SWOON Thursday (#35): The Darkest Lie by Gena Showalter

Hosted by YA Bound

From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering. Shout it out on Twitter with the hashtag #YABound, post it here in the comments, or grab the adorable button above and share it on your blog! We want to know :-)

Here's mine:

"Are you sure about this?" she asked shakily. "Last chance to--"

He took the knife and slashed himself in the center of his chest, exactly as she had done. No hesitation. Blood ran in both directions, raining down his ribs, up to his neck. "I've never been so sure of anything in my too-long life. Now come here."

Scarlet eased down until she was lying on top of him, their blood mingling. She was trembling.

He stared into her eyes, those perfect dark eyes. "I am yours, and you are mine."

"I--I am yours and you...you are mine," she repeated.

He claimed her free hand and flattened it over his pounding heart. "From this moment on, until the end of time."

Her fingers jerked against him, but she didn't pull away. "From this moment..."

Come on. Say it. Ancient power swirled around them, as thick as the silence had been. Waiting...

"From this moment...until the end of time."

Yes. Yes! Finally.

A stream of fire slammed into him, and he cried out. The same must have happened to Scarlet, because her shout blended with his. That fire blazed along his soul, tearing it in two. But then, a sweet, cool ice crystallized, filling the wounded void. Making him whole again. Making him more than Gideon. Making him Scarlet's man.

"And so it's done," he said, voice trembling with his satisfaction. So simple, so easy. And yet, she was his. She was his wife. Now...always. Every bone in his body, every cell, vibrated with the knowledge. "To part is to die," he added, sure now that he'd come across the phrase when she had entered his dreams all those centuries ago. They'd been connected, even then.

"I hope you never regret this," she whispered.

"Never." He urged her closer for a soft, quick kiss, then smiled. "Now don't you have something else to say to me?"

"To part is to die," she repeated. "And I want you to know...I was never with another man. After I came down here and saw you. I lied to you."

He hadn't expected the confession and his eyes closed for a moment, exhaling a warm breath. "I'm glad. I understood why you'd done so, but I'm glad you lied. So damn glad. You're mine."

"Yours," she said brokenly, as if the word was impossible to believe.

One day she would. Completely. Two of his fingers stroked the ridges of her spine. "So, who are you today?"

"Scarlet...Lord."
- The Darkest Lie SWOON #YABound