The surrounding air chills and I feel goose bumps prickle her skin. I notice a shift in the air and hear a faint roaring sound. A barrier of water forms around us as it spills from her fingers. Ideliberately slow down and take in the sight of what my future queen has created.
“Your magic ...” I say, releasing her nipple from my mouth. “You are already controlling it.”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I don’t want to be too loud for the rest of the camp. Thought this would help.”
“They’ve already heard your screams.” I smirk and pepper kisses down her neck. “But I want to know something first.”
Carnaxa wraps her legs around me, pulling me deeper into her. “What?”
Wrapping my hand around her throat as I pull her forehead to mine. “Who makes your heart race and owns every scream you make?” I forcefully sink back into her, and her breasts bounce prominently beneath me.
“You,” she gasps, her breath heavy and labored, as a wave of shivers courses through her skin, “You, Ereon.”
I take a nipple into my mouth, sucking on it vigorously as she moans loudly. Louder than she has any other night we’ve been together, because at this moment, she knows perfectly well who I am, how I feel about her, and how she feels about me. I push against her, throwing her leg over my shoulder and getting on my knees. Holding her ankle firmly in my grip, I thrust hard enough to shake the bed, feeling the explosion of pleasure as I release inside of her.
I stay still, letting us both catch our breath when I hear her gasp. “Ereon — your hand.”
Looking to where her eyes are fixated, I see there the frost that covers her leg I still hold. The ice reflects the fire, and it looks like a million flickering crystals. My hand is frozen in place on her leg. I smile down at her.
“It’s fine ... you are still learning to control your magic. You are bound to have a few accidents. It’ll melt eventually. I’ve seen you use ice before.”
She stares at me, her expression strange. “I’ve ... never felt ice in my veins.”
“You used it in Shaston to keep Thylas and I from fighting, remember? It’s okay.” I try to pull my hand from her ankle, but it doesn’t release.
“No, I thought of a river separating the two of you. I’ve never used ice.” She leans up awkwardly. “Close your eyes and think of it melting. Like breathing.”
I roll my eyes. If anything, I expect the dark flames of my father would curse me. But I do as she instructs and almost fall on top of her as my hand releases. I stare at my hands, wanting to see it once again. As my fingers move slowly and softly across her stomach, a beautiful and delicate trail of ice forms.
“It’s lovely …” she says as she looks down at the trail between us.
“Does it hurt?” I ask, willing it away. I didn’t think about what it would feel like for her.
“No.” She moves from beneath me to rest on her knees, taking my head in her hands and kissing me. “It’s been you with the ice in your veins. When I walked into the tent after you’re … talk … with Anara — the wood was frozen. It would appear” — she smiles at me and pushes stray strands of hair out of my face — “that the Goddess has blessed you again.”
forty-five
Thylas
Asky of orange meets my eyes as I gaze across the sands. In front of me lies Shaston, the place of my birth and somewhere I am glad to have left behind. My fingers graze the red and orange sand as I sit among the dunes. The sun beats across my tanned skin, not burning but igniting something in my soul.
“Welcome.” A masculine voice sounds from everywhere and yet nowhere at once.
Rising to my feet, I quickly swipe away the fine grains of sand that have settled on the back of my pants. “Who areyou?”
A sinister laugh crosses the land in a gust of wind. I turn around, seeking the one who addresses me. The dark sandstone palace lingers like a mirage in the distance.
“Show yourself.” I go to grab the broadsword that is always attached to my hip, only to find it missing. The sun no longer has its colorful rings that recently reappeared. Nothing about this is right.
“This isn’t real. What is this?”
A man emerges in front of me, his red hair flaming at the ends. He strides towards me across the scorching land, his bare feet leaving imprints in the hot sand.
“This is your home, is it not?” he says, mere paces from me.
“It is my birthplace, but not my home.”
His shoulders rise in a shrug. “That’s right your home is in Antalis. The home of the Goddess-blessed.” He stands in front of me, his mocking tone apparent as he sucks his teeth. He cocks his head. “No ... what was it you said? Your home is not ‘the sands or seas of any kingdom.’ You pledged yourself to a woman.”
