Page 96 of A Shattered Kingdom of Steel

“Even if you hate me for it, even if you curse my name, even if you vow to never see me again, it would still be worth it. My heart beats within your chest. Everything I do is for you because I cannot bear to live in a world where you are stolen from me.”

My heart expands, so filled with warmth and light and love that it feels as though it can’t be contained within my physical body. His words awaken something deep in my soul, something that I know to be true without even having to voice it.

But he does.

And gods, it feels so fucking amazing to hear him say those words out loud.

“Theelia blessed us that day in the woods. We were never destined to kill each other, my Bladesinger.” His expression softens. Looking at me as if I’m both his end and his beginning, he says, “You are my mate, Lymseia. Losing you would destroy me, body and soul.” He tilts his head down, touching his forehead to mine. “Is that clear enough for you?”

Emotion wells in my eyes, rising to flush my cheeks. “Perfectly clear.”

Asheros smiles, a sigh of relief escaping his parted lips.

“Gods, I…” Pressing my lips together, I swallow. There’s so much I want to say, so much I need him to know, but I don’t know how to condense it into something I can convey with words.

So, I don’t.

Instead, I kiss him.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Crashing my mouth to his, I throw my arms around Asheros’s neck, pulling him down to me. Showing him everything words can’t accurately describe, I fully open myself to him, body and soul.

He responds immediately, his hands gripping my face to kiss me in return. The movement of his lips is in perfect sync with mine, our mouths speaking in unison with one another. We are nothing but a beautiful mess of teeth, tongues, and hands, fervently exploring each other’s bodies as if it’s the one thing keeping us alive.

Asheros’s hands run down my body, lingering to squeeze my hips. At the slight hint of pleasure-tinged pain, I gasp against his mouth. Arching my back, my breasts graze his chest, and the subtle touch sets my blood on fire.

His lips part for mine, and I slip my tongue past them, claiming his mouth for myself. He welcomes my advances, his lips melting into mine while his grasp on my hips tightens.

“Gods, Lymseia,” he groans in between stolen kisses. “You are…fuck.” Releasing my hips, he threads his fingers through my hair at the base of my skull, curling them into a fist. Using his grip on my hair to tilt my head back, he reclaims my mouth in a deep, hungry kiss.

Pleasure stirs low in my abdomen, need wound tight between my legs.

“Fuck, Bladesinger,” he pants. The evidence of his own desire is pressed to my thigh, driving me wild. “I need you. Please, let me fuck you.”

The hunger in his voice undoes me.

“Do it,” I beg. “Fuck me right now.”

“Are you sure you want this?” he asks. “You know once we do this, once we form the bond, it can’t be undone.”

“I know,” I tell him, pulling away far enough so I can look into his eyes. “I want this. Gods, I want this—you, the mate bond—so badly. I’ve wanted to tell you for so long.”

He searches my expression. Relief and joy flash in his crystalline gaze for a moment before desire overtakes them once again.

Shadows seep from him, fully undressing me in a matter of seconds.

“Fuck,” I murmur when the nighttime air hits my skin.

“Cold, Bladesinger?” he teases, offering me that wicked smirk.

I shut him up with a devastating kiss, frantically plucking at his shirt. He helps me pull it off, only breaking from our kiss long enough to get it over his head. Pressing a hand to my chest between my breasts, Asheros steps back, keeping me at arm’s length.

Ravenous, his eyes roam down my body like a male starved, drinking in every detail. “You are…” His voice trails off, breathless. “Absolutely magnificent.”

Closing the gap between us, he dips his face into the crook of my neck and drags his lips from my jawline down to my shoulder. With a shudder, I close my eyes and tilt my head back.

He presses a soft kiss to my shoulder. “Otherworldly.” Another kiss, up to my neck. “Perfect.”

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