Page 32 of The Mirror in the Mountain

A thousand questions were on my tongue, but I was suddenly too tired to voice them. Quinn gestured at the main stairs andTobias followed her lead, Yael and Rivan close behind. Before I could move, Bash gathered me up in his arms, sweeping me off my feet.

“How chivalrous,” I murmured into his ear and his lips quirked. Of course he had felt my exhaustion.

I laughed as he took the steps two at a time until we reached the third floor, taking me into the first empty bedroom. It was decorated with mahogany furnishings and intricately embroidered curtains. The sage green linen bedding matched the stone inlay above the built in fireplace. It crackled merrily as if in greeting.

Yet Bash’s brows were drawn as he set us on the bed, pulling me across his lap and holding me there. His renewed concern swept across our bond, swarming me in its intensity. My chest ached in response. I tried to quell my answering echo of fear and anguish that surged within me as it all came flooding back.

Bash’s voice broke into the cacophony of my recollection. “What do you need?”

“Just you,” I sighed. His arms wrapped more tightly around me, tugging me against him as he tucked my head under his chin. I used his steady heartbeat to count my breaths, letting my panic melt away with each exhale.

Bash pulled away slightly as I found some semblance of calm, then hooked a finger under my chin, lifting it gently. “What exactly happened, hellion? We were trying to find a way into Soleara when I could finally feel you again.”

His face darkened, and I couldn’t help my swallow. I knew exactly the moment he had felt me again—the volatile mix of fear and rage he would have sensed as Aviel took that collar off, knowing myanimawould feel every second of my torment.

My voice broke as I said, “When I came to, I was back in his bed.”

Slowly, I continued from the moment I woke without him, everything spilling out in fractured bits as I haphazardly strung them together. I told him about Alette’s fire magic and how she had blasted a hole through Morehaven. He frowned, though I could feel his grudging admiration across our bond, even as he grumbled, “She could havekilledyou”.

I shook my head. “I think she’s more powerful than Aviel ever realized. That he underestimated her as much as I did.”

Bash held me as I told him about the aftermath of the explosion, vibrating with fury even as he whispered reassurances into my hair when I faltered. Pure rage burned across our bond when I reached the iron box. He gently brought my hands up to kiss the still healing marks on my wrists, murmuring soft apologies against my skin. My lips quivered, then Bash tugged me back into his embrace. I hadn’t realized how much I was shaking until he wrapped himself around me as if holding me together, careful to avoid the worst of my remaining injuries.

I sagged against his chest, listening to the furious beat of his heart. Clinging to him as he simply held me, his shadows flitting around us protectively.

My chin wobbled as I thought of how much I had yearned for this in that iron cage lurching through the darkness. For one horrible second, I could feel that icy metal leaching the heat from my skin as easily as Aviel had stolen my magic, that forever cold band tightening around my throat.

I closed my eyes, and his harsh, warm breath brushed against the hollow of my neck.

All my life I’ve had to take what I wanted. You, my darling, are no different.

Bash’s expression turned wary. “Where did you just go?”

I shook my head, trying to banish that feeling along with his question, but I knew he wouldn’t be dissuaded that easily.

As if reading my mind, Bash quietly added, “Are you okay?”

His hand found the dimples on my lower back, rubbing small circles between them with his thumb.

“Of course,” I lied. Like he couldn’t sense the sudden pressure in my chest. As if he didn’t always see right through me, even before our bond became permanent. I counted my breath in, before letting it out to the same slow beat.

“Eva, look at me.”

I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself but failing. Convinced the compassion in his gaze would destroy the flimsy dam holding my tears back.

“You don’t have to prove anything to me,” Bash whispered, his fingers tracing a tender path down my jawline. I gave in and looked at him at the silent plea in his voice, watching as his eyes filled with quiet shadows. “I know exactly how strong you are.”

The tears I had been fighting spilled over, streaming down my cheeks in warm rivulets. His mouth pressed against one cheek then the other, catching my tears as they fell, before pulling me back into his embrace. One hand ran comfortingly through my hair, the other curled protectively around my waist.

How many times had I thought of being back in the safety of his arms while we were apart? Just as many as I had been certain I would never be again; not as I had been taken further and further away from him.

“Breathe, Eva,” Bash said hoarsely. He held me as if he expected me to shatter in his arms, his fingers trailing up and down my spine. “Please, just breathe.”

He kept talking to me in low, soothing murmurs as I counted each breath. Holding me until I could breathe again.

It took a minute to get myself under control, my trembling surrendering to the reassurance of him. Distantly, I recognized that talking about what happened was helping even as it hurt. Like sharing the burden had lessened its hold on me.

I cleared my throat. “When we reached Soleara, they used my blood to open the door. Seeing the castle…it triggered more memories from before my parents fled. Of when we were happy here.”

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