But she couldn’t finish the thought, because Em was kissing her again.Slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.
“I’m not done with you yet.”
Iyana squeaked as he rolled back on top of her and set about making her skin and her heart sing again.
Somehourslater,spentand satisfied, they lay together in bed.Iyana’s head rested on Emmeric’s chest, his steady heartbeat lulling her to sleep.They still hadn’t actually discussed what she had told him when he’d first woken up.Or anything that had happened afterwards.For the time being, they were happy enough to carve this time out for themselves.
Em’s fingers trailed lazy designs over her skin.
I wish it could always be this way, she thought.
Me too.
Do you ever wonder…Her thought trailed off.
“Wonder what, Mouse?”
Iyana glanced up at his face.Emmeric’s eyes were closed, a sleepy smile curving his lips.A serene feeling of contentment flowed from him.If she asked him to stay in this room with her forever, Iyana had no doubt that he would immediately agree.But they had a duty to perform.As the only ones capable of defeating the stars, Iyana could never live with herself if she abandoned humanity only for the sake of her own personal happiness.
“If none of this had ever happened—if Altair never fell—do you think we still would have found each other?”
Emmeric’s hand stilled for less than a second, then continued drawing circles on her back.“I’d like to think so.I know I was never interested in having a relationship with any of the women I’d met before.What do you think?”
“I probably would have married Idris.”
His eyes snapped open as he frowned at her.“Who the fuck is Idris?”
Iyana waved her hand.“Just this guy who was obsessed with getting me to marry him after I slept with him once.”
“Youfuckedhim?”
She leveled a glare at Emmeric.“Oh, please.Like you were a pure virgin before this morning?”
Emmeric pursed his lips.“Fair point.”
“Maybe I would have eventually made it to the healer’s university in Athusia, and we would have run into each other in the market, or in a tavern, like normal people do.”
“That would have been nice.”Emmeric sighed.“We seem to be anything but normal, though.”
Iyana hummed, lost in thought.“Emmeric, about what I said this morning—”
Before she could say more, the bedroom door opened suddenly and slammed against the opposite wall.They both bolted upright in bed, and while Iyana’s instinct was to clutch the blanket to her naked chest, she was grateful to see Emmeric with a dagger in his hand.She didn’t even know where he’d gotten that from.
Emmeric lowered the blade, though, when they saw it was Kaz who stood in their doorway.Her eyes were wide, and her mouth hung slightly agape.
“Oh.My.Gods!” The shifter clapped her hands over her mouth and bounced on the balls of her feet.Then words rushed out of her in a torrent.“I always hoped this would happen!It seemed like for a little bit that it never would, but then I put Iyana in that dress.You remember, right, Em?The one in Nyr that made you go all googly eyed over her?But then you were fighting for a few days—”
“Kaz,” Emmeric said.
“—and it seemed like it would never happen.But I was always rooting for you two!Even when Em and I were sleeping together.Remember, Em?Remember how I said I was rooting for you two crazy kids?”
“Phaedros take me now,” he murmured.
“And now look at you both!In bed naked together, and I just know you spent all morning doing fun things.I was so bored, I came looking for everyone and I couldn’t findanybody—”
“Kaz!”Iyana tried, giggling.
“Oh, shit!I need to find Tal and Zane.They’re going to want to know about this!”
