Chapter 35 Thirty-four

• Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as each beat resonated with a newfound realization. Draeven—this Draeven—was not the tyrant king she had read about. This man, lying so vulnerably before her, was gentle, raw, and utterly sincere. The intensity in his gaze, the way he waited, almost pleading for her response, stripped away every preconceived notion she had of him.
• And as if under a spell, the barriers around her heart began to crumble. She could feel her resolve weakening, her resistance fading. Without thinking, without letting doubt creep in, Avelyn reached for his face. Her bandaged hands, delicate yet determined, pulled him closer, drawing him down.
• Their lips met in a kiss that felt like the culmination of something far greater than either of them could have predicted. It was deep, passionate, and filled with a longing that spoke of lifetimes, not just moments. They kissed as if they were lovers who had been separated by time itself, as if they had always been meant to find each other, against all odds.