Taavin broke away from her mouth and trailed sweet kisses down her jaw and neck. His palms mirrored the movements of her own. They ran up her chest, fingers quivering with hesitation.
“Touch me, for the love of every god, Taavin, touch me,” Vi groaned.
He obliged. His hands found their way up her shirt. The man’s touch was searing hot—hotter than the glorious heat melting her from the inside out.
Her clothes were on the floor and the mattress sagged beneath her. It reminded her of their first night in the Tower. Kissing him then, holding him as he held the crystal. Now, the crystal was in him, and he was with her. No limits. No holding back.
Vi gasped as he explored with his mouth and hands. Her breathing hitched as he found a particular spot and Taavin caught a moan with his mouth. It fed his already eager movements, quickening them.
When he pulled away he was as breathless as she was. “I love you,” he murmured.
“I love you,” Vi whispered in reply. The firelight was generous to his sharp curves, casting stunning shadows over his body as it hovered above her. She tightened her grasp on him as he shifted. The distance between them diminished to nothing. “I will never let you go again.”
“Please don’t.” He pressed himself against her, holding her tightly.
“I will save this world. And when it’s over, it will just be us.” It was a dangerous promise. Even if she could manage to save the world this time, she didn’t know where it would leave them in the end. Yargen’s magic was within him—in her—power that Vi knew they’d eventually need to return to see the goddess ready to take on Raspian.
Taavin sighed softly.
Pressing her eyes closed, Vi pushed the thoughts from her mind and bit his shoulder gently. She’d focus only on tonight and this release she’d been yearning and waiting for.
Delicious frustration built within her. She wanted him to move. She wanted him to be still. She wanted to sleep in his arms and do nothing. She wanted to doeverythingwith him and to him.
“Let’s not talk about the world.” He pulled away, kissing up her cheek to rub the tip of his nose against hers. “Let’s just focus on our world tonight. Right here, right now.”
She nodded eagerly. And, as if he’d been waiting for that permission, Taavin moved, kissing her as he did.
Vi allowed her mind to go blank. For a few hours, she would burn hotter than the fire in the hearth, the spark within her, or the magic that remade the world.
Chapter Twelve
The Warof the Crystal Caverns started with trumpets and the echoes of military horses clomping through the mountain pathways and valleys. It was just over a week since Aldrik and Egmun had left the Caverns, and the start of the war signified that it was time for Vi and Deneya—and Taavin—to leave their cabin behind once more.
As they passed alongside the military party, heading in the opposite direction, Vi reflected on her lessons from years ago.
The Solaris army would march to the Caverns and become transformed into monsters. They would blame it on the crystals, never knowing the real culprit was Raspian. The untainted portion of Solaris’s army would battle against the twisted version of itself for just over a year. Then, none would return to the Caverns for years to come.
In Vi’s time, the next man to head to the Caverns and seek their power was Victor. He would use the Cavern’s strength—Raspian’s strength—to stage a bloody coup. He was the man she was working to stay one step ahead of. That meant she had to leave the War of the Crystal Caverns behind her, in the hands of fate.
Vi’s focus was on the crown of the first King Solaris. They followed Adela’s path and headed south to Oparium in search of the crown.
The port town was nestled in a valley in the mountains east of Solarin. The coast of Lyndum was mostly cliffs, making this cramped valley the only place to construct a larger port. It was nothing compared to Norin, and barely a slip for dinghies compared to Risen. But it was the best port the early Kingdom of Lyndum had, and it was where Vi suspected Adela had escaped to after fleeing with the crown treasure of Solaris.
When she’d first laid eyes on the city, months ago now, Vi had been optimistic. The crown was either hidden here, or with Adela herself. She’d either find it, or narrow down its location with confidence once more.
Now, all Vi felt was frustration.
“Months, we’ve been here formonths, and not a single lead on QA or the treasure,” Vi muttered. Southerners were even more superstitious about Adela than Westerners. Deneya had made the mistake of mentioning her name once, and their information gathering was near-instantly stinted. Now, the pirate queen was always “QA”—even when they were in the very back of what had become their favorite place to escape their shared hovel, The Cock and Crow brewery.
“It’s not like someone’s just going to come up to us and say, ‘You know, you look like people in search of an infamous pirate treasure. Why not follow me and I’ll show you where it is?’” Deneya quipped.
“It’d be nice if they did… or gave ussomekind of lead.” Vi sank her chin into her palm, looking out over the brewery. It was as lively as it ever was, and haunted by the same faces. “Nothing changes here.”
“People are enjoying themselves after the end of a war.” Taavin stretched, leaning back in the booth beside her. “They don’t want excitement right now. They want stability and comfort.”
“A shorter lifespan really does give some perspective.” Vi envied them, in a way, for their ability to carry on dancing, laughing, and joking, ignorant to the world’s imminent demise.
“I’d argue the opposite.” Deneya took a long sip of her brew. “They can only focus on one existential threat at a time. Once that’s settled, the world is all right.”
