“I wish...” Her voice is breathy and hesitant as she lifts her eyes back to his. “I wish for a bed.”
And as if the heartlanding hasn’t been refusing them all along tonight, roots hit Cerian’s senses as they shoot from the ground, weaving a platform in the shadows before them. A thick layer of moss erupts from the wood, layering over the top of the bed.
It’s identical to the bed in his chamber at Windhaven, and heat fills his core as he stares at it.
“Cerian,” Arisanna whispers, but he has no idea what to say.
Is the heartlanding pushing them toward this?
He lifts his eyes to hers again. Does she want this? She must. She’s the one who asked for the bed.
“No more walls.” Her voice is soft as she repeats her words from the train.
“Nothing between us.” His breath grows heavy at the intensity of her gaze, but the misty, humid air blunts his fire magic, and his palms don’t tingle. “It will grow dark if I abandon my flame,” he whispers. “And I-I don’t know if I can hold my lights if we—”
She presses her finger to his lips. “Promise not to let go?”
He can barely breathe, but he drags up words. “I will never let you go. Especially not tonight.”
Then she gently grasps his other arm—the one holding the weakening flame—and blows the fire out as he lets it go.
Always Yours
Episode 70
WhenCerian’sflamegoesout, the darkness falls like a blanket, and Arisanna forces herself not to grab at him. He’s still there. His heart still beats within her chest.
The thought calms her.
As the damp mist settles around her, coating her hair and her leather dress, she takes a steadying breath.
Now what?
“Are you all right?” he asks softly, and she nods.
Which is ridiculous because he can’t see her.
“Arisanna?”
“Y-yes,” she whispers as she tentatively reaches toward him. Her hand lands on his chest over his leathers, and he takes it in his own. His touch is comforting, like an anchor tethering her to this place.
To this moment.
Butterflies fill her stomach at the thought of where this is leading. If only she were wearing something else.
Not that he can see her.
The sensation of feathery chiffon and lace grazes her skin, and she bites back a gasp.
The heartlanding clearly has one thing in mind for them tonight.
This all seemed so simple on the train when her emotions were high and their surroundings were bright and familiar. Even moments ago, as she gazed into his eyes, fire pooled in her belly.
Now, though...
Cerian draws her hand to his lips and presses a kiss to the sensitive skin of her inner wrist as a shiver races down her arm, and Mother’s words from before their wedding fill her head.
Follow his lead.
