“I wanted you to see this,” Tae said, drawing my gaze to him again. “Because I believe you are the reason I didn't fly away that day.”
Love blasted through me—all of its variables. The sharp ache of longing, the deep well of adoration, the warm zings of desire, and the acidic taste of fear. That last one could turn me into a clinging lover if I didn't rein it in, but I didn't even have to try to let it go or reason with myself that fear was a natural response to being presented with something precious. With the mere desire to rid myself of it, a feminine voice whispered through my mind, banishing that fear before it could take root and tighten into a hard ball. Instead, I took Tae's words as a good sign. He believed that we were meant to be. Surely that meant he was falling in love with me. I didn't need to be afraid. In fact, it was too late for fear. I was his valorian, there was no going back, and we both seemed to be happy about it. So, I denied the negativity, focused on the brighter aspects of love, and slid a hand behind Tae's neck to draw him down into a kiss.
Taeven turned toward me to pull me into his embrace as his mouth covered mine. The heat of his tongue sweeping against mine felt searing in contrast to the cold air on my cheeks, and his flavor was more addictive than anything I'd tasted in Varalorre. But it was the tenderness in Tae's touch and the way he moaned softly as he pulled me closer that made my heartbeat accelerate. If I got only this from him—beautiful kisses and nothing else—I'd be happy forever.
Tae eased back, nibbling at my lips before straightening. With a soft gaze, he slid his warm hands around my face. “I'm so glad I stayed.”
“And I'm so glad you convinced me to be your valorian.”
“I suppose we both nearly screwed up horribly.” His eyes crinkled with his smile and he leaned down to give me another quick kiss before turning back to the view. “But the Goddess had other plans for us. Let's hope she continues to offer us guidance.”
“Did I tell you that I heard her? That she still whispers to me, even now?”
“What?” Tae gaped at me. “No, you didn't. As I mentioned before, I've been told that valorians hear the Goddess and the Beasts when they are transformed, but none have ever remembered what she said and only a few have heard her after the change.”
“The Beasts?” I recalled the shrieks and roars. “Yeah, I heard animals too.”
“They are the Divine Beasts, consorts to the Goddess and the Fathers of the Sidhe races,” he explained.
“I heard a falcon, in particular.”
“That would make sense. But, Shane, what did the Goddess say to you?”
I grimaced. “I don't know. Even now, when I hear her it's as if she's far away. In another room. But her voice gives me peace. I have to admit, I've never been religious, but hearing the voice of a goddess can change a man's mind.”
Tae chuckled. “I imagine it would.” Then he went serious. “The Goddess can speak to us in many ways; she may try to reach out in a less direct manner. You must be alert. Watch and listen for her, Shane. If she's trying to communicate with you, it's important that you hear her.”
“I'll listen; I promise.”
“Good. Now let's get back to the carriage, it's fucking cold out here.”
We rode back to his palace and after a hot shower—and a bit of hot shower sex—we curled up on a couch in front of the fireplace in Tae's enormous sitting room that was more of an all-purpose room. Kind of like the communal tent in camp but a lot nicer.
“Shopping is exhausting,” I declared. “I'm still tired.”
Tae chuckled softly. “That's probably more to do with all the sex we just had than the shopping.”
“No, it was definitely the shopping.”
“You're a soldier. How can shopping exhaust you?”
“I don't train as much as other soldiers.”
“What do you mean?” He pulled back to look at me.
“Chefs and bakers have weekly sword training instead of daily. Don't you know that?”
“No, I don't. I don't handle the training schedule. Why don't you train daily?”
“Because we have other daily tasks. You know, like feeding an army.”
“But soldiers don't just train. They each have other jobs to do daily.”
“But their jobs don't take as much time as ours do. We have to make three meals every day. We work in shifts, but it still ends up being a full day for all of us.”
“Ah, I see. And yet it was you who slew the Farungal who attacked me when even my knights couldn't stop him.”
“Your knights were taken unaware while I took the Farungal unaware. It makes a big difference.”
