Page 24 of Crown of Ashes and Desire

“If it meant your happiness,” I replied, and reached out to cup her cheek. “Your future matters more than my heart.”

“You beautiful fool.” She leaned into my touch. “Don’t you understand? You are my future.”

Before I could respond, she rose on her toes and kissed me, her light magic flaring with emotion. Around us, the assembled nobles burst into applause, but I barely heard them. My world had narrowed to this—Ada in my arms, her love freely given, our future stretching before us bright with possibility.

“Come,” she whispered against my lips, her words carrying a promise that set my blood on fire. “Let me show you how grateful I am for what you’ve done.”

Later that evening, I followed Ada to her chambers, my shadows writhing with scarcely contained hunger. The events of the day had left me raw, exposed, desperate to reclaim her, to make her mine all over again after nearly losing her.

The guards stepped aside without question—they knew better than to deny the Shadow Lord access to his chosen.

“That was quite the performance.” I closed the door behind me with a decisive click, my shadows immediately sealing us in complete privacy.

Ada turned from where she stood by the window, her formal court attire still pristine despite the day’s trials. But I could smell her arousal from here—jasmine and honey laced with something darker, more primal. The near loss of what we had affected her as deeply as it had affected me.

“Performance? I was defending my right to rule.”

“You were magnificent,” I growled, and stalked toward her with dangerous elegance. My shadows coiled around my fingers, responding to the violent need coursing through me. “Watching you command that room, seeing them bow to your authority…” I paused just close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from my body. “It was almost enough to make me forget how badly I wanted to tear that dress off you and remind you exactly who you belonged to.”

Her breath hitched, pupils dilating while her carefully maintained composure began to crack. The scent of her desire intensified, my cock hardening painfully against the confines of my leather pants.

“The way you defended us,” I continued, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, “the way you claimed me in front of all those lords… Do you have any idea what that did to me? How hard it made me, watching my woman declare her ownership?”

“Hakan—” she began.

But I silenced her by backing her toward the window, bracing my hands on either side of her head, caging her in.

"Send the guards away," I murmured against her ear, tracing the rapid pulse at her throat with my thumb. The touch was reverent—amazement that this incredible woman was mine. "I want you all to myself tonight."

She turned toward the door, her words carrying the authority of Gün Ata's daughter. "You may go. Do not disturb us until morning."

The soft sound of retreating footsteps faded, leaving us alone in her chambers.

I brought her closer, breathing in her familiar scent. “Now there’s nothing between us and the rest of the night.”

Her light flickered beneath her skin in response to my proximity, that telltale sign of arousal she could never quite hide from me. But there was something different tonight—something more vulnerable, more precious. The threat of losing each other had left us both desperate to reconnect.

“I nearly lost you today,” I said, my voice rough with emotion when I backed her slowly toward the bed. “When they asked if I would walk away…” I framed her face with my hands, thumbs brushing her cheekbones. “The thought of never touching you again nearly broke me.”

“But you didn’t lose me,” she whispered, her hands sliding up my chest to rest on my shoulders. “I’m here. I’m yours.”

“Yes, you are,” I said, certainty replacing any doubt. I moved my hands to her waist, pulling her closer. “And I’m never letting you go.”

She rose on her toes and kissed me, slow but certain, her lips parting under mine with familiar invitation. I groaned into her mouth, deepening the kiss, my tongue sliding along hers as months of suppressed need poured into the connection. Her taste was intoxicating—honey and starlight and everything I'd ever wanted.

I broke away only to rain kisses along her jaw, her neck, finding that spot behind her ear that always had her gasping. "You have no idea what you do to me," I breathed against her skin, my teeth grazing the sensitive flesh. "How fucking crazy you make me."

I found the laces of her gown, working them loose with practiced ease while my mouth continued its worship of her throat. Every movement was deliberate, savoring, but there was an urgency building between us—the desperate need to connect, to prove we were still whole.

The silk whispered to the floor, and she stood before me in the candlelight, perfect and willing and mine. I stepped back just to stare at her, drinking in every curve, every flush of arousal painting her skin.

"Look at you," I murmured, my tone thick with desire and something deeper. "So fucking beautiful it physically hurts."

I shed my clothes quickly, then drew her close to me, skin to skin, groaning at the contact. My mouth crashed into hers again, hungrier now, more desperate. She responded with equal fervor, her hands exploring the planes of my chest, her nails digging into my shoulders as if she needed to anchor herself to me.

“I need to taste you.” I lifted her onto the bed and followed her down. “All of you.”

I kissed my way down her body with agonizing slowness—her collarbone, the valley between her breasts, the soft skin of her stomach. Every kiss was worship, every touch reverent but hungry. When I reached her thighs, I glanced up to find her watching me, her eyes dark with want.

---