Chapter 131

Hearing the sound of a loud gasp, my eyes immediately shot open.

Alaric’s wide blue eyes locked on mine, his breathing heavy and uneven. Worried, I placed my hand on his chest as it rose and fell.

“You’re okay!”

Before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around him—not caring if he would return the affection, but he did. He pulled me into a tight embrace.

My heart felt a bit more at ease, and tears pricked my eyes at the relief I felt. Alaric holding me in his arms was all I needed right now.

His hand moved to the back of my head, rubbing it like I was the one who needed comforting more than he did.

“You were never going to do it,” he whispered against my hair. “You were never going to feed me any darkness.”

I drew in a sharp breath, realizing what he meant. He knew—he had seen everything through my eyes, just like I wanted him to.

“Of course I wouldn’t,” I stated, pulling back to look at him. I wanted to meet his eyes so he c