as I tugged her chin up to look at me. Her emerald gaze sparkled violently beneath the blue glow, giving it a tinge of something other worldly. She belonged within this place. It welcomed her.

I wiped away the tears with the pad of my thumb before brushing her wet hair away from her face. "Don't cry baby." She straightened and sniffed back the fresh tears threatening to fall, her fingers absently rubbing circles into my bare chest. "You don't know how beautiful you look right now. How much just having you close to me again has meant to me, even if I'll have to let you go."

Her eyes widened and she took a step back, but I held her hand tightly, following her step. "What do you mean let me go? Zane where am I going?" Her voice was shaky, even though I could see she was trying to control it.

I sighed and pulled her closer to me, wrapping my arm around the back of her shoulder as my hand stroked against her skin. "You can't stay here Ana. He'll kill you. My parents will if he doesn't. You have to go. You can try and find your family. Like you'd wanted to before you were...taken from me." My voice broke and I cursed myself internally for letting myself falter. She needed one of us to be strong through this. It would have to be me.

She shook her head fiercely and yanked her hand away from me, stepping out of my hold. "No Zane. I won't leave you. I'd rather let you turn me than leave you again."

I drug a hand through my hair before pulling it down my face. "Ana, you don't want me to turn you. I know you. You've just gotten these incredible gifts. We don't know what will happen to them once you're changed. What if they disappear before you even fully understand them?"

She threw her hands in the air and began to pace in front of me. I chuckled to myself, noticing that she'd picked up my own habit. "Who cares Zane? Honestly. At this point they're more dangerous than helpful. I've lived this long without them. What does it matter now if I can't be with the one I love?" She grew quiet before continuing, the frustration fading. "More will hunt me for them if they find out what I am."

I stepped closer to her and stood just in front of her. Her eyes reached mine and my chest tightened at the sadness within them, hopelessness. "I won't let that happen. Now that you're strong, I'll be able to feel you. You have to get stronger Ana. You'll be stronger than all of us if you just embrace what's inside of you."

She gasped, recognition flashing in her eyes before it quickly faded. My hands reached up to cup her face in them, leaning down to gently kiss her. "I'll find you one day Ana. I swear it."

She pulled back to look at me, her eyes searching before they filled with something I didn't recognize. It wasn't anger, but it was close. "Is this because of Lilith?" Her words were firm and my brows rose as I realized it was jealousy.

"No." I said harshly before stepping away as I raked a hand roughly through my hair. "This is the only way I can think to hold it all together Ana. I can't be everything to everyone. I can't save my kingdom from war that's probably coming anyway and love and keep you to myself. I can't have both. But I can save you." My words were flying out as fury began to rip through me. I hated everything happening to us, to her. If we'd only been able to be together sooner, maybe it could have been different. Maybe we could have been happy, but not now. We wouldn't be given that chance.