“The truth?” he shouted, glaring at her, and in two steps he closed the gap between them. Their faces only inches apart, illuminating the forest with their bonds. “The truth is dangerous.”
She did not blink as she unsheathed her dagger and whipped it toward his neck, pouring every ounce of strength and her bond into the strike. He jerked his hand up, catching her wrist, but the point of the dagger had nicked his skin. A drop of blood rolled down his taut neck, turning pink as it mixed with rain.
Astraia’s eyes flicked to the blood, then back to his stare. “Tell me the truth, Draven, or so help me, I will burn you and let the storm wash away your ashes.”
“Fine. You want the truth?” His glowing eyes flickered then dimmed to pools of amber as he pulled on his bond, dampening Rage. The fire dying in his eyes caught her off guard, but she held onto her bond and her blade.
“Yes, no more half-truths. No more lies,” she snapped.
“The truth is you haveruinedme, and I can’t make it stop… I don’t want it to stop,” he breathed, his voice wavering.
Astraia froze, her bond quivering beneath her skin. She blinked, and the white glow in her eyes ebbed, as if a cold bucket of water had been poured on her. She relaxed her hand, still holding the dagger angled at his neck.
But Draven ignored it, continuing to speak as if he might never get the chance again. “You decided from the day we met that you would not be caged. Not by me, not by the king, notby anyone. And it was from that moment I knew… I knew you would be the fire that consumed me. I tried to resist it, tried to tell myself you were a mark, a task, nothing more. But every time I stared into the oceans of your eyes, I knew. I knew you would be my undoing.”
Her pulse quickened, and her breath hitched. She was staring wide-eyed into his, unable to speak or move.
“The truth is that I wantyou. All of you—the blades and the softness, the fury and the fear. I want to show you exactly how exceptional you are every day for the rest of your life. Not because you need me, but becauseIneedyou.” He paused, tucking a small strand of her loose hair behind her ear, his other hand still holding her wrist, the blade flirting with his neck. “For you, Traia, I would forsake the Stars. I would worship you until you no longer question your worth.”
The forest stilled. The only sound was rain continuing to fall around them, dripping through the canopy. Lightning flashed, answered by the boom of thunder as the bounty hunter and Starborne stared at each other.
She opened her hand, letting the dagger fall to the ground with a thud. Draven looked at her, eyebrows raised in confusion as he released her wrist. She lowered her hand, afraid to breathe.
Then he kissed her.
This was no soft, questionable kiss. This was a kiss of claiming. Heated, passionate, fervent as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her tightly to him.
Her mind screamed to run, to forsake the feelings that had been building inside her for days. But she ignored all logic. She flung her arms around his neck, sinking deeper into the kiss, letting herself get lost in his desperation.
Heat blazed in her core, a combination of her bonds and her own desire rippling through her. She could feel his body against hers, their chests rising and falling fast, breathing heavily as theywarmed the air around them. His tongue grazed hers, and she felt like she might die of bliss.
The world fell away, and all her mistrust and anger disappeared.
She might have ruined him, but he consumed her.
Lightning cracked around them, making her hair stand on end, but she did not care. Nothing mattered anymore. Not the thunder booming in her ears, not the rain soaking her hair, not the wraiths, not the Stars. Nothing.
All her defenses fell, the wall in her mind crumbled. That once faint whisper of hope was screaming into the ocean of her thoughts, rebuilding every failed truth.
Power and Sacrifice beckoned at her spine as his warm lips crushed hers, so she opened the door. White and blue light glowed from her hands, weaving ribbons of light around them. From behind her closed eyes, she could feel warm sun rays on her skin and knew Draven’s own bond flared with hers. The intertwined lights painted a kaleidoscope of color in the dark stormy woods—two Starborne shattering darkness.
Draven had said that she would not be caged.
But little did he know she had given him the keys, capturing her forever.
Chapter 37
But if both blaze and neither fall...The thirteenth light shall rise from all.
Holy prophecy of the Tredecim, Zealot sect of The Shardborne nomads
ASTRAIA HAD NEVER HEARD OF anyone dying from happiness, but she might be the first reported casualty.
Her lips were swollen and hair disheveled when they finally broke their embrace beneath the old oak tree. When he looked at her, fire swirling in his irises, she felt weightless, like she was walking among the Stars in the heavens.
Then he smiled, a true caring smile, and she nearly fainted from ecstasy. She smiled back, wet hair clinging to her face and neck, and he grabbed her face in both of his hands, kissing her once again.
This kiss was softer, gentle and calming. Despite his tenderness, her pulse quickened, and she forgot how to breathe. A shiver ran down her spine as he caressed her face, running a hand through her hair and tipping her head back.
