Page 50 of Dreams of Ash and Smoke

“I can’t believe we just did that while I’ve got dirt all over me.” I cover my face with my hands and he chuckles, moving over to me as the water stops.

“I’d ravish your body anywhere, anytime. All you have to do is ask.” His eyes meeting mine tell me he’s serious. I scoff in disbelief.

When he gets in with me and washes us clean, I realize it’s changed for him too. No longer is he second-guessing anything toward me.

It’s hard for me to process this feeling.

“I can feel you thinking too hard.” He says quietly as he rinses the creme from my hair that makes it soft and shiny.

With the bond in place, I can feel it fully. The buzzing in my body no more, the pain in my hip is gone. I feel stupid not realizing it but how was I supposed to know?

The only question now was where does this leave us? “What do we tell people?” I ask him, sliding away from him so I can turn to face him. His eyes soften at the sight of worry on my face.

“It is none of their business.” He replies and I give him a look.

“You are their king. The townspeople might like me but your guards do not trust me. And now after weeks of being together, all the sudden I’m your mate? It sounds suspicious, Eryx.”

“They will grow to trust you. Once we are married, it will be different.But they’re naturally suspicious of people with me because I have not been with another in ten years, no matter how hard they’ve tried.” This surprises me. I know he had been engaged before and she passed away but I wasn’t exactly sure how.

“How did she die?” I ask him, I want to know everything about him. Hell, I don’t want to get out of this tub because I want to continue feeling his skin against mine.

“She was murdered by my father’s guard. Who had apparently ordered him to do it. He never trusted her but I was in love, I guess. I didn’t want to listen. The same day she died, she also hired someone to kill him. They died on the same day, hours apart. It was a dark time for me.” He goes quiet after and my heart clenches in pain, feeling his sorrow.

Not only did he lose his betrothed and father at the same time, his trust was broken, and then everyone needed him to be king. He had to fight his grieving to become what his people needed. I couldn’t imagine what that was like.

“I’m so sorry, Eryx,” I whisper, my hand reaching out to cup his cheek. He leans into my touch, his eyes soft with gratitude.

“Thank you for listening,” he says. “But don’t let that define me. We live for today and tomorrow. We’ll face the future together, make our own memories.” He grins, and I can’t help but smile back, feeling the weight of his happiness.

We slip out of the tub, wrapping ourselves in soft towels. Our hearts beat in rhythm, tangling together in a bond that feels stronger with every passing moment. We have become something new, something special, and I feel a strange sense of gratitude for the darkness that brought us here.

Chapter 25: Love Me, Always

Verena

Isleep through the night in his bed and for once, the looming and recurring dream stays behind. I’d have to ask if he ever had any dreams of me. I awaken to light beaming in and brightening the room surrounding me.

The smell of the sheets is not what I usually wake to— now they consist of freshly baked dessert wafting through my nose in a comfort. A hard chiseled body rolls next to me, wrapping it’s arms around my waist and pulling me closer. The heat radiating off him is a welcome sensation. “We have to wake before someone finds me in here, Your Majesty,” Fingers grip my hip, tickling me as I jerk from his grasp with a squeal. “Eryx.” He let’s out a light groan of pleasure as he pulls me back to him and I can’t help but smile.

With Dryston, everything was tense and I continued waiting for the other shoe to drop when something was going right. But it always felt as if something were missing and my body always felt sick after his visits with me. I couldn’t figure out why but now I know. I had already met my mate as a child before my father ripped me from his grasp. “Let them.” He answers me but I roll my eyes before hastily untangling myself from him. My naked body now on display. His eyes flash open at not being able to grasp me quick enough but he freezes, his eyes taking me all in. A blush crawls allover my body as a flash of pleasure tingles in my lower stomach at his gaze.

When Dryston saw me naked, he looked at me as if I were any other woman. It’s what I expected last night and even right now as Eryx watches me. But he doesn’t.

The raven-haired male’s chest rises and falls in quick succession, his breathing uneven as he clenches his fists and peruses each place he wants to meet with his mouth. A shiver runs through me at the thought alone.

A knock sounds at the door, breaking his gaze. I jump out of my skin from the noise and he lazily gets up from the bed, grabbing the sheets to wrap around me reluctantly. “This isn’t over, Seren Fach.” His voice is deep with promise as he puts on pants.

I move to hide behind the door as he cracks it open. “Have you seen Verena? I heard about yesterday and went to check on her but she wasn’t in her room.” Hadeon’s concerned voice echoes through the room and my eyes widen at Eryx’s smirk. And I want to smack him but I knew I’d be revealed at that point. “Well actually-” I smack his arm that rests on the door handle out of reflex and mentally curse myself. A gasp is held back from me when his hand trails from the door handle to my waist. He caresses my skin upwards, gliding over my breasts before he swirls around my nipple and I bite my lip to suppress any noises I cannot control. Then, his fingers slide over my throat, feeling my heavy breathing as he goes and covers my mouth with his hand. “She’s around.” He settles on. I can practically feel Hadeon’s heavy gaze through the door as Eryx leans against it to hide his arm reaching to me.

“Are you okay, Eryx? I know Dryston getting into Khyrel unnoticed isn’t ideal.” He says and I mentally bang my head against the door. I want him to leave so I can finish what Eryx has just started.

He lets out a low laugh that sends another spark between my legs. “Trust me, brother, the last thing I’m worried about is Dryston Whitewell. I have to finish some… stuff here but I’ll meet you and the family in the dining hall for breakfast in about,” He feigns though, “ten minutes?” I pinch his arm making another smirk arise on his face, “Actually make that thirty.” Before Hadeon can say anything, Eryx shuts the door in his face, making mefeel lightly bad but not nearly more than pleasure at the short interaction between the two.

“He couldn’t leave fast enough,” I state before dropping the sheet and jumping into Eryx’s arms as he catches me, grasping my thighs with his muscular hands as they wrap around him. He walks backwards before settling on the chaise lounge at the foot of the bed.

Straddling him now, I grind my naked body against his clothed bottom half, feeling his now hard erection against my warm core. A sensuous sigh escapes me at the feel of him.

We fit together like the perfect pair of puzzle pieces.

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