Page 99 of Court of Aether and Shadows

To potentially find out so much more about this man that drives my body wild.

His smile was both tender and triumphant as he leaned in, his lips barely a breath from mine.

"That I could never resist the temptation of my wife."

Before I could process that statement, his lips claimed mine in a kiss that felt like coming home. My moan was filled with so much relief, while his groan echoed like he’d waited lifetimes to get a single touch from my lips.

Power surged between us, shadows and starlight dancing in the air as centuries of separation finally ended in this one perfect moment of reunion.

His kiss felt like the birth of stars, like the moment when shadow and light first learned to dance together. The pulsing auras continue to mingle together, my newfound energy reaching instinctively for his ancient shadows.

Where our essences met, reality itself seemed to shiver, creating patterns of light and darkness that spiraled through the air around us.

"Sparrow," he breathed against my lips, my name carrying the weight of centuries of longing. His hands cradled my face as if I were something infinitely precious, thumbs stroking along my cheekbones in a gesture that felt achingly familiar yet thrillingly new.

The shadows in the room responded to his touch, curling around us like living silk. They carried his essence,his power,wrapping us in a cocoon of intimate darkness shot through with points of light from my own awakening magic.

The star-lights overhead pulsed in rhythm with our heartbeats, which had somehow synchronized into a single, perfect tempo.

His fingers traced down my neck, leaving trails of electricity in their wake.

Where he touched, the shadowsilk garments seemed to dissolve, transforming back into pure energy that merged with the power already dancing between us. Each inch of exposed skin heightened the connection, making the very air crackle with potential.

"Do you feel it?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion. "The way our powers call to each other? The way they remember, even if your mind does not?"

I did feel it.

It was like discovering a piece of myself I hadn't known was missing. My power reached for his shadows instinctively, weaving together in patterns that spoke of ancient bonds and timeless connections.

"It's like..." I struggled to find words adequate to describe the sensation. "Like finding the other half of a song I've been trying to remember my whole life."

He smiled against my skin, pressing kisses along my jaw that felt like benedictions.

"Yes," he agreed. "Exactly like that. Our energies were always meant to complement each other. To create something greater than either can alone."

The room around us had transformed, responding to our combined power, while he encouraged me to stand, twirling me like we danced in the midst of a ballroom. He grasped me for a moment, allowing me to enjoy the sight of him before we stood and admired one another as the space around us shifted entirely.

The walls seemed to have disappeared, replaced by a vista of endless stars and swirling nebulae. We floated in a space between realities, where only our connection mattered.

But before we could lose ourselves completely in the rising tide of power and passion, Aetheron pulled back slightly. His molton eyes met mine, filled with an intensity that took my breath away.

"I need you to understand something," he said, one hand coming up to cup my face while the other remained at my waist, anchoring me. "I know who you are, Sparrow. The woman from the human realm, the fighter, the survivor. Not just my wife's reincarnation or vessel."

His thumb brushed across my lower lip, the touch sending shivers through my entire body. It surprised me that he dared pause the thriving intensity between us to acknowledge what I really hadn’t allowed myself to grasp.

There was a lot I didn’t know. About our connection or the potential that I could be the reincarnation of his wife. I understood that we had some sort of history engraved in this world that responded to our entwining energies, but all the fine details suddenly didn’t mean anything to me.

I didn’t care to know much of the truth, but for him to wish to acknowledge the difference between the past I knew nothing of and me, Sparrow from the Underground that few knew about, really felt empowering.

"I see you," he continued, his voice soft but fierce. "I recognize your soul. Not just the echo of Liarel within you, but your own unique spirit. And it is you, Sparrow, that I want. You that I choose."

His words resonated through me like thunder, striking chords I hadn't known existed within my soul.

The power between us shifted, becoming something new — not just the ancient connection he shared with Liarel, but something uniquely ours. The shadows around us responded, interweaving with my own energy to create patterns I somehow knew had never existed before this moment.

"I've seen you in my dreams," I whispered, reaching up to trace the silver and gold markings on his skin that seemed to pulse beneath my touch. "Not just memories of her dreams, but my own. You've been calling to me, haven't you?"

"Yes," he admitted, turning his face to press a kiss to my palm. "Though I tried to resist. I wanted you to come to this realm, to me, of your own choice. Not pulled by ancient bonds or prophecies."

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