Page 93 of Wings of Cruelty and Flame

“Varidian,” I breathed, ducking to catch his eyes and holding eye contact. “Trust me to not run away. I’m your wife, no matter what.”

He clenched his jaw, a muscle fluttering up his cheek.

“I won’t run from you,” I said. “And I’m not scared. You can’t scare me, Varidian.”

His laugh was soft, tortured.

“Try it,” I challenged, raising an eyebrow. “Try to scare me.”

“Are you so determined to race into danger?” he demanded, but quietly, with defeat. “Any woman with sense would run.”

“Good thing I lack sense.”

He laughed, less twisted this time. When he met my gaze again, his eyes were heavy, sad. “It will change everything.”

My heart hurt, but I swallowed down the knot in my throat and said, “If you’ve lost your abs overnight, just say it. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

He snorted, shaking his head. “Last chance to back out.”

I stood firm.

“She told me you’d be targeted if I told you,” he breathed, his throat bobbing in a hard swallow.

Rage and jealousy struck like a whip. “Who?”

Varidian released me, taking a step back and reaching for his tunic, pulling it over his head in a swift, aggressive motion.

I jolted, staring at him. On his chest, the black marriage mark stood out starkly, my proud claim on him, but beneath it, flowing down his ribs and branching out in a web of branches and limbs like a living tree… was silver. Glowing silver ink.

He watched me almost obsessively, and turned so I could see the silver branches flowed all the way around his back, disappearing beneath his waistband. My stomach tangled into a knot, and I understood all at once. It robbed me of all breath.

“The lightning soul,” he whispered, his breath coming so quickly his chest jumped when he faced me again. “It’s not—it’s not a person. It’s living magic and it’s… inside me. She’s inside me.”

Jealous flashed again, hot and maddening. It burned out all my common sense. “She’s inside you,” I echoed, unable to drag my stare from the silver network of magic carved into his skin. Ink but not ink, glowing in a way I had no idea how he’d kept it hidden for so long. Or like… scars. I blinked repeatedly, taking a clumsy step closer on my numb leg. “She’s inside you right now? Can she hear me?”

He gulped. Nodded.

A smile pulled at the corner of my mouth, but there was no humour in it. “Listen closely, lightning soul.” I took another step, resting my hand over the marriage mark on his chest. “Varidian ismine.My husband, mine to protect, mine to keep. Understand?”

“Ameirah,” he hissed, his eyes blown wide with shock.

I ignored him, glaring at the bright scars on his body, my heart slamming against my ribs. I was… furious. Murderous. “If you hurt him, if this magic has any consequences, I will rip you apart and make you wish you didn’t exist. I don’t care how difficult it is, or what it costs. If you hurt him, inanyway, by direct action or a consequence of you being inside his body…” I laughed, the sound low, unfamiliar. “You don’t know what I’m capable of. And here’s the fun thing,” I leaned close to whisper, “neither do I.”

Silence answered my threat, broken only by the shudder of Varidian’s breath.

“This didn’t go the way I expected,” he whispered, dragging a hand down his face. “Fuck, Ameirah, you can’t threaten a lightning soul.”

“I just proved you can,” I pointed out.

His hand found my waist and dug into my skin. “Are you out of your mind?”

“Undoubtedly.”

“To threaten a being ofliving magic.For me.”

“For you,” I agreed.

His nostrils flared, a harsh breath leaving him. “One of these days, you’re going to get yourself killed.”

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