Page 79 of Her Ivory Flame

She held her palm out towards him, summoning a small mount of flame to light up the space between them. She was thankful for the darkness hiding her face, her eyes going straight to his shirtless body next to her and she felt her face get hot.

She had never seen him shirtless the entire time she knew him, and now that she had, it was going to be hard to forget.

Every shadow lined his muscular physique, abs very apparent and toned, his arms lean with smooth muscles. She had thought Silas was in shape, but Kaden was on a whole other level.

He had one knee bent under the blanket, his arm resting on it and body turned towards her. The light between them was barely enough to see the expression on each other’s faces but she knew he was watching her.

She flinched slightly as he lifted his hand, again asking for approval, and pushed some of her sweat soaked hair from her face after she nodded to him.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered with a shaky voice.

“Don’t be,” he said softly.

Another rumble hit the mountain and she jumped, her trauma getting the best of her tonight. She looked down at her shaking hand holding her flame, it flickering slightly and she knew she was going to lose it soon.

“What do you need, Alyra?” his gentle voice sounded again and she looked to see his eyes glowing in the darkness.

It was like looking at a predatory animal, but there was nothing dangerous about them. It was intriguing, and for some reason she found herself comforted just by looking at them.

A tear fell down her cheek and she leaned into his hand as he offered it again, his thumb brushing the tear from her face. Her flame dissolved suddenly, every fiber of her wanting to shatter just from his touch.

“To stop feeling so weak.” she whimpered. “And to not feel so broken.”

She didn’t hesitate when he gently pulled on her cheek, another silent offer of body contact and leaned down as he started to pull her to him. His hands gently placed her down next to him and she welcomed the warmth of his bare skin as she rested her head on his chest.

A wave of calm washed over her, as if someone was blanketing her with an unseen magic but she knew that wasn’t the case. Her body was just responding to his touch and the comfort he was now giving her.

“You’re not broken, you’re just in pain,” he whispered, his arms cradling around her.

“I don’t want to feel this anymore,” she said softly. “I was an idiot for trusting him, you even said as much.”

“I didn’t want to be right.”

They laid in silence for a while, her body melting into him as if this was a normal thing between them. Her mind wouldn’t quiet, even with listening to his steady heartbeat. Any time the thunder sounded, she could feel herself jump.

“My father killed my mother.” His voice was quiet and she jerked in surprise.

He had never told her anything about his past, she didn’t even know where he was from and his confession shocked her.

“I never really knew my father, my mother kept me from him in fear I would turn out just as terrible as he was. My mother was kind, gentle, and even helped raise some of the kids that lived near us.”

His heart started to beat a little faster in his chest under her ear but she didn’t dare move or say anything in fear he would stop talking.

“I was already fighting in the war when he found her and I couldn’t get to her before he slaughtered her in our village town square. I traveled three days straight to get home, but by then someone had to bury her before she rotted away.”

Finally, she decided to move her hand onto his chest and an odd sensation ran through her fingers.

“Someone I trusted in that village told my father where she was, someone I had thought I loved.” The pain in his voice made her throat go dry.

“Was it a female?” she whispered hesitantly.

“Yes.”

“Did you plan to spend the rest of your life with her?”

“At the time, I thought she was the one. She made me feel happy and was the most beautiful female I had ever met.” His hand moved on top of hers, and she froze in surprise. “I have since been made aware I was drastically incorrect.”

She didn’t know how to react to his words, the fact they had never been this open with each other left her puzzled. She didn’t hate it, but it was still odd for her.