Page 39 of Ash and Feather

Once we reached his room, I cleaned myself up while he went back and gathered our discarded clothing from the stairs.I didn’t bother putting more clothing on; the heat still radiating from my skin would have made even the lightest garments uncomfortable.

Dravyn wore only loose-fitting linen pants when he crawled into bed alongside me a few minutes later. His skin still burned as hot as mine did. I briefly wondered what this bed was made of, to keep it all from combusting in moments like this. Could it continue to withstand both of our fires?

I closed my eyes, drifting in the warmth, trying to keep the images of the last hour locked inside my head.

Dravyn didn’t disturb me for several minutes, though his body never moved more than a few inches.

As I settled down and my mind cleared, I pressed my palm to his. He wove his fingers into the spaces between mine and loosely held my hand as he quietly asked, “What are you thinking, miran-achth?”

Miran-achth. My breath. The one that was missing.

I scooted closer to him, burrowing my face into his shoulder, holding his hand more tightly as I considered the question.

“That it’s been too long since we did that,” I finally said, truthfully.

In the weeks since my ascension, the chances we’d had to spend together—just the two of us—had been too far and few between.

Everything was more complicated now, including intimate moments like the one we’d just shared.

He was quiet for so long, contemplating, that I nearly dozed off. “I was worried it would be too intense for you until you had gotten used to your magic,” he eventually said. “I wasn’t sure how our powers would…playtogether.”

I thought of the fear that had briefly gripped me and made me feel out of control—and not necessarily in a good way. “There were overwhelming moments,” I admitted, still curled againsthis shoulder. “But I’m not afraid of them. Not when I’m sharing them with you.”

He gave my hand a little squeeze, but this was the only reply he offered before he sat up and pulled away from me.

I lifted my head, blinking my eyes open to find him studying his arms, tracing them with the tips of his fingers. His touch was light, absent-minded, but it brought back memories of last night, when he’d been trying to scrub my invisible blood from his skin.

I sat up as well, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping a blanket around myself. I wasn’t cold. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt cold. But a different kind of chill was winding through my body—one I couldn’t shake.

My insides twisted at the haunted look in Dravyn’s gaze, but I said nothing. Maybe because I didn’t know whattosay. Or maybe because I was a coward who didn’t want to talk about the overwhelming parts of our relationship. I’m not sure which it was.

My eyes drifted to the window instead. “I didn’t check in with Mairu and Valas,” I said, the realization—and all the world outside of the two of us—suddenly catching up to me. “They’ll be worried.”

“They’ll have felt your energy coming back here, along with mine. They should be able to tell we’re together, so they shouldn’t worry too much.” A corner of his mouth edged up, as if he was fighting a smile despite the troubled look still glazing his eyes. “They might ask questions about what you and I have been doing to keep you from checking in with them, though.”

I couldn’t help blushing, already imagining the inappropriate commentary I would have to endure from Valas.

Dravyn shook a little further from his haunted stupor, his smile breaking through as he pressed a hand against my flushed cheek. “Rest while you can. We’ll see to them tomorrow, along with everything else.”

Something about the way he saideverything elsemade my stomach clench. “Speaking of which…did you accomplish what you set out to do today?”

He looked away from me, his hand lowering, and stared at the ceiling as he answered. “I’ve spoken with all who would grant me an audience. They’ll be gathering here first thing tomorrow to decide what to do about the mortal realm. If—and how—we will intervene.”

I had expected as much. I knew such a council had to happen. Still, the thought of the Marr holding court in this palace was not a soothing image to fall asleep to; it was always chaos when a group of them gathered, and I never felt more out of place in this realm than I did when all those perfect, powerful beings were surrounding me.

Dravyn was watching me closely, his brow furrowed. Could he hear my jumbled thoughts? Could he feel the anxiety humming through my veins?

“Rest,” he suggested again. “Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”

He didn’t seem prepared to take his own advice. His gaze had shifted to the door; he looked ready to bolt the instant I fell asleep. But to where? Back to his old kingdom again?

The thought struck sickening fear into my heart.

“What about you?” I asked.

He hesitated.

“Stay with me?” My words came out quickly, but quietly, my voice breaking a bit toward the end. It wasn’t on purpose, but the broken sound seemed to catch his attention, pulling his eyes away from the door and back to me.

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