If magic and logic can ever coexist, that is.
The realization serves to relieve some of the darkness hanging over me. However, there’s still so much I know I need to face. That rage I felt on the journey here hasn’t diminished. The water is merely keeping it dormant. But now I’m starting to see how I can utilize it in a logical manner. Pieces of a puzzle fall into place before me, and only a blush of anger comes with it.
I return my attention to the feel of Aspen’s fingers, the silky moss against my now-soothed skin. Turning my head slightly to the side, I catch Aspen’s eyes from my periphery. “You were right,” I say.
He pauses his ministrations, then runs the moss down my spine. “About what?”
“The treaty being a broken thing not worth saving. You were right all along.”
“I don’t revel in being right about this. I never wanted any of that to happen.”
I turn to fully face him, shutting out violent images in my mind and replacing them with firm, rational facts. “It has to end,” I say. “The treaty, the Reaping, and both councils. I have to take the throne from King Ustrin.”
His jaw shifts back and forth, and I remember how little he knows about the plan I tried to enact. “How long were you planning to do what you did at the trial?”
Again, I have to skirt around my pain to seek the facts. “A few days. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. Things were strange between us and I...I couldn’t bear the pressure of your hope or mine.”
He releases the moss, letting it float away on the surface of the water. “I wish you would have told me. I could have supported you better, long before the trial.”
I shake my head. “I can’t deal with regrets right now. All I can focus on is what to do next.”
He brings a hand to my cheek, moving closer to me until my breasts are a breath away from brushing his chest. I ache to pull him against me as his thumb caresses my jawline. “What will you do?”
“Whatever it takes to make things right,” I say. “Not just for one people but for all of them. The fae, both seelie and unseelie. The humans.”
His expression brightens, and I realize it’s the first time he’s heard me voice such care for the fae. Perhaps it’s the first time I’ve admitted it out loud. “You’re going to stay?”
I bring one hand to his hip, the other slides up his torso to rest over his beating heart. I tip my head back and lock our eyes. “I’m staying. Faerwyvae is my home. The Fire Court is my throne. And you are my mate.”
He brings his lips to mine and I eagerly receive them, the heat we had to abandon in the alley returning at full force. But before we fall too deep, there are words I need to say. Words I’m no longer willing to hold onto. With so much that can still go wrong, I can no longer keep it to myself.
I separate my lips from his, but our foreheads remain touching. He sinks low into the water, and I wrap my arms around his neck until only our heads are above the surface. I pull away to take in the autumn colors swimming in his hungry eyes. “Aspen, I love you.”
He trembles against me, then brushes his lips lightly against mine. Silence stretches between us, and for one terrifying moment I fear I’ve said the wrong thing. Do the fae even exchange sentiments of love? Then his lips pull into a smile. Not the smirk I adore, or the seductive grin that makes my knees weak. A pure, authentic smile. “I love you too, Evie.”
When our kisses return, they are gentler, softer. His tongue caresses mine as a burning need hums at my core. I run my hands through his hair, eliciting a deep moan from him as I bring my fingers to dance along the beam of an antler. He tenses against me. One of his hands grips my bottom while the other explores the crest of my breast. Our breathing rises in tandem, a furious melody playing the tune of our growing desire. I feel weightless as he lifts me off my feet, pulling me close until my hips are pressed against his.
My core burns to deepen the connection, to move further into my passion. I let it rise to illuminate my entire being. I’m glowing with the need to feel every part of him.
That’s when I realize I really am glowing. Like the night of the full moon revel, a violet haze has clouded my vision. Even though I can feel this glow radiating from my inner fire, this kind isn’t painful like the one caused by my blazing rage. This one is gentle, glittering, and pleasurable unlike anything has ever been before.
Aspen whispers my name, and I whisper his in turn. Beneath the light of the rising sun shining from the domed ceiling overhead, we move to the tune of our love.
33
Hazy sunlight brushes my eyelids, and the smell of rosemary and cinnamon floods my senses. I open my eyes to find Aspen sleeping next to me. His face is slack, head turned slightly to the side as his antlers hang over the back of his mattress. We’re in his bedroom, where the bed is in the middle of the room to accommodate his extra assets.
Speaking of extra assets.
I find my leg is sprawled over his hips, bringing to mind our early morning passions, the moon baths, the way he carried me to his room for us to sleep. Ortryto sleep for several hours until we finally fell into a heap of exhaustion. It must be midafternoon by now.
I extract an arm from beneath his and bring my fingers to his face. Brushing his golden skin, I drink in the sight of him, so youthful and beautiful in slumber. He stirs at my touch, eyes opening to find mine. The smile that greets me makes my heart flip.
“We managed to sleep in a proper bed for once,” he says.
“We did.”
He moves closer to me, bringing a hand to my lower back. “Was it better than it was when you visited me in your dreams?”
