Page 189 of Scourged

It was broken by a shuddering groan, a desperate plea.

“Ciana—”

That was all it took.

Ciana lifted her head, eyes clashing with Sebastian’s before she closed the distance between them.

His arms wrapped around her waist as she threw hers around his neck, crashing her lips to his.

His body tensed in surprise, just for a moment, before relaxing against her. Sebastian was so warm, so familiar, so safe. He tasted of mahogany and parchment, like nights spent wrapped beneath a worn quilt with stacks of books and a raging fire glowing in the hearth.

He felt like home. A home she’d never known but was so desperate to find.

Ciana tangled her fingers in his hair, aching to pull him closer. To remember as much of him as she could, to soak in all he was so no matter what happened, she could never forget. His hands brushed through her curls, fingers digging lightly into her back.

After what felt like forever, she pulled away. They both breathed heavily, his cheeks as flushed as she knew her own to be.

“Ciana,” he whispered, eyes bright, pupils blown wide. He lifted a slightly shaking hand, resting it on her face, pushing back the tangled mass of her hair.

She smiled up at him. “Sebastian.”

He searched her face. “I never … I never knew. That you might …”

“Might what? Want to be with you? I may be damaged, Sebastian, but I’m not broken.”

Sebastian flushed again. “That’s not what I meant.” He opened his mouth, about to say more before a shout shattered the moment.

“Seb! Lover boy! It’s time to go. Get your ass over here.”

Fucking Quentin.If they all made it back, Ciana would rip out his tongue herself.

Sebastian sighed, resting his forehead against hers. “When I’m back, we’ll talk. About … everything. All of this. I promise.”

She nodded against him. With the gentlest of movements, he tipped her chin up just enough to kiss her; one more time, a sweet and delicate touch.

Ciana searched his face when he drew away from her. “Come back to me, okay?”

Sebastian smiled. “And leave this unfinished? There’s not a chance under the moons I’m letting that happen, Goldie.”

Chapter 67

Manic energy chased Mariah from Verith, leading her Armature west on Xara’s Road with an urgency that crawled beneath her skin.

The sun was setting when they reached a small town on the road, just before it branched and they would take it north. Mariah’s body was stiff and, despite the anxiety swimming in her gut, her exhaustion weighed heavily on her bones.

“What do you think?” Mariah nodded at the small inn and tavern, speaking to no one in particular. “One more sleep in a bed before braving the woods?”

“I don’t like it. It’s not safe.” Sebastian appeared at her side, pulling his warhorse to a halt. His brow was furrowed. “What if someone recognizes you?”

Mariah frowned. “Why would they recognize me? Because I’m a queen they don’t know?”

It was true. While she was coronated and the full power of the queen flowed through her veins like intoxicating threads of silver-gold power … none but those in the palace knew. Normally, a formal ascension celebration would’ve been held days after the coronation to present the new queen to the people.

But Mariah would not sit idle for another antiquated tradition while her family rotted in a prison cell.

Sebastian made an exasperated sound. “They haveseenyou before. At the parade, for example. And it’s not exactly common to see a young woman traveling with seven men.”

Mariah fell silent as she stared at the inn. The quaint little town was quiet, and only a few horses were tethered to the posts lining the road. A few stable boys lingered around the inn doors, bored as they waited for patrons, their presence indicating the existence of a proper stable behind the inn.

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