Raven dug into the satchel and pulled out the two hearts, Killian’s a navy-blue sapphire and Brynhoff’s a dull agate. Each flickered as if a candle burned within it. She glanced toward Nathaniel, who moved to her side. Together, they uttered a series of syllables, raising the power in the room until the hair on his arms stood on end. They thrust it into the jewels.
The sound of a brisk wind sifted through the room. The lights in the gems went out.
Raven held the hearts up, inspecting them. “It is done.”
But Marius could already feel that it was, like a deep ache had finally abated.
“Marius, your tattoos,” Harlow said.
He looked down at himself. The symbols were still there, but they’d changed, no longer red and black but now silver, like old scars.
He closed his eyes and leaned into Harlow’s embrace.
Harlow helped Marius to his feet. “I’m going to help him to bed.”
“Wake me… never. Send food,” Marius said as he hobbled toward the door.
Maiara raised a hand, a faint blush staining her cheeks. “My advice is to avoid strenuous activity for twenty-four hours.”
Marius’s lips pressed into the side of Harlow’s head. She looked at him through her lashes. “Guess I’ll have to do all the work,” she drawled, low and sweet into his ear.
Miracle of miracles, she found out he could walk a lot faster. Relief washed over her when they reached Marius’s chambers. He was healing, but he was weak, and she was worried about his wings. She feared his back and the webbing where they connected to his torso might be permanently scarred. But her deeper worry had to do with what might be happening on the inside. Marius had come a long way from the day they’d officially met. It had been obvious that he’d hated his appearance then. The symbols, the platinum hair. He hadn’t felt like himself. It was why he’d started training again.
It would crush him if his injuries kept him from the pits. He’d just made the championship league. Would these injuries send him back to square one?
“What’s bothering you, mate?” He ran his nose along the side of her neck, behind her ear, and planted a kiss in her hair.
She swallowed. “You were gone more than a day.” She placed her hands on either side of his face and pressed her forehead to his. “I’m exhausted. Is it okay…? Can we sleep together? I mean actually sleep.”
All she saw in his features was relief. She knew he wanted her, just as she wanted him. But he needed rest. He might not want to admit it, but he needed time to heal as well.
“Brilliant plan,” he whispered.
She guided him to the bed and helped him into it. Carefully, she lay beside him, curled on her side, staring at the balcony where twilight again descended on Paragon. She scooched backward until she fit against his chest.
His breath felt soft on the shell of her ear as he whispered, “I came back for you.”
“I know. I felt it.” Warmth and pure happiness filled her at his words. “I love you, Marius.”
His breathing had already evened out. He was fast asleep.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Paragon’s dual suns blazed in a bright azure sky when Harlow woke. She slipped out of bed, careful not to wake Marius. He needed his sleep, and she was badly in need of a bath. She tiptoed into the bathroom and filled the tub, pouring in a selection of bubbles from the tray on the counter. The scents were decidedly feminine, and Harlow thought the soap must be common to all the bathrooms in the palace. It was more luxury than she’d experienced in over a year.
Stripping out of her dress, she sank into the tub and leaned her head back against the rim. The heat suffused her skin. She was surprised when tears poured from the corners of her eyes. But then, she hadn’t allowed herself to cry yesterday. She’d stayed strong for him. Now she could finally let herself go.
The truth was that this mating had changed her irrevocably. Days ago, if something had happened to Marius, she might have gone on. But after yesterday, she knew that if he hadn’t come back, she would have stopped existing regardless of whether her body was still here or not. She would have never been the same. Maybe she would have died of grief.
And wasn’t that funny? After centuries of walls, of fortifying her heart and maintaining her independence, she could no longer survive without a man. She closed her eyes. Stupid, crazy, unexpected love. Everything was different now.
She sank down under the bubbles, scrubbed her face and hair, and then sat back up, smoothing the excess soap from her eyes.
“Mind if I join you?” Marius stared down at her. He was naked and hard. Unashamedly male. Her gaze scraped over him. All she could think was that giving up a portion of her independence was a small price to pay for this. This man was a god. This man was the sun.
She gave him a languid, lopsided smile. “Plenty of room.” She pulled her knees to her chest, and he splashed into the space in front of her, facing her.
“You’re so accommodating.”
