Page 38 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

“You wouldn’t have. This language was dead before the Trinity culled the land.”

I swallowed hard. What was this place?

At Tharan’s touch, the boulder rolled out of the way, revealing yet another corridor, but instead of hard black stone, it was made of polished white marble.

Tharan snapped his fingers, and torches lining the wall lit instantaneously.

My pulse quickened. Magic swirled around us, leaving a coppery taste on my tongue.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

He took my hand and led me down the pristine hall.

“What is this place?”

“It is an ancient temple where the forest birthed my father eons ago. It contains the source of our magic.”

“Oh.” Words evaded me. Tharan trusted me completely without asking for anything in return. Goosebumps flushed my skin. How did I end up this lucky?

Before we entered the next room, he turned to face me. “What I’m about to show you has not been seen for an age. And you must not tell anyone what you saw here.”

“Of course.”

He stepped to the side, revealing an oasis of bioluminescent plants of every shape and color radiating light in the darkness. Above, an opening revealed the night sky dotted with stars. A canopy of sparkling leaves cast a golden glow on the setting. Not a flake of snow dotted the ground, as if it couldn’t touch this place. The air felt like the first day of summer.

“Oh, Tharan. This is too much.” I untied my cloak and draped it over my arm.

He kissed my hand. “Nothing is too much for you.”

My heart skipped a beat as his eyes locked on mine. The tension pulled taut between us. Neither of us uttered a word. We didn’t have to.

“There’s more.”

Tharan escorted me to a table low to the ground, adorned with various fruits, roasted hens, and delicately crafted desserts. Fireflies flickered in the air like twinkling stars.

Taking our seats, he poured us each a glass of sparkling wine.

“A toast to us,” he said, giving me a smile that made my knees go weak. “May this not be our last night but the first of many.”

“To us,” I said, clinking my glass with his. The bubbles fizzed in my head, making my chest warm.

“There’s something else I need to give you.” He pulled a small velvet box from behind his back.

I sucked in a breath. In the human lands, these were usually filled with an engagement ring. Oh Trinity, I wasn’t ready for this. I didn’t want to hurt Tharan’s feelings, but I didn’t know if I could commit to something so big. The last time I married someone was Gideon, and that day still haunts me.

Reading the look on my face, Tharan said, “It’s not what you’re thinking, but if you want it to be, that could be arranged.”

I cracked open the box to find a single diamond earring. “Oh, it’s lovely, Tharan, but shouldn’t there be two?”

He gave me a coy smile, pushing his hair behind his right ear to show its sister earring. “They are no ordinary jewels. They are whisper stones. Specially designed so only you and I can speak to one another across vast distances. So even when we’re apart, we can still communicate.”

A weight lifted from my chest.

“Oh, Tharan.” I said, piercing the earring through the hole in my lobe where the glamoured stud used to rest. “How do I use it?”

“Just turn it gently to the right, and it will ping me.”

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