Page 78 of A Trial of the Heart

Wanting to give them privacy, I stood and walked around the corner of the trees. They had just had an intense scare and needed a moment alone. We could afford to give them that.

“The baby, and perhaps Idris, would’ve died without your help, Skylar,” Daxton said. “Crimson City is in your debt.”

“Unfortunately, they aren’t out of the woods yet.”

“Quite literally,” Dax answered with a playful undertone.

I shook my head with an audible scoff, arching my brow as I turned toward him. “Really? At a time like this, you think it’s appropriate to make a joke? You almost ripped Adohan’s throat out a few seconds ago.”

“That was a moment ago, and the danger of it has now passed. There is no sense in dwelling on what happened.”

“But why didyoureact like that? Why did Adohan try to burn me?”

Daxton shifted his feet beneath him. Even though others would dismiss this small movement as nothing … I knew better.

He cleared his throat before speaking. “We all knew you were helping, but in his state of panic, you were a threat to his mate and unborn child. He reacted out of instinct to protect them, and as a result, he lashed out.”

“He wasn’t the only one reacting.” I stared him down, but Daxton didn’t answer or turn to look at me. I could see his mind working through something. What, though, I wasn’t sure, but I knew asking about it would lead me nowhere right now. His blatant avoidance of my prying told me to try again another time, so I decided to change the subject.

“Idris will have to remain calm to keep the labor from progressing, but I did manage to support the infant’s lungs and other vital organs. The baby may be born sooner, but she’ll at least be stronger now.”

“She?”

“Yes.” I smiled brightly. “Idris was right. It’s a girl … but don’t share that with anyone else,” I warned, reaching out to grab his arm with my right hand. “Let it be a surprise.”

Daxton smiled, glancing at my touch as the dimple on his cheek appeared, making my stomach flip and my knees wobble.

“I wouldn’t dream of spoiling the surprise,” he answered, placing his hand atop mine. “I’m happy for them and the newest addition to their family.”

We stood at the bend of the river, listening to the creatures of the night scurry about and the calm waters trickle across the meandering turns. His touch lingered as his fingers brushed the back of my hand, moving down to my scarred wrist.

Daxton’s voice trembled as if he were holding something back.“I’ll teleport them to my stronghold in Silver Meadows. Idris shouldn’t fly.”

“I agree.” I stepped closer to him, wanting to feel the heat of his body sink into mine. “Are you able to travel that far with multiple passengers? I honestly don’t know what limits you have on your powers and the queen’s siphon…”

“My station as high prince allows me to draw from the land I govern. My gifts are stronger here than anywhere else in Valdor despite the queen’s hold over me.”

I cringed at the mere mention of Minaeve. “I would move them soon. What do you think—” I stopped as Daxton, sensing my unease, wrapped aprotective arm around my middle. I couldn’t help leaning into his hold. It felt so natural. Like I was home. Daxton’s presence calmed and centered me unlike anyone else in this world.

“I wish we had more time, Spitfire,” Daxton said as his lips discreetly graced the crown of my head. “I wish I had time to tell youeverything.”

Hesitation lurked in the back of my mind, but when he held me like this—when he spoke to me like this—all my doubts disappeared. “There’s no time like the present,” I answered, interlacing my hands around his waist and placing my head in the nook of his shoulder. “I promise I won’t interrupt. I’ll only listen.”

His deep chuckle of amusement rolled through me, causing my heart to skip a beat. I tilted my head up to gaze into his luminous gray eyes, holding softness reserved only for me. His gorgeous features highlighted by the moonlight gave him an unnatural glow that quickened my heaving breath.

He bent to bring his lips to mine without warning as he cupped my face in his large, rough hands. I melted at the pure ecstasy of his taste. His lips parted as his tongue roamed my mouth, his whispered moan mirroring my rising desires. I moved to clutch his shirt in my hands, desperate to rip it away and feel the heated flush of his bare skin against my own. There were simply too many layers separating us from one another. He gently pulled back, and I immediately despised the absence of his lips. I wanted to kiss him until the end of time itself.

“There never seems to be an opportune moment… when all I want to do is let the world disappear and become lost in you.”

“Luck has never really been my forte,” I said with a sweet smile tinged with sadness. Daxton adjustedhis hold, bringing me closer as a feeling of contentment settled within me. He reached up to gently tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, brushing his knuckles along my chin and down the nape of my neck. Goosebumps settled over my skin as his eyes darkened with a longing I knew all too well.

“Good thing we’ll always find each other then.”

“Very good,” he answered with a smug grin. “I know it will behard… trust me.” He winked as I grinned wickedly, pressing my hips against his hardening length. He cleared his throat in surprise, followed by a satisfying dark chuckle escaping his lips as he moved in line with mine. “But we must resist falling into certain temptations when there is a potential for wandering eyes all around us.”

“Is that a reminder for yourself or for me?”

“Perfection doesn’t need a reminder,” he answered with a gleam in his eye.

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