Page 22 of Lady for Embers

But then she’d continued to refuse until she was convinced he’d healed enough.

Then all the planning and strategizing had happened. They’d been preparing to leave, and they’d never found time to seek out Beatrix and get this thing Anointed.

The day she’d left for the Black Syndicate, Scarlett had kissed him softly and had murmured that the moment her feet landed on this ship, they would get the bond Anointed.

Then it had been his turn to make her wait.

Eliza had Marked her to hide her Marks from others before she’d gone into the Syndicate, but Scarlett had added additional glamours she’d found in the Sorceress’s spell book to make sure Alaric couldn’t see through them. They didn’t want it known that the Fire Prince still lived.

Sorin ushered her through the door and out onto the quarterdeck before they descended the stairs to the main deck side-by-side, making their way to the foredeck where Beatrix stood waiting for them. The moon was bright, and the stars stretched as far as they could see. It had been Scarlett’s idea to do this under the night sky. He hadn’t argued. It seemed right to do this in the darkness, beneath the stars, and with her in that dress from the party at the Pier nearly a year ago.

“It would seem the Fates have yet again found a way, Prince,” Beatrix said, her eyes soft and full of an adoration rarely seen from a Witch.

“It would certainly seem that way,” he replied, smiling softly and bending to press a kiss to her cheek.

“And you, young queen,” she said, turning to Scarlett. “You have brought hope to those who thought all was lost.”

“That is what I am told,” Scarlett said with a slight frown.

“I speak not of the kingdom we sail towards, but of the one standing beside you,” Beatrix replied. Before either of them could respond to that, she said, “Left hands out, palms up.” She pulled a black dagger from the cloak she wore, and Scarlett gasped, her hand falling back to her side.

“That is a nightstone dagger,” she said, taking a step forward.

Beatrix gave her a knowing smile. “It is a ceremonial dagger for exactly this purpose.”

“With a nightstone blade.”

“Some refer to it as a blade of the gods, but that is neither here nor there at the moment,” Beatrix said, hushing Scarlett before she could ask another question. Beatrix motioned for her hand to come up once again, and Scarlett obeyed, eyeing the dagger closely.

A slash was cut across both their palms, and the Witch spoke in a language Sorin could not understand. Scarlett seemed to stiffen slightly beside him, but she did not interrupt again. When she ?nished speaking, Beatrix took Scarlett’s hand, placing her cut along his, and the moment their blood mixed, Sorin sucked in a breath. He heard Scarlett do the same.

Because that was power. Pure and undiluted. His chest warmed, his very soul seeming to gravitate towards her, tugging him closer to her. Scarlett’s hand was squeezing his, and his arm came around her waist as she stumbled slightly. His ?re and her shadows encircled them. Snow and ice danced above his ?ames, and where they touched, they turned to ash, melding with her shadows.

The pleasure of their power combined with everything ?ooding him down their bond had him gripping Scarlett tighter to him as their very essences merged, an aura of pure light seeming to glow around them. It was brighter than any star, but all he could focus on were the silver eyes ?xed on his.

The glow slowly faded, their ?aring power dying down. They were still catching their breath when Beatrix pressed kisses to both their cheeks before squeezing their hands and leaving them alone at the front of the ship. Scarlett moved to the front of the foredeck, staring out at the black water ahead of them. Her hand was raised in front of her as she admired the completed Mark.

He slipped his arms around her waist, tugging her back into hischest. He pressed a small kiss to the spot below her ear, and she hummed in pleasure, dropping her hand to cover his.

“Tell me what you are thinking,” he murmured into her ear.

“I am thinking that I am grateful for these moments to breathe amid the chaos,” she answered. “I am thinking that tonight I do not want to think about Avonleya or Alaric. I do not want to think of the Courts we left behind or feel the heartache of betrayal by those we trusted. I do not want to worry about the friends we left behind— Ashtine and Hazel, Juliette and Arianna. For one night, I want to forget it all. And I am thinking that I am an awful queen for thinking such things.”

“My Love, you left to ?nd help. You left to ?nd the one thing that can stop all of this. You left to save those very people and Courts you left behind. And while I understand why you feel this way—because I feel the same—the stars in your company are just as worthy of your attention as the stars you are ?ghting for.”

She sighed, her head tipping back against his shoulder. “Such wise words from an ancient prince.”

“Perhaps we should ?nd a better use for that tongue of yours,” he purred into her ear, and he felt the tremor run through her body. He noticed her shift in scent a moment later.

“Perhapsyou should introduce me to more of yourexperiences, Prince,” she replied, turning in his arms. Her hands pressed against his chest as she pushed up onto her tiptoes to touch her lips to his. His ?ngers were immediately sliding into her hair, holding her mouth to his.

His tongue tasted hers as his lips moved against her soft mouth. His other hand was tracing down the back of the dress that dipped right down to the swells of her ass. Her hands slid up his chest, looping around his neck. She pulled her body into his, as if she couldn’t stand any space between them.

His ?ngers trailed down her ribs, slipping to her hips and then her thighs, ?nding the deep slits of the dress. He began slowly bunching the fabric up her legs. It took a moment for her to realize what he was doing, but when she did, she stiffened, breaking the kiss.

“Out here?” she questioned breathlessly.

“You said you wanted me to show you some of my experiences, Love,” he teased, continuing to slowly pull the skirt of her dress up.

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