Page 43 of Heat of the Everflame

Air flooded out of him, his shoulders going slack. He pulled me in for a long, languid kiss that felt desperate, yet exquisitely tender.

As the kiss deepened, he arched against me, his hard muscles rippling beneath my palms. The press of him ground my back against the bark, the rough friction sending fire through my blood.

“You sent me back to Lumnos,” he said gruffly.

“You might have died if I hadn’t.”

“And you jumped in front of a blade meant for me.”

“You might have died then, too.”

His fingers slid beneath my jaw and twitched at my throat, curling in against my skin. “Neither of those things can happen again.Ever.”

I didn’t respond, grateful for the darkness that concealed my eyeroll.

“Promise me,” he demanded.

“I can’t. And I won’t.”

He said nothing for a long moment, but with his chest pressed so close to mine, I felt his heartbeat speed its pace. One hand slid into my hair, still soaked from being dumped into the sea by a wayward boat. His fingers fisted in the long white strands with a tug that forced my face up further toward his.

“I require a promise, Your Majesty,” he growled.

“I promise you I’ll do anything to protect my people.” My palm moved to his chest and settled over his heart. “That includes you, Luther Corbois, whether you like it or not.”

He let out an unhappy sigh, and I smirked at my small victory. In the darkness, I pictured the muscles feathering along his jaw, his glacial eyes narrowing.

“Why are your clothes wet?” he asked.

I pulled my cloak tighter and laid my temple against his cheek, relishing the warmth of his flesh. “I have so much to tell you.”

“So do I. Your brother is safe. I left my best guards on his watch, and Perthe has fixed himself to Teller’s side until you return. But your mother—”

“—is in prison in Fortos.” I sighed heavily. “I know. Cordellia, the woman in charge of the rebel camp, told me everything. I know my mother is a Guardian.” I paused. “And I know how she got to the island.”

His muscles tensed. “Are you angry with me for not telling you?”

I didn’t answer at first—not because I was mad, but because I was ashamed. I had been such a hypocrite, giving him hell over his secrets, all the while hiding truths about my own involvement in the Guardians that had put him and his family at risk.

“I expected her to return with us at the coronation,” he rushed out. “I wanted to give her the chance to tell you herself. I thought you both deserved that chance. But if she hadn’t, I would have. I wasn’t going to leave you in the dark. Diem, I swear—”

“I’m not angry,” I said softly. “There are things I kept from you, too.”

I stared across the shadows, where Taran and Alixe waited nearby. I trusted that Luther’s feelings for me were strong enough to overcome my deceit, but I could not say the same for them. Selfishly, I could not bear it if I lost their faith.

I dropped my voice low. “We’ll speak later. I want to know everything—and I want you to know everything, too.”

He laid a light kiss below my ear, a sweet gesture of confirmation. This was one vow I had every intention of keeping.Whatever lies we once told, from this point forward, we couldn’t let them divide us.

Our lives might end up depending on it.

Chapter

Eleven

We waited in silence, holding each other in the dark and listening for any sign of approaching Guardians. The air hummed with a steady trill of insects and the rustle of wind-blown leaves—but no footsteps.

Eventually, Alixe emerged from the shadows and slipped out into the woods, and we held our breath in wait. After many tense minutes, she reappeared in the opening.

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