Page 21 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

"I’ve wanted nothing more from the moment I saw you." Gray’s voice was rough, and Lea felt tension creep into his shoulders. "But what we’re about to do… it's dangerous, Azalea. I need you to remember that. We’re fleeing my father and brother, who will both stop at nothing to find us now that we’re proven traitors. We’re planning for battle, for all-out war," he reminded her.

"There will be plenty of time to be afraid." Lea rolled to face him, curling her small body into his much larger one to capture his warmth. "But we’re finally together. There are no more secrets between us. Can you just let me be happy right now, and afraid later? Please?" She pressed a soft kiss to his heart, her lips finding the tattoo of the mountains that surrounded Bearswillow wrapped around a single moonflower that showed his devotion to her.

Gray sighed, pulling Lea on top of him. "I think I’m afraid enough for the both of us, Little Flower. If you want to be happy, then by all means," he sent a zap of electricity through his fingers and straight into her backside, pulling a laugh from her lips as he captured her mouth.

His kisses were slow but deep, and a rumble rattled his chest as her hips moved against him. He had just begun to slide his hands up Lea’s thighs when the ripple of morning magic flowed around them, her heart skipping as she was filled with warmth.

Groaning, Gray pulled back. "We need to go. Alaric only travels during the day. We have a decent head start since he doesn’t know which direction we fled, but if we want to stay ahead of him, then it’s time to ride."

Lea nodded, saluting him with a smirk. "Yes, My King. Let the adventure begin."

"You’re going to be the death of me," he said with a forced scowl before tucking the blankets more firmly around Lea’s shoulders and rising to gather their clothes. He pulled a dark gray tunic from his pack and slid it over her head, gently freeing her long blonde hair from beneath the collar before handing her a pair of black leggings. They dressed quickly, eating a quick breakfast of bread and dried fruit, and before the sun had even fully crested the horizon, they were racing through the forest, Gray’s arms wrapped tightly around Lea as if he worried she might disappear into the foggy morning air.

They rode for hours, weaving between trees that grew shorter and thinner the further they traveled. Lea had taken to spending the time looking for different critters, spotting various squirrels, three snakes, and what she thought was a yellow finch before Gray allowed Obsidian to slow. Lea’s eyes had grown heavy again, exhaustion urging her to rest her head against Gray’s shoulder and sleep, but the brisk pace at which they rode made it nearly impossible. Her mind drifted to her friends, and she sent up a prayer to the gods that they were safe, far away from Auropera and well on their way to the cavern within the Torres.

"Hey," Gray’s voice broke through her thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Yawning, she leaned back against him. "Just tired," she replied. "I think all the excitement is finally catching up with me."

Gray looked up at the sky. "I’d like to ride at least until midnight. We need to get to Calir as quickly as possible, and we’re only a couple days by horse from the Wicked Wood. Once we’re close, it won’t be safe to travel at night. We’ll avoid entering the woods, go south along the perimeter to be cautious, but there have been reports that the demons that lurk within the wood have recently been hunting outside its borders. It will be crucial that we remain alert at all times."

"Can’t we just head straight southwest?" Lea asked. "We could travel through the woods during the day and enchant a pocket of trees to hide us at night, like you did against your brother. It would cut a week off our journey, if not more."

Gray shook his head. "Fae were created to hunt the monsters that now hide in the wood. I have fought them before, Lea. Lost men far more trained than you in their bloody clutches, even in the light of day. I will not risk it."

Lea bit her lip, her hands tightening on the reins as her forehead scrunched. She’d certainly heard the stories, but still, something inside her urged her to enter them.

"I have my sword, my shadows, and my fire. And, I have you." She bumped backward into him. "What could possibly defeat that?"

"The fact that you are pushing the issue tells me you don’t appreciate how dangerous those woods are." He ran a hand through his hair in reserved frustration. The horror of memories he was choosing not to share trilled through their bond and across her skin, making her pause.

Lea considered his warning, wishing she had trained harder with Thomas back in Bearswillow. If she had better learned how to wield a sword, to fight with weaponry and hone her instincts, maybe Gray would be more inclined to allow her to fight. Lea yawned again as she spoke. "I was smart enough to escape you back in Bearswillow. And strong enough to fight off Alaric until you got to me."

"You aren’t even strong enough to stop yawning." Gray replied, deadpan. "Azalea. There is no doubt in my mind that you are stronger than we realize, smart enough to change the world, and brave enough to try. But until you are properly trained, you will listen to what I tell you. You arenotready to face what lies within the wood, and I’m not ready to allow your life to be at risk so soon after leaving Auropera." His words were final, but also made goosebumps spread across her arms. Gray had to know that her life would be at risk again before this war ended. Of course, he wanted her properly trained and ready to face that risk, especially if her life force would soon be tied to his once they sealed the mate bond.

"Fine," she conceded. "I will defer to you. Fornow."

Gray let a deep breath loose and Lea realized that he’d been preparing himself for an argument.

"I can be perfectly reasonable, you know," Lea reminded him, patting his leg.

A deep laugh rumbled from behind her. "Yes, you were so reasonable when you stormed into the trial with no real plan after I had told you repeatedly I would help Thomas. Or when you shattered a glass just to spite me. Or the time when–"

"I get it," she cut him off. "I thought you were the Black King’s loyal Commander, and you were holding meprisoner. Plus, it’s hard to be reasonable when you make me beg for information. Tell me something to pass the time. Let me in on one of your secrets."

Gray pondered for a moment. "Well, seeing as you now know my biggest one," he said, referring to the small fact that he was the leader of a massive rebellion to overthrow his father, "I’m not sure any of my other secrets matter. What would you like to know?" he asked.

"Your name," she said without even thinking. "You promised me you’d tell me how you came to be called Gray."

"So I did." He kissed the top of her head. "It started as a code name once Erik, Vincent, and I began planning how we could fix the kingdom. It’s the color between black and white, the shade between good and evil, dark and light. I knew I would have to do a lot of terrible things for our plan to work. I would have to appear to agree with what my father was doing, pretend to be a devoted son, and play the part of the ruthless commander. I knew I wouldn’t be able to step in as my father killed people and stole their magic until we were prepared to fight him. I’ve tried to keep my darker side from you, but Ihavedone bad things, Little Flower. My hands are soaked in blood, even if I am using them to stop a tyrant. My shadows are gray. My lightning is gray. And morally, what I have done lies firmly within the gray."

Lea considered this. "It’s the only way to defeat him, Gray." Guilt settled in the back of her throat at using the name. She didn’t want him to think about the horrible things he’d done whenever she spoke to him. Didn’t want the things that stained his conscience to be connected to the name he used or how he identified himself.

"It’s okay, Little Flower." Gray said, and Lea knew he’d sensed her emotions through their bond. "IamGray. It's something I've had to come to terms with, something that I'm not ashamed of or frightened of. He is who I want to be, who Imustbe to finally get revenge and stop the useless slaughter of all those with magic. That’s why it's the name I now go by. The Eclipsed King became my code name, and Gray became who I am. It's a way to remind myself that even when I'm doing things I cannot stomach, even when I feel like my soul is damned because I've allowed such vile things to occur as I sit back and watch, I am doing it for a good reason."

"I’m of the light and the dark, too. I have magic of the day and night." Lea grabbed Gray’s hand, searching the bond for what he would feel about her confession. "What does that make me?" she questioned.

Gray lowered an arm around her stomach and pulled her tightly against his chest as he leaned down to speak in her ear. A sense of belonging flooded her chest, warmth spreading from her belly through her limbs. It was like discovering something big and important, finding a soul that matched her own, accepting every piece of her.

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