Releasing her, he smoothly pulled her to her feet and gave one sharp tug on her ponytail. “Good. Now, set your feet.”
And then they went again and again and again. Hands grappling and bodies tumbling as they became acquainted with the touch and feel of one another. She wasn’t sure how long it had been when she finally collapsed with her face falling against his chest and his body lax beneath her, both of them panting on the sticky mat. Breathing in his warm citrus and bergamot scent, she jerked back realizing she’d been collapsed on top of him a little too long, and awkwardly rolled away into a sitting position.
Leaning back on one arm with her legs out wide, she caught her breath with her brain blissfully quiet. It wouldn’t last. Just like the expansive feeling in her chest would soon give way to tension, but for a little while the sweet exhaustion and satisfaction of running herself into the ground offered relief.
Glancing over at Aidan, she almost choked when he reached back and pulled his undershirt over his head. Skin dotted with sweat, he wiped at his face with the cotton shirt before noticing her frozen expression. Laughing, he chucked the shirt at her andgrabbed her ankle, yanking her closer and pulling her foot into his lap.
Except then it was his expression freezing as all his laughter disappeared and a single finger tracked lightly over what she knew was a slew of hideous scars. Some raised, some flat. Purple and mottled pinkish red. The soles of her feet were not dainty or something that she wanted anyone to see.
Gaze even, she refused to let her voice waver. “They’re old. Nothing to worry about.”
All the warmth leached from his eyes, leaving them a cold glacier blue. The ice in his eyes flowed downward, turning him into a chiseled and frigid thing. His words were slow and purposefully drawn out. “Tell me what happened.”
She shook her head, watching as a soot-like fog silently lazed out from the outline of his being, blending in with the black mats. “You’re overreacting.”
Embers melted the ice caps that were his eyes as blue fires roared back to life, and his thumb pushed into the arch of her foot, smoothly sliding against her strained muscles.
Eyes shuddering, she swallowed a sound of surprise.Gods, that’s amazing.“I’m serious. They’re old. Maya couldn’t do anything about them.” She had already asked when she showed up with frostbitten toes after Bellia, but given how long ago the original scars had happened, Maya couldn’t help.
His thumb stroked again, finding the perfect rhythm and pressure. “Tell me. Just give me a name.”
She relaxed even further, sinking back onto her elbows. “Or we could not talk, and you could just do that.”
“Please tell me.” A dangerous politeness infused his tone. His fingers wrapped around her ankle and gently lifted her foot to his mouth as he pressed his lips against the scars. Mouth still against her skin, he spoke again. “Elysia, tell me what happened, or I’ll have to stop.” His lips brushed over her ankle, barely touching as he lowered her leg, and resumed rubbing her foot.
Elysia could hear the smile in his voice but knew better thanto think she’d won. Smooth light touches stroked up beneath her training pants against her calves until the touches turned to gentle kneading.
Groaning, she gave in. It wasn’t like he could do anything from down here, anyway. “My father. He didn’t like when I used my magic for my own purposes.”
Aidan switched feet, silently allowing her to continue.
“He much preferred when I was gathering blackmail and gossip forhimto use.” She scoffed and adjusted her position so she could rest her leg more easily against the warmth of Aidan’s lap.
“Why the feet?”
She opened her eyes now, looking at him as she answered. “Because in Kava I don’t have any control. I fall into a trance sometimes when my magic takes over. The magic doesn’t care—it just wants me to spin to its tune.”
“He tortured you.”
“He wanted the pain to remind me, to stop me from getting lost in it. But it doesn’t work like that.” Her voice went distant. “I could be bleeding out and I might still follow my magic. It’s a fickle master.”
Aidan stretched his hands up over her calves again, running his fingers up and down before sinking back into the overworked muscles. “Your magic is not your master. Kava is in a state of decay, and it’s not your fault you couldn’t stay coherent. Not everyone’s magic functions like yours—I imagine it was akin to flooding your system, then shutting it off. Flood, dry, flood, dry. You were high and your body was desperate for its natural state, which is to always seek power.”
Elysia considered this, her brow puckering when his fingers stopped. She wriggled her foot impatiently, and Aidan laughed, gently slapping his hand against her foot. “Greedy.”
Fully blissed-out with her hands behind her head, she smiled up at the ceiling. “I’ve never had a foot rub before.”
His hands paused before resuming their luxurious, almostsedating strokes. His voice was rough when he broke their silence. “Are you feeling up to working with your magic?”
She propped herself back up, tugging her hair free from its ponytail. “What are we going to do?”
Aidan rested his hands on her bare feet, his mouth curving slightly. “You’re going to practice one of your co-ruling duties.”
Her eyebrows went up as she finally and begrudgingly pulled her feet back. “Which would be?”
Aidan stood and offered her a hand. “A skill I could never master.”
Chapter 24
