Page 119 of Heiress of Fire

“Hey, let her go,” Ron said.

“Who the hell do you think you are? She’s not your fiancée. She’s mine.”

Davina furrowed her brow at the latter. She was his. It didn’t sit well with her to think of herself as one of Isaiah’s possessions.

“Let her go or you are going to leave this party without your hands,” Ron threatened.

Maroon colored her cheeks. The blush that ran to her cheeks was short-lived as Isaiah tried to pull her closer to him.

“Let me go,” she said quietly, not wanting to attract any more attention. The other guests, along with Beacon and Valerie, had their eyes on the three of them.

“What?” His hand tightened around her arm. Her patience began to slip away as his fingers bit into her arm.

“I said let me go or I’m going to burn your whole arm to a crisp,” Davina snarled.

She could hear Isaiah’s palm sizzling against her hot skin. Davina fought to keep her lips from curling upward as she watched him shake his boiling hand, she hadn’t even realized she was burning him.

Davina returned her gaze to Ron who was grinning. What a shameless, yet beautiful idiot that he was.

She nodded curtly at Ron, accepting his invitation to Somerlane Lake.

THIRTY-FOUR

Davina arrived at the entrance of Somerlane Lake. After the two times that she was there with Ron, not even Basalt could compare to the memories she shared with him under the flowing branches.

She felt a scowl cross her lips as she thought about how Isaiah mocked her past with Ron by gifting her a bouquet of roses from the ones around the Lake.

What would Isaiah have to say if he knew that she was meeting Ron clandestinely? She asked herself that question before she realized that she didn’t care if he found out. In fact, she wanted him to find out because then he would forget about ever trying to convince her to love him.

Ron’s back faced her as he observed the birds that chirped over the branches of the willow tree. She had to speak to him. They had lived such separate lives for months that she yearned to know how he was doing.

He had been hellbent on staying out of the war and convincing Davina to follow along with him, he’d abandoned his post as Soldier and Protector, so she wanted to know what changed his mind.

He was different, she had to admit that. He seemed more confident and stronger. It was exactly the man she wanted him to become. Not for herself, but for his wellbeing.

Davina corrected herself, he was already confident and strong, yet he hadn’t been able to see that within himself.

Davina slowly approached him, suddenly feeling self-conscious about her choice of clothing. She looked down at her simple purple gown.

His gaze was now set on the small ripples in the clear blue water. A small beige basket had been set above the plaid blanket. The same one from all those months ago. A bittersweet reminder of what they could’ve been. No, she wouldn’t think like that today. She would enjoy the little bit of time they were able to share that day.

“Hi,” she voiced, holding her hands behind her back with rosy cheeks.

Ron turned at the sound of her voice, his eyes immediately brightening at the sight of her. She couldn’t help but feel her face flush even more.

“Hello, love.”

This time, she wouldn’t fight him for his nicknames.

“Hello,” Davina said, bouncing on her feet. Here, with him, she didn’t have to hide behind a façade like she did with Isaiah. Ron was quite aware of her feelings for him, she’d known from the note he wrote and from his flirtations. She didn’t have to conceal how he made her feel and it felt like freedom.

And for some reason, it didn’t alarm her that he knew how she felt.

He approached her. Davina let herself be wrapped in his embrace, quickly returning the gesture. She closed her eyes as she savored his warmth. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him. Savoring the very feel of him.

“I’ve been waiting so long for this,” he whispered.

Davina rubbed his back, smiling quietly. “Me too.”

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