Jess’s Reviews > Savage Wild Gods > Status Update

On impulse, I kissed him, and it was as though the final piece of the puzzle of who I was fell into place at last.

Hope spread across Rune's face. I thought about why I'd chosen him in the first place. The reasons were muddled and hadn't yet fully returned, but I knew we'd married for far more than just an alliance. I trusted him. I loved him. I chose our union for him, not just the power being together had offered.

"That's literally all I was. From... from my bones to my crown to —Without that, what am I?"
"You are you. Just you. Just—"
"Val!"
Rune stood at the clearing entrance, mouth agape. I could only stare right back at him, a thousand different emotions colliding in my head.
"Me," I whispered.

Because if I was never meant to live, then I was glad that I'd lived even a little bit with him.

stop this nonsense 😭

But he seemed to be able to fill in the blank. He gently pulled me up and put my hand over his heart gem. Its warmth radiated through my entire body.
"This is yours. Now and forever. You never had to carve it out, but you stole it regardless."