Page 38 of Lady for Embers

She gasped as she found herself up against the wall. Sorin had moved so godsdamn fast she hadn’t even seen him. One hand held her wrists above her head, the other gripped her chin. “The Maraans are all dying, Scarlett. Make no mistake about that,” he hissed, embers turning to small ?ames in his eyes.

“So is Talwyn, Sorin. Make no mistake about that,” she replied, her tone lethally soft. “She tried to take what is mine. I am yours, and you are mine. If she had succeeded, do you understand that I would not be breathing right now?”

The ?ames banked, Sorin’s features softening slightly. “Scarlett, you have your family, Cassius—”

But she was already shaking her head, Sorin’s hand movingwith her chin. “I would have crossed the Veil to ?nd you, Sorin. They would not have stopped me.”

“I know you would have tried, but they would have stopped you... ” He trailed off when she shook her head slowly again.

Her shadows latched around his hands holding her in place. They pulled his ?ngers from her body. She felt him try to resist, but her magic was stronger right now. Would always be stronger when her reserves were full.

“They would not have succeeded in stopping me, Sorin,” she said quietly, his eyes wide as she held him back with only her shadows. She took one step forward, cupping his cheek. “I cannot live in a world without a you and me. I told you on my birthday I would not survive it. I will not do it. I refuse. You were taken from me.” Her voice broke on the last words, and she swallowed down the sob, but the tears still fell. Sorin gently pulled her hand from his face before cupping her own, thumbs swiping away tears. “You were taken from mebecause of her, Sorin. Do not deny me retribution for that. Do not ask that of me. It is not fair of you.”

Sorin pulled her into his chest, and she buried her face in his tunic, tears she’d been holding in for weeks surging up. She hadn’t allowed herself to feel any of this since she had used the Mark the Lord of Night had given her to bring him back from the After. She’d forced herself to push it down, remain numb to it, so she could stay focused on their next task. There was always the next thing to be done, the next problem to solve, the next meeting to attend. And now she was suffocating. Now she felt like she was drowning because she hadn’t been allowed the time to simplyfeelall of it.

Sorin stroked her hair, and she didn’t know when or how he did it, but she found herself lowered to the ?oor, her legs wrapped around his waist as he held her close. The newly anointed bond coiled around her, his ?ames winding around her shadows, locking them tight in their own little world where nothing could touch them. Where it was just him and her.

What she had almost missed out on because of Talwyn.

After several minutes, she pulled back enough to tilt her face up to his, to look into his golden eyes. “It is not fair of you to ask this of me, Sorin,” she whispered.

“I know, Love,” he said, just as softly, his words feathering acrossher lips. “Just... Can we discuss it more? How it will happen? And when?”

She felt herself tense at his words, but the bond quickly coiled tighter, soothing and calming. She didn’t reply. She didn’t have it in her to argue about this any more today. She couldn’t help but feel... hurt? Is that what she was feeling? Why did she feel like he was choosing Talwyn over her in this moment? That was ridiculous, right? That notion, the idea that she would even feel that way, was ludicrous.

“I’m going to wash up,” she murmured, pushing off of Sorin and getting to her feet, wrestling to keep her emotions from ?owing down the bond. Now that the ?oodgates had been opened, she struggled to rein them back in.

“Do you want some wine?”

She shook her head, offering him a weak smile as she made her way to the small bathing room. The ?rst thing she was doing when they reached land was bathing. She didn’t care who or what was there to greet them. A bath was at the top of her list.

She emerged later and found Sorin seated at the desk, poring over some papers. He was shirtless and barefoot. He looked up when she came out of the bathing room, quickly looking her up and down. She’d pulled on one of his shirts over her undergarments.

“What are you doing?” she asked, moving to the bed.

“Looking at these maps you brought.”

“They don’t offer much.”

“It doesn’t appear so, but maybe we missed something.”

She huffed a soft laugh. “You mean you didn’t stare at those things the entire time we were apart trying to keep yourself occupied?”

“Of course I did, but we still could have missed something.”

“We’ve all studied those maps for hours, Sorin,” she replied pointedly. “None of us missed anything. We’re sailing towards the unknown.”

She slipped between the covers, snuggling beneath the furs that Sorin had thought to bring knowing how much she hated being cold. He got up from the desk, moving to the bed and stretching out on his side on top of the blankets. She rolled onto her side so she faced him, tucking a hand beneath her cheek. He reached over, slipping hair behind her ear.

“I love you, Scarlett. I will always choose you. You know that right?” he said, trailing his ?ngers along her jaw.

“I know,” she replied quietly.

“I once told you if you wanted to burn the entire world to ash, I would help you do so,” he went on. “If you need this vengeance, I will not stand in your way.”

“But you still want to discuss it more,” she supplied, looking past him and over his shoulder.

“We have time, Love. So much can happen between now and when the opportunity for that vengeance will come.”

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