Iskra sipped and swallowed both the drink and the growing lump in her throat. This sparkling day would be one of the best in her life. When Jasyn had a sword at her heart during the Undertaking, this would be the memory she would come back to as the light left her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
Iskra snapped her head to Jasyn, who had put down the glass and leaned over the table towards her.
She smiled. “Show me your favorite place.”
He smiled back at her and took her hand. They ran out, neither of them caring if anyone stared at them when they left the castle to the sounds of chirping bugs. Iskra turned around to glance at the building, and it truly was a marvel. She could see all the candles inside, the building seeming like it was burning.
Jasyn pulled on her arm, and they were off again.
They slowed, and when Jasyn faced her, she could read the nerves on her face. “It’s not anything original, but this garden is unlike the rest. I never touch it. I let everything grow as Slone intends.”
“Why does this one remain unchanged?” she asked, her heart beating rapidly.
“This was the garden my siblings and I would spend hours playing in as children. It’s the one place that will keep growing without change, even when they are gone. Even when I’m gone.”
Iskra wiped the tear rolling down his face with her thumb. “That’s beautiful.” Her hand trailed to his chest, where she felt the rushing rhythm of his heartbeat. “Your soul is beautiful, Jasyn. You’ll make such a wonderful king.”
“I hope my people feel the same way.”
She snapped her gaze to his, taking in his green eyes filled with so much doubt. She hated the sight of it.
“The people already love you. You might not be your siblings, but you’reyou. A man with a kind heart who wants good things for this court. A man with a unique gift from Slone, one you shouldn’t be afraid to shine in front of others just because it's not the harsh heat of flame.”
He nodded, but she had a feeling the words didn’t stick fully. She wished he could believe her, but she knew he ultimately had to accept the words as truth himself.
“I want to share this with you…” He gestured towards the reason they were here.
He opened the latch of a white wooden fence, and it was like stepping inside a dream. They were surrounded by a burst of colors. The grass reached Iskra’s knees, and she could hear the trickling of water somewhere to her left.
“It’s so…” No words could encompass the sensation she felt as she stepped into this other world, but she finally landed on one. “Peaceful.”
She laughed at herself; that barely brimmed the surface of it. Jasyn was right in front of her now, clasping her chin so it was tilted toward him.
“Your laugh is my undoing. I want to swallow it until it's embedded in my soul.”
“Do it,” she said brazenly. Her entire body scorched with the eternal flame of her desire for him.
He leaned down and kissed her, and she laughed into his mouth. This time, he didn’t hold back. His tongue swiped into her mouth, and she moaned as she gripped his hips to bring him closer. They both wore such thin fabric, she could feel his hardness against her.
It was overwhelming, how one person could make her feel so much with such little touch. Her body had been craving this her whole life, and she had been denied such an experience before this. Once this moment was over, she would grieve the lost potential of so many years she’d been stuck in a cage.
Before she could tell what was happening, he undid the ties at the back of her corset. It dropped to the ground with a thud, but she didn’t care, because Jasyn was now gripping her waist tightly, and she delighted in how firm his grip was, like she was his anchor keeping him from floating away.
“Is this okay?” he asked, as his lips moved to a spot behind her ears.
Even in a state of such desire, he was a gentleman. It made her eyes burn. Esi would be such a lucky wife.
Before she could respond, he lifted her to bring her gently down into the grass. The sky was a burning mixture of reds and oranges, but darkness would sweep over them soon. For the first time since she had been captured by Kryth, she would experience the night sky.
His mouth was on her clavicle, and she arched into him as he rolled his hips into her core. She whimpered at howgoodit felt.
“Is this okay?” he repeated.
It was hard to answer as his hand began pulling the sleeves of her dress off her shoulders. Soon, the dress would be down her navel, and he would see the brand on the underside of her breast.
“I’ve never done this—” she practically shouted.
