Page 226 of Heat of the Everflame

I rolled my eyes, then a wicked smirk grew on my lips. “You know, beingthrustinto a new world like this, Zalaric is bound to find everythinghard.”

Taran’s eyes narrowed.

“All this tension could make him reallystiffandworked up.”

He groaned and turned away. “I’m leaving.”

“Make sure you help him find a way torelea—”

“Goodnight,” he yelled. “Take care, Lu. If anything swells up, just ask Diem to give it a nice long rub.”

“Taran,” Luther growled.

The sound of laughter rang out as the door snapped shut.

Luther threw the quilts off his body and swung his legs over the side of the bed, grunting with discomfort.

“Wait—no,” I protested, running to stop him. I grabbed his shoulders and tried to ease him back, but he pushed forward, wobbling as he rose to his feet. “What are you doing? Luther, stop—you need to rest.”

“I’ve been waiting a long time for this, and I’m not going to be lying on my back when I do it.” He held on to me as his legs steadied, then lifted his eyes to mine.

A tender, perfect silence passed between us. He brushed my hair over my shoulder and cupped a hand behind my neck. The other slid low on my back, drawing our bodies together until the calming cadence of his heart purred against my chest.

He leaned in, and my eyelids fluttered closed at the graze of his lips. I arched my neck up to meet him, but he hesitated just beyond my reach.

“Look at me,” he said.

When I did, my breath caught. The crystal blue of his irises was more vibrant than ever. It was as if the godstone’s defeat had also destroyed some deep-rooted veil that had kept him muted and withdrawn all his life. Now, the light in him blazed with wild abandon, not a wisp of shadow in sight.

“I love you, Diem Bellator.”

His smile stayed on his lips as his mouth fell to mine. Even as the kiss deepened with passion, I failed spectacularly at withholding a grin of my own.

Happiness consumed me, overwhelmed me, restored me. It flourished and bloomed, filling the dark fractures in my broken soul and welding them back together with gold. The joy filled me near to bursting, and a blissful laugh bubbled out by surprise.

“That is my favorite sound,” he said with a reverent sigh. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear it again.”

“If you had died, I’m not sureanyonewould have ever heard it again.”

He kissed me once more, sweetly, tenderly.

“I heard you. I couldn’t move or respond, but I heard everything you said.”

I cringed. “Everything?”

He smiled. “Everything. And Taran was right—I did know how you felt.” He kissed the corner of my mouth, then brushed his lips along my jaw to my ear. “Though I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”

Another laugh broke free. I looped my arms around his neck and beamed. “I love you too, Luther Corbois. But I’ll onlykeeploving you if you swear never to almost die on me again.”

He hauled me up against him and into the air, trying his best to steal kisses between our unstoppable grins and laughter. Every bit of me felt illuminatedwith the brightest, most exquisite delight.

The path ahead for us would be anything but easy, and I’d be lying if I said all my misgivings about commitment were gone. But if this was a cliff, we were jumping off together, hand-in-hand, ready to face our fates as one.

Though he tried to stifle it, I spied flickers of pain behind his smile. “Back in bed,” I scolded and tried to push him off. He resisted, his hold on me a vice. “Luther.”

“You first.” He spun us around together and tossed me on my back onto the mattress, then wedged himself between my legs. He stared down at me, desire flooding his hungry gaze. “I could get used to this view.”

My mouth went dry. I reached up and tugged at the waist of his loose linen trousers until he leaned over me, his elbows propped beside my head. I dragged my teeth slowly over my lower lip, and his nostrils flared. He leaned down, eyes closing.

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