He shot me a sharp look, then, with a swirl of his cape, was gone, marching across the ramparts, slamming the door behind him.
42
LYRAE
“You sure you can do this?” I asked Rooke in the sudden quiet. “Unite the three pieces?”
“I can.” He brushed the snow off the stones, ran his finger over the glowing silvery runes on the stone. “I’ve been waiting for this moment my entire life. Ever since he killed my father and my mother. This is, in a way, what I was born to do. And strangely, today is a relief, after all the waiting.”
“And after?” I tipped my head so I could see his face. “What will you do after? What if the magic changes you? What if…what if this doesn’t go to plan?”
“Are you worried about me, commander?” A slight smile curved his lips. “I didn’t think you cared one bit about a dissolute prince locked up in his castle, far away from the world. I would have thought you’d leave me here to rot.”
“Once, I would have done just that,” I admitted. “But now…I need some assurances from you, Kaden. I’m worried we’re unleashing another monster into a realm that is just now getting back on its feet.” I squared my stance, just as Rooke pushed away from the wall. “I’m worried we are making a mistake.”
“You do worry a lot forsomeone who commands armies,” he murmured. “And you are right to worry…but not because of me.”
One step and he closed the distance between us, one step and Rooke was right there, his heat and his scent and his presence sinking into me like a lodestone, the snow whirling around us as he stroked his finger down my cheek, leaving a burn of heat behind.
“You’re clever, commander, I’m sure you’ve figured out by now exactly why this entire realm is dying, why there is no magic. What the purpose of Gravelock draining every last drop from this place was.”
“To keep you weak,” my gaze dropped to the cuff banded around his wrist. “To keep you imprisoned. Because at your best, you were always stronger than he was, even without the Triune.”
“Very good.” His palm was so warm when he cupped my cheek, my pulse pounding at the base of my throat. “Those artifacts served one purpose when they were made. To be repositories for my family’s power, which is longer than anyone knows. Over fifteen millennia, the Triune has accumulated vast reserves, allowing a weakened descendant to draw upon the strength of a hundred ancestors.”
Fifteen millennia?
That meant his bloodline was old…maybe the oldest in the Fae world.
Was that better?
Or worse?
“I am not weak,” his lips were almost brushing mine, breath warm against mine. “Nor am I looking to subjugate anyone else. All I want is to be free. Just like you, Lyrae.”
With a tilt of his head, he studied my face like he was committing me to memory. “This ismypower, Lyrae. This magic already runs in my blood. I cannot be corrupted bysomething that is already part of me. Once I have used them, I will put the Triune away, until I need it again. Or use all that excess power to restore the Shadowlands to what they once were.”
Then his lips met mine.
Gentle, searching, like he was asking me a question, and I threaded my hands through that black, silky hair I was dying to touch, my other sliding up his chest, savoring all that firm, strong muscle.
“You asked me what comes after this?” His thumb traced circles on my cheek. “Everythingcomes after this. I want you to show me your world. I want to see the city you rebuilt, and the streets you keep safe so children can laugh.” His eyes were so blue I felt like I was falling into them, falling and falling forever, with no end in sight.
“I want to hearyoulaugh,” Rooke’s smile was warm and quiet, eyes shining. “I want everything, Lyrae, and that means…you.I want you.” Then his lips crashed into mine, and I lit up inside, like we were stars colliding, his hands sliding beneath the heavy cape, circling my waist.
The edge of his teeth dragged against my bottom lip as he consumed me, one piece at a time, until there was no storm or army bearing down on us, because this…this kiss was wrecking me from the inside, tearing off every layer of scar tissue and smashing down my crumbling walls.
He broke away. “Seven hours,” he promised, with a dark, hungry edge to his voice. “In seven hours, the entire world will be different.”
“You’d better use every one of those minutes wisely, no wasted time. Ryland and I will handle Gravelock, you go do your…magicking.”
He threw his head back and laughed, the sound rollingover me like a wave before vanishing into the storm as the first blast of snow engulfed us.
“I intend to, commander.” The full weight of his gaze fell on me and for a moment, I was drowning, my heart thrashing, that sense I was making the right choice settling in even deeper.
“You be smart. Stay out of range as long as you can, keep your wits about you. The Fae soldiers possess mostly elemental magic, but Gravelock has a handful who can worm inside your head, manipulate your thoughts. Stay alert.”
He rubbed his thumb over my cheek. “Just…be careful, will you?”
