Page 107 of Fated

Xanth nodded.

“Good, send for him and one of Reize’s ladies to start preparing my room for Areya and me.”

Xanth bowed his head in understanding and left the charger, followed closely by Greyson and Shae. Only Ash and I remained inside the ship in the quiet stillness of the empty castle garage.

Ash turned to me, his voice low. “Are you holding up ok?”

He unbuckled my seatbelt and pulled me right onto his lap. His arms wrapped securely around my waist, while mine found their way to the back of his neck. The heat of our bodies pressing together sent an awareness through me, one I had to work hard to push away.

“Me? I’m … I’m fantastic! I don’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t this. Your home is breathtaking, Ash. It’smagical.”

He gave me an affectionate smile, his gaze lingering on my face. “God, I love you, Areya.”

A shy smile crept across my lips. “I love you too, Ash.”

“Areya, we’re going to need to explain everything we’ve been through and everything we’ve learned. Everyone in that room, I trust with my life. But if anything becomes too intense or youfeel uncomfortable, one of Reize’s ladies can take you to my room.”

“I can handle this, Ash. Besides, it’s you and me together, right?” I looked into his eyes, and he studied my face as though memorizing every detail.

“I never knew what I was missing, not having you by my side,” he said.

I couldn’t help but grin, feeling light and warm inside.

He leaned into me, his hand resting on my cheek, and kissed me.

My knees felt weak, my heart fluttering away. The kiss was slow, deep and sensual, each moment like a silent promise. I could feel him pouring his love into every movement, as if he was worshipping me with his lips. The kiss made me feel cherished, as if he were telling me without words that I wasn’t alone, that we were in this together.

We stayed there a moment, lost in each other, knowing that whatever came next, we would face it together.

Chapter 26

We entered a large room adorned with floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing breathtaking views of the city beyond. My feet itched to carry me closer to where I could stand and drink in the sights, eager to soak in every angle, every intricate detail of Luminessa. But my gaze fell to the dark mahogany table in the center of the room. Greyson and Shae were already seated, quietly working on paperwork.

Ash led me to two chairs across from them. Noticing our arrival, Greyson set his pen down and straightened in his chair. Shae, however, remained focused on her paperwork, not tearing her eyes away from what she was doing.

“Xanth is waiting for your mother. I guess she wasn’t too thrilled about being summoned to the castle for an urgent matter without an explanation,” Greyson said with a grin.

“That sounds like Mom.” Ash chuckled, shaking his head.

On the table in front of Greyson was a thin rectangular piece of glass framed by a sleek silver border.

“Is that what our phones look like these days?”Ash asked.

“Tessa designed this model herself,” Greyson replied, handing the phone to Ash.

Ash tapped the glass, and a picture instantly appeared—a photo of Ash, Calyx, and Greyson. The three of them sat side by side on the deck of Ash’s boat. Their wet hair glistened under the sun and all three held drinks, grinning like carefree boys. Calyx wore his signature smirk, but his eyes, strikingly blue, stood out to me. I had thought Calyx was handsome already, but with those ocean-blue eyes, he was undeniably a heartthrob. All threeof them looked as though they could be models, the sheer level of attractiveness between them seeming almost unfair.

Ash stared at the picture for a long moment before speaking. “Reize took this picture a couple of years before we went to Astern. It was us three, Shae, and Reize. It was her birthday, and she’d been begging me for months to take her out on the yacht. She refused to get in the water with us, so right after she made us take this picture, Calyx picked her up and jumped into the river with her.” Ash chuckled. “She was so pissed.”

“Calyx spent the rest of the week groveling, catering to Reize’s every whim,” Greyson added, laughing along with Ash.

I chuckled too, glancing over at Shae and although she was still staring intently at the papers in front of her, a hint of a smile played on her lips.

Ash handed the phone back to Greyson, who hesitated, his brow furrowing.

“Calyx, is he—?”

Ash nodded, his voice firm and reassuring. “He’s ok, and we are bringing him home as soon as I can talk to Tessa.”

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