Page 97 of Court of Aether and Shadows

As if his words reminded my body of its ordeal, a wave of heat washed over me, making me sway slightly. Liam's hands shot out to steady me, but he quickly withdrew them once I was stable.

"I'll get you some water," he said, already moving toward the door. "The transformation... it can cause fever-like symptoms as your body adapts to the new energy flowing through it."

I nodded, suddenly aware of how parched my throat felt. "Thank you," I managed, sinking onto one of the impossibly comfortable chairs in the sitting area.

He paused at the door, looking back at me with an expression that made my heart skip a beat. "Try to rest. You're safe here. I won't let anything happen to you."

The door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving me alone with my swirling thoughts and the lingering sensation of his touch on my skin. The room seemed to respond to my emotional state, the star-lights dimming to a softer glow while the silk hangings stirred with a cool breeze that helped ease the heat burning through me.

Just as I was considering whether I should try to make it back to the bed, a knock sounded at the door. Assuming Liam had returned quickly with the water, I rose and made my way across the floor, still marveling at how each step sent ripples of light through the strange material beneath my feet.

I opened the door, a teasing comment about his speed ready on my lips, only to freeze in shock at who stood before me.

Awakened Temptation Of Centuries

~SPARROW~

The words died in my throat as I found myself face-to-face with the man from my dreams.

He filled the doorway with his presence, power radiating from him like heat from a banked fire. In his hands, he held a silver tray laden with refreshments, but it was his eyes that captured me — molten gold enriched with red and hues of red that seemed to see straight through to my soul.

"I thought you might be hungry," he announced, his voice rich and deep, sending involuntary shivers down my spine. The simple statement felt loaded with meaning I couldn't quite grasp but somehow understood on a visceral level.

“Now that you mention it…” I really was hungry. “You…well…”

“Lord Aetheron of the Twilight Court,” he introduced with a welcoming smile that made my heart swell in awe. “And you’re my Sparrow.”

My.

How a single word could hold so much power and ownership at the same time.

“Y-Yes. I’m Sparrow. Um…nice to meet you. Though…this isn’t really the first time we have met, is it?” I dare to admit as I feel the heat rush to my cheeks. I watched his amusement grow as he nodded solemnly and whispered.

“It’s definitely not our first.”

Like some sort of hidden secret that was just between us.

I stepped back to let him enter, acutely aware of how the air seemed to thicken with his presence. The tray he carried contained a crystal decanter of water that sparkled like liquid diamonds, alongside an array of foods that made my mouth water despite their strange appearance.

"These are delicacies of the Twilight Court," he explained, setting the tray on the low table. "Shadow-ripened fruits, meats cured in starlight, cheeses aged in the depths of the ancient caves." His lips curved slightly. "You'll find them... familiar, somehow."

He was right.

Though I'd never seen anything like the dark purple fruits that seemed to pulse with inner light, or the opalescent cheese that shimmered like mother-of-pearl, something in me recognized them.

Wanted them.

Just as something in me recognized and wanted...

I cut that thought off abruptly, though, from the knowing look in his eyes, he'd caught its echo.

"Please," he gestured to one of the chairs. "Eat. Drink. You need to replenish your strength."

I sat, trying to ignore how his presence seemed to fill the entire room. How every nerve ending in my body had come alive with awareness of him. He poured water into a crystal goblet that sang when he touched it, the sound making the star lights pulse in response.

"Your home is beautiful," I said, accepting the goblet. Our fingers brushed in the exchange, sending sparks of electricity racing through my arm.

From his slight intake of breath, he'd felt it too.

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