“I needed you so badly, you have no idea,” he said, his voice fading as he pressed me back and searched my face like he was committing it to memory. “Now Solaria needs you…as their Queen. Promise you’ll claim the throne. Share it with Darius, he’s not his father.” His hand fell from my face like he wasn’t able to hold it there anymore. “Promise,” he whispered and the look in his eyes made me give in.
“I promise. But you’ll be there too. Darius needs you. I need you.”
“You don’t need me, beautiful. I was always a shitty teacher,” he said, taking a rattling breath that chilled me to my core.
I shook my head, wiping my tears away as I clutched onto him, rejecting the possibility that I was really going to lose him.
“I love you,” I sobbed and I hated myself for saying it because it sounded like goodbye.