He stared at the broken shards of the porcelain washbasin, eerily similar to the battered muscle in his chest. His stomach sloshed violently again. Most definitely not guilt that time. That was a deep, acidic agony eating him from the inside out. Because,fuck,his heart wanted her so badly. With the way it squeezed and constricted inside his chest, he thought it might be trying to sneak through his ribcage to run off and be with her.
But unlike his heart, his brain knew that wasn’t an option. The only thing he could do was try to ensure she had a semblance of the future she wanted—a happy future with a respectful, faithful husband—by speaking with his son. That Ash could do for her.
A softsnickcame from behind him.
“Sam, we are not having this conversation right now, so save your breath.”
No response.
A softwhooshwhispered in the quiet of his chambers.
He frowned and spun around to face his chamber door. That sounded suspiciously like fabric…
His heart froze, and his brain deserted his skull. Because that was most definitely not his best mate standing naked in the middle of his chambers.
No, that was Felicity.
His breaths came strangled, short and sharp and not nearly enough to provide his body with the oxygen it required. His eyes, traitors that they were, drank her in. He couldn’t help it; his gaze went to her breasts immediately. Her shoulders were rolled back, basically offering them up to his eyes to feast on.
Blood fled the rest of his body and settled in his groin at a dizzying rate. He staggered a step before he collected himself. Collected himself as much as one could when a naked goddess stood in front of oneself.
His gaze skittered down to where her waist narrowed until it flared back out at her hips. Hips that led to the glorious curves of her thighs, muscled yet soft. And between those thighs? A triangle of auburn curls that would forever be imprinted into his brain. His cock pulsed, ached. It would seem he was always aching for her.
He wasn’t sure it was fair that the fates created someone so perfect. It sure as hell wasn’t fair the fates had thrust her in front of him.Dear God, Ash, don’t think the word thrust right now.Because the thought of being buried inside her? Being as intimately close to her as physically possible? His heart climbed up his throat, suffocating.
His gaze traveled back up her body until he met her gaze. Her chin jutted out, determination hardening her features. But even with her jaw set and mouth pressed in a thinI will not failline, there was a slight quiver to her lips.
“Felicity…” He ground his teeth at how hoarse and heated his voice came out. He tried again. “Felicity, what are you doing?”
Her lips trembled more violently when her mouth parted to speak. “I was informed of C-Colborn’s arrival. I came here for revenge, Your Grace. My time is up.” She drew in a stuttered breath. “Th-This is my last chance.”
The hard set of her jaw melted away, determination transforming into desperation before his eyes. Her delicate nose flared, amber eyes turning wild, her gaze darting around his chambers. He slowly stepped over to her, and by the time he reached her, her entire body was trembling, vibrating like an anxious horse seconds from breaking.
“You want to sleep with me for revenge?” he whispered, and he feared she could hear just how much his soul longed for her in his ragged words.
She nodded, but the tears brimming in her eyes, the torture swimming there, said otherwise.
“I-I cannot marry him. I cannot do it.” Her voice was raw, broken, just as he was.
A tear broke free, and he wiped it away with his thumb. But he couldn’t pull his hand away. He kept it there and cradled her face, her eyes falling shut and squeezing out a few more stray tears.
“I will speak to him, Felicity.” He choked out the words, words that were toxic on his tongue. They scraped against his painfully tight throat, dragged forth like jagged bits of gravel. “I promise you I will make him change his ways. I have not been the father he needs, but if I try now, I know I can turn him into a man you would be happy with. It won’t be as you think. I will fix this for you.”
He would do everything in his power to reshape her future, ensure it was bright and full of promise. Worthy of a woman as remarkable as she.
Felicity turned into his hand and kissed his palm before a shaky breath coasted against his skin. When she looked back at him, the misery storming in her amber irises was like the lash of a whip. He would submit to endless lashings if it meant protecting her from pain.
“I will never be happy with him, Ash. No matter what you do.”
And her next whispered words were like the drop of a guillotine on his heart.
“I cannot spend a lifetime married to him and a lifetime looking at you.”
His strength fled him, and his forehead fell against hers.
“I would rather face a life alone than live a life always watching you from afar… Knowing I will never experience your touch.” Her breath danced over his lips, hovering there. Haunting him. “Please give me this one memory. So I have it to hold on to.”
He closed his eyes and let agony slither around him, slimy scales closing around him tighter and tighter. His heart was blown apart, a piece of glass shattered into shards that kept doing damage, inflicting small wounds inside his chest.
