Aspen
He stood in reaching distance. Like a beautiful mirage, my knight riveted his gaze on me, his unkempt ashy hair and twilit irises beacons against the darkness.
Only this morning we’d been combat training, making love while bracing our weapons. Already, I had missed his eyes on me, his closeness, his touch.
But then my attention sank to the rope shackling his wrists. I hadn’t noticed them when he slipped off the hood.
My heart splashed to the floor. My head shook, whipping from side to side.
“No,” I pleaded. “Aire, no.”
“I insisted,” he said without remorse. “I would not rest until the clan answered my demand.”
They arrested him. At his request, the clan imprisoned Aire with me. Though, they must have done this unwillingly after listening to his side of the story.
Poet and Briar said Aire had spiraled into rage. From the bedraggled lines of his face and the threadbare sound of his voice, this knight had done more than defend me. He’d bellowed loudly enough to raise the earth.
The fellowship must have argued far out of earshot since I hadn’t heard a thing. Regardless, the aftermath stood before me, his gaze raking across mine, checking to make sure I’d been treated well.
Yearning clotted my throat. “You came,” I whispered. “But I didn’t—”
“You did not have to,” Aire rushed out.
I didn’t have to request him. I didn’t have to call out and hope some elemental force sent this man to me.
Aire knew. He knew what I needed, and even if I had wanted otherwise, this knight would have come anyway. Because he would always come.
My insides tangled like vines. He shouldn’t be here. He should leave. I wouldn’t let him suffer or become estranged from the clan, not when I’d done enough to ruin him.
The knight’s perceptive features narrowed. “Aspen, don’t you dare push me away.” Then his lips curled into a feeble grin. “Or if you insist, fight me on it. Loser gets their wish.”
With a cry, I flew at him. Hissing, Aire stormed my way.
We collided, my body crashing into his. With our hands tied, we fumbled to get nearer, tighter. My arms hooked onto his nape, and he snatched my cheeks, yanking my mouth to his.
The desperate crush of his lips dislodged a whimper from my throat. Prying me open, Aire flexed his tongue, skewering my mouth apart. Like the first time, his kiss tasted of black tea and autumn spices, every hot stroke alleviating the pain.
Pressing against one another, we flung ourselves into it. Aire hauled my mouth to his, slanting his lips and rocking his tongue with my own. Slick, soft, safe.
Breathless, I arched from the kiss. “Aire of Autumn doesn’t break laws.”
“I do for you,” he swore against my lips. “My place is here. My post is wherever I’ll find you.” Swaying his head, Aire rubbed his mouth over mine. “More than to Autumn, I swear myself to this. More than duty, you own my heart.”
His palms clutched my jaw. “You are my exception to every rule on this continent. I will always stand by your side.”
My restraint collapsed. Despite being part of a clan, and despite everything I shared with him, I had insisted on fighting a one-woman battle. But not anymore.
More time passed. We spent the days reclining on the circular divan, with my back nestling into Aire’s chest.
Because Rhys must have learned about the skirmish’s outcome and my longstanding deception against him, I panicked about Mama’s safety back home. With only our woodpecker familiar to guard her, she remained a vulnerable target to the king’s wrath.
But Aire quelled that fear. With the clan’s permission, he dispatched a hawk before joining me in captivity. The message had instructed trusted soldiers to escort my mother to the castle, where they could look out for her. Briar had sanctioned the message, closing it with a signature that only Queen Avalea would deem authentic.
The clan rotated delivering blankets, pillows, water, and platters of food. They didn’t say much, and we didn’t press. The time for reckoning hadn’t arrived.
In the interim, we were allowed to bathe and change clothes before returning to our chamber. Anxious to see us, Nicu barreled inside one morning and hugged me for a full ten minutes.
It turned out, Nicu discovered this place halfway through our stint here, with the help of Lyrik’s lanterns. The alchemist hadn’t recovered yet. His wound had gotten infected, which yielded complications that kept our friend in tatters. Helpless, we reassured Nicu that Jeryn was doing his best.
