Page 148 of Soul Forge

Elda was reading when Sypher groaned and lifted his head several hours later. She’d managed to lean over and reach the book on his nightstand, curious to see what story had captured his attention.

“I was reading that,” he mumbled, voice still husky with sleep. His arm tightened around her.

“I saved your page,” she reassured him. “I didn’t have you down as a fan of fairy tales.”

“I have an eclectic taste.” He knelt up and took the book gently from her hands, pulling her close until she was sat on his lap. His lips found her throat, soft kisses peppering her skin.

“I brought you food, but you were asleep,” she commented, fighting to keep her voice even when his hands began wandering across her waist.

“I’m not interested in food,” he murmured against her skin.

“You should be. You need to eat.”

“Later.”

Elda planted a hand firmly on his chest and pushed him back. “Now,” she insisted.

“Fine,” he grumbled.

She chuckled, sliding off his lap to go and fetch the tray from the dresser and removing the linen wrap she’d used to keep it fresh while he slept.

“Here. Red meat, bread, fresh fruit, and pressed apple juice.”

He arched an eyebrow. “A meal fit for a prince.”

“Exactly.” Elda beamed.

He took a strip of beef and ate it, frowning at her. “Are you really going to watch me eat?”

She laughed again and reclaimed the book from the dresser, reading patiently until he was done. As soon as the plate was empty, Sypher put the tray on his dresser, pinched the book from her once more, and pulled her legs until she was lying on the bed beneath him.

“You’re supposed to be resting,” she admonished, her breath hitching at the gentle kisses he planted along her jaw.

“Would you like me to stop?” His low voice in her ear sent a shiver down her spine. A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “I didn’t think so.”

Elda’s heart was beating like a drum, smashing against her ribs when his mouth trapped hers, his tongue tracing her lower lip. She felt his emotions flow through their bond suddenly, properly sensing what he was feeling for the first time since he’d admitted he loved her. The strength of it left her dizzy. He seemed to notice, pulling back to look at her.

“You’ve been keeping your feelings from me,” she whispered breathlessly.

“I didn’t want to overwhelm you with them all at once. I think you’re ready to understand what it means for me to love you, though.” He spoke softly, his face just inches from hers.

Her brows rose, creeping upwards when she examined the messages being transmitted down the inexplicable connectionthey shared. A lump formed in her throat when she saw what he saw, his memories filtering through to her clearly.

Dressed in blue, petrified but radiant, Elda saw herself looking up at him in the corridor after Horthan’s assault. She felt the way his breath faltered at the sight of her in her wedding gown, the way he shook it off and forced himself to ignore it. The admiration at her insistence on getting to know him, the barely-there hope that she was different from the rest.

And then came the slow realisation he’d reached, the quiet acceptance that he was irreversibly changed by her. The fear that if he lost her, he’d be left hollow. The elation at her touch, the disbelief every time she smiled at him like he was the most important person in her world.

“Se maite nireh,” Sypher whispered as the feelings and memories continued to surround her.

“I want…” Elda trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes at the raw, vulnerable love he conveyed to her.

“What do you want, El?”

“I…I wantyou.” Her fingers knotted in his pale hair, pulling him down to crash her lips against his. He sighed against her mouth, fingers working to unfasten the tie at the neck of her tunic and slip it over her head. Nerves welled up inside her when he began to unfasten her basque, but she swallowed them down and kissed him harder, certain that she’d never been safer than she was right there, in his arms.

Within a minute, she was bare beneath him, her cheeks flushed as his eyes took her in, looking at her like he was sure she’d disappear if he blinked. She reached up and touched his cheek gently.

“Maite,” he whispered, and then his bare chest was pressed against hers, one hand gripping her thigh to hook her leg over his hip. Just like the first time he’d touched her, her skin rippled with goosebumps from head to toe.

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