“You really are mastering the elements, aren’t you?”
I startle at the sound of Aspen’s voice so close to my ear, but I manage to maintain my focus on the orb. At once, logic tells me it isn’t possible he could be here, not with the iron so close.
But as I turn my head to take in his form, the way he crouches at my side, studying my deadly river, I see the telltale violet aura that surrounds him. He’s here through the Bond.
I grin, returning my gaze to my floating orb. With control, I will the orb to slowly lower and return to the river. “I wouldn’t say I’mmasteringthem. Not yet at least.”
He faces me, eyes drinking me in. “No, I suppose you aren’t.”
I meet his gaze, brow furrowed. “You aren’t supposed to agree with me.”
“Then you shouldn’t be so self-deprecating,” he says with a smirk. He leans closer. Even though he’s only here through the Bond, my awareness of his presence, his closeness, is as strong as if he were truly here. The energy sizzles between us just the same. “Besides, I meant it. Compared to how you’ve mastered my heart, that hovering orb is nothing.”
I blush beneath his stare. “I don’t know if I should swoon or roll my eyes at that.”
His eyes fall to my lips. “I suggest you kiss me.”
I place a hand on the side of his face, aware of the usual discrepancy of touch that exists between us when we visit through the Bond. Still, it’s enough. Bringing our lips together, I luxuriate in the pressure of his mouth, the caress of his tongue. It stirs desire in my heart, in my core, and I want nothing more than to leave this hall to find him.
I gently pull away. “Where are you right now?”
“The bedroom next to yours,” he says. He bites his lip, hunger heavy in his eyes. “Will I be joining you tonight? Or do you want another night with your sister?” There’s no malice or judgment in his voice. Just a question.
Mention of Amelie sobers some of the passion heating my blood. I groan, considering what to say. So far, all evidence has proven her compliance with my commands, both with her own willingness and through the power of her name. Still, I hesitate to leave her alone at night. There are so many more what-ifs—what if I’m wrong? What if she isn’t following my commands at all, but some lingering command of Cobalt’s, forcing her to act as a spy? What if he comes for her in the night and takes her away again? What if I lose her again?
The last question catches me off guard, and I shake it from my head before I can analyze it too deeply. “One more night,” I whisper. “That’s all I need.”
The disappointment is clear on Aspen’s face, but he hides it with a crooked smile. “You can have as many as you need.”
“But in the meantime…” I lean in and place a kiss at the corner of his jaw, sliding one hand behind his neck while the other moves up his chest, his torso, down his stomach to the waist of his trousers. He lets out a gasp as I slide my hand over the front of them. “I should come to you,” I whisper, “so we can do this in person.”
“Or,” he says, snaking a hand around my waist and lifting me as he rises to his feet. My legs wrap around his hips, and seconds later I feel the warm volcanic stone wall press into my back. His lips crush into mine and I eagerly receive them, the caress of his tongue lighting a fire at my core. It feels so much like he’s really here, but I crave every part that’s missing. The heat is there, energy humming between our bodies. The rosemary cinnamon scent of his skin mingles with the smell of hot iron, and even his form feels solid. But there’s something just slightly off about the pressure between our lips, the feel of his hands cupping my backside as I pull him closer.
It’s enough to make me crave him harder than I ever have before.
Then again, there’s something new and exciting about this, something enticing about the thought of being intimate across time and space. Perhaps in my normal state of mind, the idea would be unsettling, but right now, with him feeling so close, with his violet aura invading my senses…
“Aspen,” I gasp as his lips trail down my neck. “Take me now.”
With a groan, he presses me harder against the wall, lips returning to mine as one hand leaves my backside to grasp my knee, then trails up my thigh. Heat burns hot at my core, tingling at the apex of my thighs. I move against him, hating the linen of his trousers that creates a barrier between us. Unable to handle it a moment longer, I reach between us and slide them down—
I find myself suddenly on my feet, all warmth stripped from me as Aspen’s body is no longer against my own. My chest heaves as I fight to catch my breath. Brow furrowed, I stare at the empty space where my mate just was.
There’s no way I imagined all that.
“Well, that was incredibly awkward,” comes Aspen’s stilted voice. I whirl to find him standing next me, hands on his hips as he stares unfocused at the floor in front of him. His shirt and trousers are wrinkled but the latter are no longer pulled down. His golden cheeks are tinged with red and a sheepish grin seems to be hiding behind his pursed lips.
“What happened?”
He rubs his brow, his grin finally breaking through. “Foxglove has informed me our people have arrived at the palace. My household and your fire fae from Lunar.”
I’ve never seen him so uncomposed; it’s almost comical. And when I imagine what strange sight the ambassador must have just walked in on, I can’t stop the laughter that bubbles in my chest and bursts from my lips.
He meets my gaze, trying unsuccessfully to look stern. “You think this is funny?”
“It is. Besides, I think you may have made one of Foxglove’s lifelong dreams come true?”
He crosses his arms over his chest, lips quirked as he pins me with a teasing glare. “And what exactly would that be?”
