Let Them Kneel (kaelani and Julian) novel Chapter 200

Chapter 200

Kaelani’s smile hit him harder than anything else had.

For the first time, it was meant for him.

Julian stepped into the room, closing the door quietly behind him and shutting out everything beyond it–the chaos, the noise, all of it.

In here-

was his peace.

His heart.

His whole world.

He moved toward her slowly, their eyes locked.

He stopped just inches away, close enough to feel the warmth of her, close enough to reach for her and pull her into his arms the way every instinct in him demanded.

The urge hit fast and hard, a sharp, relentless pull to touch her, to hold her, to make sure she was real and not something his mind had conjured just to survive.

But he didn’t move.

He forced himself to stay exactly where he was.

Everything on her time.

Kaelani‘

spreading

eyes moved over him, taking in the details–the faint sheen of sweat on his skin, the dark patches

rough his shirt where blood had begun to seep through the fabric.

Her hand lifted slowly.

Her fingertips brushed lightly over his abdomen through the material of his shirt, the contact soft, almost hesitant.

Then just as quickly, she pulled back, her hand falling to her side.

“You’re bleeding.”

Julian let out a quiet breath.

“Yeah… just a little,” he said. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

His voice softened slightly as he added, “Everything’s fine now.”

Something shifted in Kaelani’s expression.

Not relief.

Something heavier.

“You died.”

Julian frowned, caught off guard.

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“I… died?”

Kaelani nodded once, her throat bobbing.

“Yes. You died.”

A brief silence passed before she spoke again, her voice quieter now.

“Because of me.”

Julian’s expression shifted, but she didn’t give him the chance to respond.

“If the Seelie Queen hadn’t-”

She stopped herself, closing her eyes as if she could force the emotion back down, as if she could contain it before it surfaced.

It didn’t hold.

A tear slipped free.

She exhaled shakily, something close to a laugh escaping her, though there was no humor in it.

“Gods… you’re such an asshole, you know that?”

There was no real bite to the words.

Only exhaustion. Frustration. Fear she wasn’t ready to name.

“You don’t listen.” Her voice quavered slightly. “You should have just… stayed away from me.”

Her word

sank in- and his stomach dropped with them.

“Is that what you want?” he asked, the words not as steady as he intended. “What you truly want?”

Kaelani looked at him, her composure slipping for the first time.

Her bottom lip trembled, her eyes filling as she shook her head. “No,” she said, forcing it past the tightness in her throat.

“I thought it was the best solution.”

She drew in a slow breath, like the words were heavier than she expected. “To guard my heart. My peace. My sanity.”

Her gaze dropped briefly before returning to his.

“To do what I’ve always done… walk away from the things I wanted because I didn’t think I deserved them.”

There was

no bitterness in her voice.

Only truth.

“I was used to that,” she continued. “Expecting

nothing,

I’d never have to feel disappointed.”

every word, every piece of her she had just handed to him without armor.

Julian didn’t answer right away.

He stood there, absorbing it

The worst part wasn’t the words it was knowing she believed every one of them.

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That she had lived that way long before him.

“I know why you did it,” he said.

He let out a slow breath, dragging a hand through his hair before dropping it back to his side.

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