Nyssa.
I cracked one eye open and saw her. She was breathtaking, silhouetted by the moonlight along the railing, wind tugging at her long ebony hair, eyes already on me like sheknew. Like shealwaysdid.
I sat up without thinking and went to her.
She signed, “You survived.”
“Barely,” I huffed. “If Talon asks me one more question about napkin placements, I swear I’ll hurl myself overboard.”
She giggled softly, and the sound of it hit me straight in the chest.
“I take it you’re done playing tutor for the night?” she signed, eyes flicking over me with amusement.
“For the night,” I said, voice lower now. “But I’m always available if it’syourequesting my attention.”
She rolled her eyes, but her steps didn’t falter as she moved into my space. I caught the scent of her in the breeze, like rain and something warm and comforting.
Home.
Shewas my home.
I reached for her. My hand brushed her cheek as she leaned in to kiss me. Her lips were soft, familiar, and warm. I would gladly fight any battle if it meant I could kiss her every day like this.
When we finally pulled apart, I whispered, “What are your plans for the rest of the night?”
Her smile was quiet as she pulled back, biting her bottom lip, signing one word, “You.”
I closed the distance without hesitation. The beauty of the sea and the stars faded into the background when compared to this moment with her. Nyssa’s hands found my chest, her fingers digging into the collar of my shirt to bring me closer. Her tongue danced inside my mouth as a fire licked up my center, causing my cock to pulse as she released her hold to rub her palm against it.
I fucking loved that she kissed me like this.
That she didn’t take it slow.
I pulled her to me, one hand in her hair, the other at her back. I forgot where she ended, and I began. Her mouth was delicate and blazing all at once. She kissed me like she needed me to breathe, fighting to tear through every wall I’d ever built.
Our bond allowed her to see me at my core, and still she loved me, despite the darkness and death the gods had bound to me as a gift.
Nyssa gasped, and I swallowed the sound, deepening the kiss until the world fell away. Salt air, starlight, everything vanished buther. I kissed her like a starving man tasting his first meal in months.
When we broke apart, breathless and tangled, her hands moved to fist my hair. My forehead rested against hers, and all my armor, all my facades, disintegrated.
Damn near breathless, I rasped, “Never before have I said this to another.” I paused, steadying myself. “You are not only my mate, Nyssa… I am bound to you in a way I never thought possible. I love you with all that I am.”
She smiled—the kind of smile that could ignite wars or end them just as easily. Her full lips parted, with a soft laugh escaping before she signed, “I love you too.”
A warm chuckle ran through me, followed by a warmth in my chest that I allowed to consume my heart. “Thank the gods.”
I bent to claim her lips once more, savoring the quiet of the night. In the silent corners of my heart, I prayed for the day I would crown her midnight hair, take my place beside her on our throne in Silver Meadows, and vow to the worlds that she wasmine.
My mate.
Myeverything.
Chapter Twelve
Skylar Cathal
The waters of Sapphire Bay shimmered beneath us in a living display of blues that shifted with every breath of wind.
