Page 77 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, a surprisingly grandfatherly gesture that made Lea yearn for the comfort of family. It had been so long since she felt true familial affection, and she hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed it.

King Tanad gave Gray a long look. "Take it from an old man, Commander. Do not take your love for granted, nor the bond. We are on the verge of war. I cannot think of a single soul who doesn’t yearn to know that they will never be alone again, whether in this life,orthe next."

Chapter 51

Gray

KingTanad‘swordsechoedthrough Gray’s mind with every step he took as he led Lea back to their room.Never, alone, in life, or death. Never, alone, in life, or death:a taunting cadence that threatened to make him consider he was being foolish. Even if Azalea was sent into the flaming pits of the underworld when she died, Gray intended to follow her there. There was no scenario, not on this earth or beyond the veil, that he would allow himself to be separated from her.

He flinched at the thought, his heart kicking into an abnormal rhythm as he imagined being without her. It was as natural as a star crashing to earth when it belonged in the sky. That is to say, it wasn’t natural at all. It would be like living without his own heart, his own lungs or brain. It was impossible. He could no longer live without those vital organs than he could live without his mate.

Tonight had been another night of revelations, more truths that stacked on Lea’s already heavy shoulders, the weight threatening to crush her completely. It was in the way Lea carried herself, as if her bones were made of rubber, no longer hard enough to support the weight of her body. Gray could feel the doubt threatening to consume her, that intrusive thought that she wasn’t sure who she was anymore. He could sense what she was thinking.Was she Hope? And not just by name, but the last hope for her kingdom?

Why had Evangeline asked the king to take her away and abandon her in a tiny village to never be seen again? It didn’t seem as if she’d been in imminent danger or on the run. No. She had shown up and asked a king to deposit her infant child on a hill in a small town, never to be heard from again.

Gray knew it wasn’t fair that he was now taking yet another choice away from Lea: the choice of whether or not to fulfill the mate bond and attach their lives permanently together. Did they not share the same bond? Was it not the same tether that linked their souls together?

It was unfathomable to Gray to think that anyone could love another as much as he loved his mate, but it wasn’t fair to think that Lea didn’t feel the same way—that the thought of living on without him would not be a life worth living at all. He was certain that she wouldn’t want to go on without him, either. Was there any way to justify taking that choice away from her?

And still, the idea of cementing her premature death, of tempting fate during a war unlike this kingdom had ever seen before—that risk terrified him. Utterly and devastatingly. The skin below his collarbone warmed, pulsing and burning as if telling him the answer. He had never felt so torn before. Not when he had to decide between keeping his mate safe and giving into what his soul longed for.

Gray opened the door to their quarters and Lea moved onto the balcony almost mechanically, as if she was so lost in thought that her feet were moving without her permission. Or maybe the sight of the ocean gave her some clarity. Gray wasn’t sure, but what he did know was that he needed to make a decision. He couldn't keep Lea in the in-between of waiting to see if he would consider her words from earlier, or if he would change his mind.

"Lea, we need to talk about—"

"What else happens when you seal the bond?" Lea’s voice came out stronger than Gray expected, but her question took him off guard. Is that all she was thinking of right now? Was that what was the heaviest on her heart after everything she had learned from Tanad?

"Well, our bond would become stronger. We’d be better able to sense what the other is feeling. I’m sure you’ve noticed right now that the farther we are away from each other, the harder it is to read my emotions?"

Lea nodded, chewing on her lip.

"We would also be able to speak directly into each other’s minds. Distance would affect how easily we could communicate, just like it does now, but we would be able to be further apart and still feel each other. You’d live as long as I do, age as I age. Essentially, we would be one person. I could lend you my strength, and you could pull power from me if you needed to without touching me. "

"Could you take away my emotions?" Lea asked, tears welling in her eyes that she wiped away quickly with the heel of her hand. Her nose was red, and her lip trembled, but Gray felt the way she swallowed down the desperation rising up her throat.

His heart shattered in his chest, crumbling into a million pieces. "Oh Azalea." Softly and tenderly, he trailed his fingers along her cheek before placing his palm firmly against the side of her face. "I wouldn’t be able to take them away completely, no. But Icouldease them for you. Share the burden, just like Tanad said."

"Please?" Lea’s voice broke, the heaviness of that sound piercing through Gray’s willpower to deny the one thing he wanted more than anything in the world. The one thing that his body and soul had been begging for him to do since the moment he’d realized Lea was his mate. The urge that only got stronger once she confessed her feelings for him as well.

"Please," she said the word again, less a question and more of a plea. "Do it. Take the pain away. I’m so tired, Gray. Please. Where you go, I go. You told me before that I need to ask for help when I need it. I’m asking." She closed her eyes. "I’mbegging."

"Okay," Gray breathed, his shadows waking up and reaching for her. It was as if that one word gave permission to his primal desires, his magic bursting from his chest, trying to bury itself inside of his mate and join with hers.

"Okay?" Lea’s eyes snapped up to meet his, pure shock in every line of her tired face.

"Watching you hurt like this might be worse than you following me beyond the veil." He tilted her head back and threaded his fingers through the hair at the nape of her neck. "I love you. Wholly and desperately. So… Okay."

Lea sagged into him, collapsing in relief against his chest.

In one fluid motion, Gray lifted her beneath her shoulders and legs and carried her onto the balcony, where a bed had replaced the couches and chairs that had been there this afternoon. He’d known it would happen. It was the same every time he stayed at this castle. He imagined that many people liked to sleep outside in the fresh air to get some relief from the stifling heat of being indoors. But still, looking at the plush, king-sized bed, he couldn’t help but feel that it was put there by the gods just for them.

He imagined it was their blessing, and a promise the gods would help protect them. Without breaking eye contact, Gray laid Lea down on the bed, raising one hand above his head, and swiping sideways. Immediately, every cloud from the sky vanished. Every tiny wisp, every bit of fog. Never in the history of the universe had there been such a clear night. Millions of stars winked at them as if announcing their approval.

They reflected back at him from Lea’s blue eyes, and Gray brushed the hair back from her forehead so he could see them completely. He wiped the remnants of a tear from her cheek before kissing the trails of salt away until he reached her mouth.

A sigh fell against his lips, slipping between them and into his lungs. It was a plea, a prayer.More. And his control snapped. Now that he’d made up his mind to seal the bond, there was nothing he wanted more. His body craved it in a way he could barely comprehend as he grew thick and hard, his muscles taut and desire heating his blood.

As his lips trailed her neck, sucking and nibbling, he ripped away the thin scraps of fabric the people of Calir called clothes until there was nothing covering Lea’s skin. Gray stood, drinking in the sight of his mate naked before him, her hair glowing in the moonlight and her eyes dark with need. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as her gaze followed his fingers as they deftly unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.

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