We kissed, and nothing was more amazing than grounding myself in my husband. For now, I could shove Prager and her latest trick to the side. No nasty queen playing cruel games and no more praying to the fates we’d win the talisman. The three were secure in my pocket, and I’d keep them close until we fused them together.
Should we be doing that now? Probably. But three days wasn’t a lot of time to make memories with my husband, and if spending half an hour with him could be considered a waste by others, it wasn’t to me.
I latched onto his tunic, dragging him closer until our mouths met again. His kiss deepened, his teeth grazing my lower lip before he soothed the ache with a stroke of his tongue. I melted against him, the heat of his body chasing away the cold left behind by Moira, by Naveer, by all of it.
Lore pulled back enough to whisper. “Let’s disappear for a while. Just you and me, wife. The rest of the world can wait.”
“Yes, please.”
We quickly stood beside a small pool far in the mountains. Dense woods marched right up to the water on three sides, and onthe other, jagged cliffs rose to snowy peaks. In the distance below, Evergorne Castle’s rooftop gleamed in the moonlight.
“Where are we?” I asked. Such utter stillness. Such complete peace. Only the low whir of insects broke the silence. Warmth stole back into my heart, a gift from this man I loved.
“I found it when I was in my twenties.”
“Whofound it?”
His expression wry, he shrugged one shoulder. “Me. Lorant. Me.”
Steam curled across the pool’s surface, and with a flick of his finger, small lights burst into life. They bobbed in the air, casting warm, golden light across the polished stone surrounding the pool.
His gaze found mine, and when his lips curled up on one side, my clothing vanished.
I gasped, though I should’ve expected it. He did adore stripping me with magic. The rush of cool air hit my bare skin, and I laughed. “You could warn a girl, you know.”
“I like your laugh,” he said, his voice rough and amused. And then his clothing disappeared too.
“Are we going to walk back to Evergorne naked?”
Bracing my shoulders with his warm palms, he stared deep into my eyes. “Ride me, Wildfire, and I’ll take you wherever you’d like to go.”
“Ride you, I shall.” Heat rushed to my cheeks.
He swept me into his arms, and I squeaked as he spun me in a wide circle, my laughter ringing out above the splash of tiny waves rippling on the shore and the distant rush of the wind through the forest surrounding this secluded spot.
He slowed, our noses brushing as he held me snug in his warm embrace. When he growled into the crook of my neck, he brought out my laugh.
And it felt good. Prager could try, but she’d never steal this.
He carried me to the pool. Steam curled around us as he sank down, cradling me on his lap, my back pressed to his chest.
I let my head fall back against his shoulder as the heat soaked into my muscles, undoing every knot and every coil of tension left behind by the last few days.
He found the ties at the crown of my head and began unbinding my hair, his fingers tender and so gentle, I swiped away a tear. The pins clinked as he set them aside, and then his nose pressed into the waves of my hair.
“I thought about this,” he whispered. “When I was alone in the tower room. Sitting on my throne hoping you’d come join me. I’d pretend you were with me.”
My throat tightened. I twisted in his arms to look up at him. “I thought about you too. All the time. I wanted…so much. I always will. Too much, some might say.”
“Never,” he vowed. “You should have all you can ever ask for, all you need.”
“That’s you. Only you.”
Nodding, he cupped water in his hands and poured it over my head, smoothing it down my back. “Stop thinking and just feel.”
I closed my eyes as he washed my hair with sure strokes. Suds bobbed around us.
His hands traveled lower, sliding over my shoulders, slicking across the curve of my arms with a careful, teasing touch. Every motion was unhurried, as if he had all the time in the world to imprint himself in my skin. As a low-burning ache bloomed through my core.
