Page 52 of Flame and Starlight

He laughed and kissed me again. “Trust me, if he had a woman this beautiful at his fingertips, he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her either.” I eased myself off him, and he ripped a section of his shirt off and started to push my skirt up around my waist.

“What’re you doing?”

“I’m not going to have you just sitting in it, love.”

He slowly ran the section of shirt up the inside of each of my thighs and then further. The gentle touch was like a feather on my heated skin.

Why is this making me hot again?

I felt my chest and face flush when he found the most sensitive part of me.

“Don’t look at me like that or I’ll make it round five.”

I took deep breaths, cooling my blood. He threw the piece of cloth on the floor of the carriage unceremoniously and then kissed each thigh before letting my skirt fall back down over my legs. I laid my head back as he put himself back together as best he could with the lower half of his shirt missing.

He shifted closer and pulled me into his chest, his shadows puffing out around us like clouds. His fingers twirled themselves through my hair. My mind drifted to worries in the silence.

I didn’t know how we were going to eliminate this threat without either hiding me away forever or fighting. I didn’t know anything about politics here or war, but I did know I didn’t want anything to happen to the Fae I had come to know. I didn’t want to lose what I had here, what I had with Asher.

The thought of him dying trying to protect me or fight for me made my heart race and my palms sweat. It also wouldn’t just be Asher fighting and risking his life. He would need help. Wars are not fought one-on-one. I would not let people who I hadn’t even met fight to save my life just because Asher had some sort of revenge plot.

If I had to sacrifice myself to save him, and other innocents, I would without hesitation. If it came to me leaving him, leaving this court, to keep him safe, I would. In my mind, I could see that becoming my only option.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

“What if I wanted to leave?” I whispered. I felt him stiffen beneath me.

“Leave Esteria? My court? Or me?” He grabbed my chin and forced my eyes to his. His words had come out clipped, and any warmth in his eyes had faded to black. His shadows seemed to pull away from me and hovered over him instead. I felt their absence like a knife to the chest. I blinked away the tears threatening to spill.

“You.” My voice cracked on the singular word. He closed his eyes with a deep breath, and then his fingers moved from my chin to encompass my entire jaw, his fingertips digging into the bone. His eyes bored into mine.

“I was just inside you, and now you talk about leaving me, little duck?”

I whimpered as the tears rolled over my cheeks. “It would save you.”

His dark eyes darted back and forth between my own. “If you left me, it would rip my heart out of my chest. It would be like taking the moon from the night sky. You belong to me just as I belong to you.” His grip became gentle then as his other hand slipped up to cup the other side of my face. He stroked the tears from my cheeks.

“It would save innocent people if I left, Asher. If I went to him, it could solve the problem. I only see this ending in war and bloodshed or me leaving. If he wants me this badly, he isn’t just going to give up and let us live our lives in peace.”

“I don’t care about innocent lives,” he said as he kissed my cheeks. “I care about yours. He will…” He swallowed, and his eyes became distant. He blinked away whatever thoughts had plagued him and turned back to me. I pulled out of his grasp.

“You are a leader.” I grabbed his hand in my own and squeezed. “You don’t have that luxury.”

He sighed and lay back against the seat and closed his eyes, running his fingers over them. I watched his shadows swirl around my arms and settle themselves back across my skin. They had become a comfort blanket.

“This is madness. You are madness.”

I rolled my eyes and turned my attention to the trees outside the carriage window. We sat in silence for a long time before I felt him shift, and then his arm snaked around my waist.

“I can’t bear the thought of losing you.” I leaned back against his chest and fought against the pain in my throat. “We just need to figure out why he wants you and what he wants you for. Once we know his true motives, we can fight smarter, not harder.” I let myself believe him, for now.

“I’m not important enough for all of this, Asher.”

“You are important to me, Alyssandra.”

I gave a soft laugh. “You know, Aoife did say something kind of interesting during her little visit.”

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