Page 21 of Lady for Embers

“Stunning? Handsome?”

“I was going to say younger,” she replied nonchalantly. “Not nearly as ancient.”

“By the gods. That godsdamn tongue,” he muttered.

She smirked at him this time, running her hands down the sides of the dress she wore, smoothing out any creases. His eyes followed her movements, tracking over her hips, her torso, her chest, making their way back to her face. “I can’t believe you packed this dress.”

“It seems only ?tting we do this with you in that dress, Love,” he answered with a wink, reaching for her hand. “But also... ”

He led her back out to the main room. It wasn’t an overly large room. A full bed was against one wall, secured to the?oor like all the other furniture. There was a small desk against another wall, an armoire beside it. A small sofa was secured to the opposite wall.

He could tell Scarlett still didn’t entirely have her sea legs, but after sleeping for three days, she had refused to wait another moment to do this. Admittedly, he hadn’t tried too hard to convince her otherwise.

Sorin dropped her hand, crossing to the armoire. He pulled open one side, reaching up to the top shelf. When he turned back to face her, he held her crown in his hands.

“I don’t really think that’s necessary,” Scarlett said, her nose scrunching. “It doesn’t go with the dress.”

“A crown goes with anything,” Sorin argued, striding back to her and placing it carefully atop her head. “It also looks stunning on you when you wear nothing at all.”

She rolled her eyes, but he caught the slight color that entered her cheeks. “Cad,” she mumbled.

He chuckled, bending to press a light kiss to her cheek. “Ready?” he asked, straightening and holding his right hand out to her.

“Yes,” she breathed, her left hand slipping into his.

Her left hand with her twin ?ame Mark swirling down her thumb and three of her ?ngers. Only one remained unmarked.

And they were about to take care of that now.

Long after he had been ?lled in on everything that had happened when he’d woken in the Fire Court, Scarlett had lain cuddled up beside him. His eyes had been closed, still utterly exhausted, as she’d slowly traced the Marks on his chest with her ?nger.

“Sorin?” she’d asked, breaking the comfortable silence. He’d almost been asleep as he mumbled, “Yeah, Love?”

“We... We’re good, right? You trust me, and I trust you. Completely.

Right?”

That had certainly jolted him wide awake.

He’d opened his eyes, reaching over to tip her face up to his. “I trust you, Scarlett. I am yours, and you are mine. Always.”

She’d pushed out a long breath, almost as if she’d been relieved. “Okay,” she’d whispered. “Then when you are... better, can we go see Beatrix?”

“Why?” he’d asked, his mind immediately turning over every possibility for why they might need a Witch.

She’d held up her left hand, that new Mark down her ring ?nger where her marriage band sat atop it. “We have a bond to Anoint, Prince.” He’d slowly reached for her hand, running his ?ngers along the Mark.

They’d done it. They’d completed the twin ?ame Trials.

His eyes had snapped back to hers. “When?” he’d rasped out.

Tears had glimmered in her eyes. “When I woke after giving you all my magic, it was there.”

Her sacri?ce trial.

He’d pulled her face to his then, kissing her until they were both breathless.

She hadn’t let it go any farther though. And okay, ?ne. He’d almost died, so he could understand her being careful.

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