A horse snorted. Mariah’s head snapped up toward the sound.
“Come on,” Andrian said with a smile. “And stop distracting me.”
“Says the walking distraction,” Mariah mumbled, smirking.
He was still chuckling when they found the forest path. A familiar buckskin gelding was tied to a tree, already bridled and saddled, watching them both with pricked ears and bright eyes.
“Kodie?” Mariah padded to her horse, grinning as he nuzzled into her side. She turned back to Andrian with a lifted brow.
He gestured toward the saddle. “I didn’t think you’d need help up, princess, but I’ll give you a hand if you want it.”
She rolled her eyes, pulling herself effortlessly into the saddle, the panels of her red dress draping around her. Andrian followed, settling in behind her, and tried desperately not to think about how perfectly bare she was under all those layers.
Not that it mattered. He was still painfully hard, and the closeness of being on horseback helped very little.
At least this ride was a short one. He prayed to the gods that it would be worth it.
Wrapping his arms around Mariah and gathering the reins, he gave Kodie a soft click. The gelding surged into a trot down the forest path, winding back up and deeper into the mountains.
Mariah wasquiet as they rode, face tilted up to catch the stray beams of moonlight that managed to break through the canopy.
She was resplendent, her smile soft, and unfamiliar warmth bloomed freely in Andrian’s chest.
They eventually stopped their uphill climb, the path leveling out. The cliffs rose around them, framing either side of the path. Andrian pulled Kodie to a halt and slid from the saddle. Mariah followed, giving her horse a gentle kiss below his eye. Andrian unsaddled him and piled his tack near the edge of the path.
When done, he reached for Mariah’s hand. “There’s a stream just off the path,” he murmured. “He’ll be fine. He knows not to go far.”
Mariah nodded, giving the gelding one last pat. Kodie snorted softly, tossing his head, and disappeared into the trees. Andrian pulled her farther down the path, the silence of the night wrapping around them like a sweet breath.
The cliffs on either side widened at the end of the path. Andrian released a long sigh of relief.
A sigh that was punctuated by Mariah’s soft, surprised gasp.
When he’d come here earlier that day, he’d had a feeling that it would be perfect beneath the brilliant Solstice moonlight.
Even he couldn’t help but be a little dumbfounded by it now.
The tall cliffs ringed a small glade, towering sentries forming a near perfect circle. Soft, gilded grass padded the meadow, mountain snowdrops still blooming despite it being the peak of summer.
And winding through the stone of the cliffs, glimmering beneath the Solstice moons, were thick, rough bands of tanzanite.
Andrian swallowed, dropping his gaze to Mariah’s face. Her eyes were wide, mouth slightly ajar. His nerves rose with skin-prickling unease.
Was it too much? Was it not right? What if she didn’t want to spend a night beneath the stars, and wanted to be back in theirbeautiful room instead? Had he tried to do something good, and somehow managed to fuck it all up?Again?
“We can go back to Eyarfell, if you want. I know it’s been a long day. It was a stupid idea; we don’t have to stay here?—”
“Andrian.” Hands wrapped around his shoulders, snaking up to frame his face. “Stop.”
He blinked. “Do you…do you like it?”
Mariah’s face broke into a beautiful smile. A bit of the light lining her eyes spilled down her cheek—a tear. “Likeit? Andrian…” She trailed off, tearing her gaze from his, sweeping it around the glade again.
“I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.” She sniffed, wiping her cheek. “I don’t even understand how it exists. Because Andrian…it’sus. This place is us.”
He swallowed. Emotion clogged his throat. The unease was gone, relief lifting some of the weight, but still his chest felt heavy.
Heavy and full andhappy. It was strange but wonderful.
