His lips capture mine in a fierce, claiming kiss, and I lose myself in him—in the way he moves, the way he makes me feel like I’m the only thing that matters. Every thrust, every touch, every breath is a fire that consumes us both, and I know in this moment that there is no going back.
Not from this. Not from us.
The intensity of his storm-cloud eyes becomes too much for me. I bury my face in his neck, hiding from him as I bite the soft skin of his earlobe. “Harder, Daed.”
A rumble sounds from his chest, and he complies with my demand.
He pushes me closer to the edge, his hand slips between us, finding the spot where I need him most. His fingers work in time with his thrusts, and the pleasure builds inside me, too intense, too powerful to resist. My body tightens, and with a final, desperate cry, I fall over the edge, shattering around him as pleasure washes over me in waves.
He follows me soon after, his body stiffening as he drives into me one last time, his release crashing through him with a raw, broken groan. He holds me close, his breath ragged in my ear, and for a moment, the world feels still, like nothing else exists except for the two of us.
We linger in that moment, tangled together, our bodies still pressed close as we descend from the high of one another. His chest heaves, slick with sweat, and he pulls me tightly against him, inhaling the scent of my skin. He clenches my bottomlip between his teeth, his breath heavy and warm against my mouth.
When he finally releases me, he opens his eyes, gazing at me through a dreamy haze that softens the world around us. “I love you, Amara.”
The sigh that leaves my body is heavy with sadness and regret.
I meet his gaze, gently sweeping his dark curls away from his brow. “I love you too, husband.”
“I’m supposed to bring you back to Baev’kalath,” Daed admits quietly in the darkness, his voice carrying the weight of the impossible task. “I flew through the storm, across the sea, to drag you back—kicking and screaming—to live out your days as a prisoner.”
A bitter laugh escapes me as I rest my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “Is that right? Sorry to disappoint you,” I murmur, “but I won’t be going with you.”
“I expected as much,” he sighs, his fingers tracing lazy patterns along my shoulder.
A warm silence settles between us. Through the open window, the wind whispers through the trees, their leaves rustling like secrets shared in the night. For a moment, it feels as if time itself has paused, and everything is just as it was in Pariseth, where the world outside mattered little in our little piece of paradise.
But, like all good things, this too cannot last. Not when I am the Jewel of the Tenders and my husband is the Prince of the Mordorin Fae. I gaze into Daed’s eyes, wishing it could bedifferent—that it could be as simple as two people who love each other. Yet it isn’t, and it can’t be. Not as long as we are who we are, with his lies and deceptions dividing us like a chasm that even my love for him cannot bridge.
“I can’t trust you, can I?” I whisper into his skin.
“No,” he breathes, the weight of his words hanging heavy between us. “The void and I are one, and the hold the Father has on me… it’s beyond my control, no matter how much I fight him.” His voice grows bitter. “I’m a puppet, Amara, and the queen and Gygarth pull my strings when they please.”
I close my eyes, the ache in my chest growing. “Why didn’t you tell me all this in Pariseth?”
He lets out a soft, regretful sigh. “And ruin the best days of my life? I wasn’t brave enough. Besides, you would have left me sooner. And I… I was selfish. Once I had you, once you were mine, I couldn’t let you go. Not even to protect you.”
His words are beautiful, but I’m not so lost in him they can erase the hurt. Silence stretches between us, heavy with all that’s been said, leaving me to wonder how much more there is I do not know. His fingers run through in my hair and he exhales.
“You don’t know if you can be with me, do you?”
My breath catches, his question cutting too close to the truth. I sit up slightly, looking into his stormy gray eyes. “You said it yourself. Lanneth and Gygarth have control over you. How can I believe anything you say, or trust that you won’t betray me again… even if it’s against your will?”
He turns his gaze away, jaw clenched. “So, this was what? Pity?” His voice is sharp, but there’s a vulnerability there too, buried beneath the bitterness. “One last beautiful taste before you send me away?”
My heart twists. “It wasn’t meant to be this way.”
Daed chuckles darkly. “Amara Tyne, Jewel of the Tenders… did you just use a Mordorin prince as a plaything?” There’s a teasing lilt to his voice, but the ache beneath is unmistakable.
I let out a small laugh, tracing the hard lines of his muscles. But the moment softens, my smile fading. “Why can’t it be simple?”
“Because we are not simple people,” he says, his voice low, fierce. “Simple is easy. Simple is safe. Neither of us has ever been granted that luxury. We live with fury, with passion, with every breath balanced between life and death. Simple people die quietly in their beds, surrounded by loved ones singing sweet songs. You and I… we will meet our end in blood and fire, in smoke and ash. And if I’m fortunate, I’ll burn with you in my arms.”
I lift my head, resting my chin on his chest, and meet his gaze. His gray eyes churn like a storm, wild and beautiful. “I would see my end the same way. I love you, Daedalus Phaedren. More than I ever thought I could love someone. More than I should love someone who’s wronged me, as you have. But if I can’t trust you… Ican’tstay with you.”
His chest rises beneath me, the truth sinking in. “So, what do we do now?”
“The Legion is marching on The Grove, and I doubt Baev’kalath will send more Blades now that I know the truth.”
