Page 24 of Lich's Bride

Her kiss is a living flame, searing me to my core, igniting fires in long-cold places. I groan low in my throat and pull her flush against me, one hand splaying across the small of her back as the other tangles in her midnight hair. She meets me with equal hunger, her small hands fisting in the front of my robes as she parts her lips in blatant invitation.

I take it, plundering the sweet heat of her mouth with a desperation bordering on violence. All the terror, the fury and helpless anguish, pour out of me in a torrent, transmuting into a wild, devouring need. A need to claim her, to mark her, to bind her to me in every way imaginable until the very thought of separation is anathema.

She matches me, as she always does, her own desire a white-hot brand against my senses. In this, as in all things, we are perfectly matched - twin flames, burning ever brighter in the consuming dance of our union.

It's only the distant, clamoring need for air that finally parts us, our chests heaving in tandem as we rest our foreheads together. In the glimmering amethyst of her half-lidded eyes, I see a reflection of my own feelings - the love, the devotion, the soul-deep knowing that this, here, is where we belong. That in the circle of each other's arms, we are home.

"I love you," I rasp, the words tearing out of me like a prayer and a promise. "Until the stars fall and the worlds crumble, Kira. Never doubt that."

"And I love you," she whispers back, fierce and fervent. "In this life and whatever waits beyond. Always, Malachar. Only ever you."

And there, on the ramparts of our dark fortress, with the echoes of nightmares still shivering in the air, I crush her to me and lose myself once more in the searing perfection of her kiss.

Let the horrors come. Let all the twisted forces of the Faewild array themselves against us.

18

KIRA

The sun is setting, painting the sky in shades of fire and blood, as I stand at the window of our bedchamber, lost in thought. In the wake of the warding debacle and the horrors that followed, I find myself adrift, my mind awhirl with questions and uncertainties.

I'm so deep in my own head that I don't hear Malachar enter, only becoming aware of his presence when his arms slip around my waist from behind, his chin coming to rest on my shoulder. "A copper for your thoughts, my love," he murmurs, his breath stirring the fine hairs at my temple.

I sigh, leaning back into the solid warmth of him. "I'm not sure they're worth that much," I reply, a wry twist to my lips. "Just... thinking. About everything that's happened. About what comes next."

He's quiet for a moment, his thumbs stroking idle patterns on my hips through the thin silk of my robe. "And what do you see?" he asks at last, his voice carefully neutral. "When you look to the future, to our future... what is it that you want?"

I turn in the circle of his arms, tipping my head back to meet his gaze. In the dying light, his eyes are wells of fathomless shadow, glinting with eldritch sparks. "Honestly? I'm not entirely sure." I worry my lower lip between my teeth, trying to marshal my chaotic thoughts into words. "I love you, Malachar. I love our life here, the home we've built. But..."

"But?" he prompts gently when I trail off, one elegant brow arching in question.

"But I can't help feeling like there's more I need to do. More I need to learn." The words come out in a rush, as if they've been waiting to be spoken. "Magic, the Art... it's a part of me now, as vital as breathing. And I've barely scratched the surface. There's so much I don't know, so much I have yet to master..."

Malachar is silent for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he nods. "I understand," he says quietly. "Better than you might think. The hunger for knowledge, for power... it's a fire that can never truly be quenched. I know this well."

His gaze turns distant, as if seeing into some far-off place or time. "I had thought..." He pauses, a flicker of something raw and vulnerable crossing his face. "I had hoped that, in time, you might come to desire other things. A family. Offspring, to carry on our legacy."

My breath catches in my throat, my heart giving a strange, lurching thump. "Children?" I manage, my voice sounding strangled to my own ears. "I... I hadn't really..."

"Forgive me," Malachar says quickly, his hands tightening on my waist. "I shouldn't have... it's too soon. You're still so young, with so much yet ahead of you. It was foolish of me to even suggest..."

"No," I interrupt, feeling a sudden, fierce swell of emotion. "No, it's not... I do want that. A family, with you. Someday."

And as I say the words, I realize they're true. The idea of bearing Malachar's children, of creating new life with him... it fills me with a warmth, a yearning, that threatens to steal my breath. "But I need time," I continue, holding his gaze with my own. "Time to grow into my power, to become the dark sorceress, the woman, I know I can be. I'm not... I'm not ready. Not yet."

Malachar's expression softens, a tender light kindling in the depths of his eyes. "Of course, my dark heart" he murmurs, lifting one hand to cradle my cheek. "You must follow your path, my heart, wherever it leads you. I would never seek to cage your ambitions, your desires."

I take a deep breath, gathering my courage. "What would you think about me attending a magical academy? Somewhere I could formalize my training, expand my knowledge in a structured way? I know it would mean being apart, but..."

"Yes," he says simply, stunning me to silence.

I blink at him, sure I must have misheard. "Yes?"

He smiles, a slow, soft curve of his lips. "Yes, my love. I think it's an excellent idea."

He brushes a thumb over my cheekbone, his touch achingly gentle. "Your magic is a treasure, a gift beyond price. It deserves to be nurtured, honed to its fullest potential. I do not possess such folly to think I can grant you a complete education myself. I should have thought of it myself. And if that means a brief separation..."

He shrugs, a fluid ripple of his shoulders. "It is a small price to pay, for the joy of watching you grow into your power."

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