Graduation (Kingmakers, #5)

by Sophie Lark

“I don’t care who you fuck. I want your love and your loyalty, Sabrina—can you give that to me?” It’s the first time either of us has said the word “love” out loud. I’ve never said that word to anyone. It makes me shiver, naked and exposed on the bed. At the same time, I feel heat in my chest. The inferno that’s been burning there for months, impossible to smother, impossible to control. It’s the reason I came here, even though it’s dangerous, even though it’s insane. I came here without any friends or family, without even knowing the language. For Adrik. Because I can’t stand to be without him. “Yes,” I say quietly. “I love you. You and nobody else.” The surprise and delight that sweeps his face is enough to make me laugh. He didn’t think I would say it. He throws aside the towel, leaping on me, the mattress groaning beneath our weight. He crushes me against his body, kissing me hard. I can feel his heart hammering against my bare chest. “You love me?” he says. “Because I fucking love you. I love you, Sabrina.” “Since when?” “The whole time. I didn’t say it before because I didn’t want to scare you off.” Elation bursts out of me as laughter. Adrik isn’t offended—he understands what I’m feeling. “You really love me too?” I say. He looks in my eyes, serious. “I’m way past love. I’m obsessed.” I tell him the thing I didn’t think I’d admit. “It scares me. I feel desperate and crazy—way past normal. I feel like I was already on the edge, and then I met you and I jumped right o...