Page 81 of A Legacy of Storms and Starlight

“There you are.” Raif’s arm slipped around her waist. “Mind if I borrow Liss, Asha?”

Asha held up a bottle of wine, ready to refill his glass and nodded. “By all means.”

“I have a surprise for you,” Raif murmured, steering Zylah away.

She looked over her shoulder at Asha, and he raised a full glass in goodbye. “You do?” she asked, looking up at Raif.

He winked. “I know, I know, two presents in one night. I know what you’re thinking, you could get used to this level of worship, right?” He placed a flower crown on her head. “This is for you. It’s not the surprise, I just thought you’d like to have one.”

Zylah smiled as she reached a hand up to the soft petals, her eyes meeting with Holt’s for a moment as he stood talking with Rose and Saphi. Emotion flickered across his face before he shut it down, raised his glass and turned his attention back to his friends.

Raif led her to the grotto, to the cut-out in the rock overlooking the water. Food and wine were laid out on a small square of cloth. “Fae parties can get a little… out of hand.” He led her to one side of the window, gesturing for her to sit. “I thought you might like a little quiet.”

“Raif, this is… Thank you.”

She worried if she spoke, tears might follow.

He handed her a plate of food, launching into an explanation of what Rose and Saphi had gifted him, the orblights reflecting off the pond and lighting up one half of his face.

In just a few days, Arnir would be dead. And her life could start over; for Mala, and for all the others who had had their life cut short. But maybe starting over was always meant to happen in Virian. She’d have her freedom. A family of sorts. Friends who could help her find out about where she came from. And she could help. Make a difference in the days ahead. Maybe Asha was right.

“Liss?” Raif rested a hand on her knee. His skin was warm, and he traced circles with his thumb out of habit.

Zylah set aside her food and took the wine glass Raif handed her. “Sorry, I… was just enjoying listening to you talk.”

“Now, now, you know how easy it is to fluff my ego.” He touched his glass to hers, one dimple on display in the glow of the orblights.

Zylah reached for the flower crown, inspecting the flowers. Cream roses with small gold flowers threaded between them, to match her dress. She met Raif’s gaze. “When we first met, I wasn’t sure about you.”

He pressed a hand to his heart in mock offence. “What’s not to be sure about?”

“But Saphi told me you had a good heart. And she was right. You do.” She took a deep breath, her confession on the tip of her tongue.

Raif looked out across the water. “You asked me once if my magic hurt me. The truth is, the cost is more than I like to admit.” He sighed deeply. “I feel it take something from me every time I use it. Like a little piece of me is chipped away. Before I met you, I’d begun to wonder if there was anything left.” He turned away from the water so that his whole face was in shadow, and it snatched Zylah’s breath away to hear that he’d ever thought that about himself.

She reached up for his face, and he turned to look at her, his eyes dipping to her mouth and back up again. She’d never given much thought to what his life must have been like; he was always so reluctant to talk about the past. And now she understood why. Her hands tangled in his hair as she pressed a kiss to his lips, leaning into him until his lips parted for her and their kiss deepened.

“You are good, Raif. In here. No magic will ever change that.” Zylah rested a hand against his chest, as Raif lifted her closer to him. She kissed him again, her tongue sweeping along his, and he pulled her even closer, bringing her knees up around his waist and kissing her until they were breathless.

He released his grip and took her hand, leading her deeper into the grotto.

“This dress has been taunting me all night,” he said, kissing her shoulder.

He lifted her again, one hand bracing against the wall behind them, one hand pinning her to the hard length of him. Zylah arched back, just a little. Just enough to make him suck in a breath through his teeth.

“I apologise on behalf of the dress,” she murmured against his lips, fighting back a smile, and then gasping into his mouth as his fingers ran along the top of her underwear. Heat bloomed between her legs and she arched further into his touch.

“Have I told you how much this drives me crazy?” Raif asked, tracing kisses down her chest.

“What?” Zylah asked, as all her thoughts and words seemed to eddy away from her.

“The scent of you when you’re turned on.”

Zylah stilled in his arms. “What?”

Raif laughed against her skin, his fingers still teasing, stroking, dipping and pulling back up again across her underwear. “Sometimes I think you forget you’re Fae. Fae have exceptional senses. We can scent arousal, and your scent…” His fingers dipped beneath the fabric and found their mark, his mouth capturing Zylah’s moan.

“That explains a lot,” Zylah whispered, her breaths ragged and broken as Raif moved his fingers in circles. She didn’t want to wait, she needed to feel him, and her hands reached between them for the belt of his trousers.

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