Page 57 of A Reflection of Lies and Truth

Then, he picks me up and backs me against the wall. The rough touch of stone against my back does nothing to deter the need building within me.

He lifts one of my legs and wraps it around his waist, shifting us so that he can press himself more firmly against me. My fingers dig into his hair as he moves to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses down my neck.

His movements turn urgent as he lifts me higher against the wall, and I wrap my other leg around his waist to steady myself.

He shifts enough to free himself, and with a swift, powerful thrust, he fills me. It’s not gentle or tentative. It’s raw and primal, as if he’s claiming me again, claiming me as chieftain of this city.

A loud moan tears from my throat as he drives harder, deeper. He echoes my cry as he loses himself in me. The tension in his body becomes my tension, his pain my pain, his hopes my hopes.

I feel his release as surely as I feel my own, the heat of it spreading through me, grounding me in the aftermath of our passion. He shudders against me, and I cling to him, knowing I want this moment to last.

Gradually, as our breathing slows, he loosens his grip on me and lowers me onto my feet.

His eyes lock with mine. “I want you to know that you are my equal, and as my wife, you will never stand behind me. You will stand with me.” Sunlight slants through the windows, illuminating his face, and the sincerity sketched into his features.

I bring my hand against his chest, feeling his heart throbbing beneath my palm. “I want to be with you, to work alongside you.”

“You will.” He trails his fingertips along my jaw. “I am not like my father. It’s very important that you understand that. He treated women worse than cattle.”

“My grandfather was the same way.”

“I am not them. I will cherish you, Annora.”

Something in me breaks free of the chains Grandfather placed around me. Something scarred, but never broken. Something tattered, but never torn.

ChapterThirty

ANNORA

Sunlight floodsthe bedchamber through the windows on the east side of the room, bathing everything in a warm golden glow. I follow the beam of light as it travels across the stone floor and up the far wall, illuminating a shelf near the window.

I pull away from Jasce and walk to the shelf, where I spot the seashells he gave me when I was in Lyra’s body. My drawings and favorite quotes sit next to them.

“I thought you might want them,” Jasce says as he moves to stand next to me.

“Thank you.”

I walk to the nearby armoire next and yank open the doors. My cotehardies hang inside, vivid splashes of azure, violet and emerald. Beneath them sits my worn leather satchel, brimming with books, brushes, and other personal effects.

I shake my head in wonder. After I vanished from his life without explanation, he still took pains to collect anything that belonged to me and preserve them until my return.

Gratitude thrums through me as I turn to him. He stands tall, hands clasped behind his back, but there is warmth in his gaze as he looks at me.

“You kept everything.” My voice thickens with emotions as I continue. “Even after I disappeared.”

“You were coming back,” he says. “It was only a matter of time.”

“Thank you,” I say again, hoping he understands how much this means to me. How much he means to me.

“I want you to be happy with me, Annora.”

“I am.”

His hand finds the curve of my cheek, and he lifts my face up to meet his. “I see your sadness.”

Jasce’s tender words pierce my heart. He’s right. Beneath my gratitude, sadness lurks like a shadow I cannot outrun.

“I don’t mean to seem ungrateful. I just miss my sisters so much.” My legs tremble as I sink down onto the plush bed.

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