Page 79 of Ecliptic

I stepped into his aura, which was thick, heady, and welcoming. “I love it. Thank you,” I whispered, rising up on my tiptoes to kiss him. He groaned softly as I ran my tongue along the seam of his lips. “And I love you.”

His hands gripped my hips and tugged me closer, his touch searing. “If I said I love you, too, it would be a lie.”

I tried to pull back, but his grip on my waist kept me caged inhis embrace. I raised Mithrion to his throat, waiting for an explanation.

“It would be a lie because what I feel for you runs far deeper than love,” he said, his voice as steady as his pulse beneath my blade. “You’re the first star that appears in my night sky, and the first ray of dawn in the morning. You’re the flame that withstands the rain, and the lightning that brightens my storms.” His voice dipped into a lower tone. “You are the light that guided me out of my darkness.”

My heart skipped a beat. “If I’m the light, what does that make you?” I asked, lowering Mithrion from his throat.

“I am your ground. Your earth. Your safe place to land, to breathe. To be.”

“My rock,” I said, wrapping my hands behind his neck.

“Yes, now let’s see what you can do with that blade of yours,” he said, a spark of excitement flashing in his eyes.

A thrill coursed through me as I worked on the Phases of the Moon. Mithrion’s added weight felt inherent and needed, especially now that I could integrate her into the movements. My steps were precise and fluid, each strike flowing seamlessly into the next as Mithrion and I became one.

Dyani insisted that poor form couldn’t be blamed on a weapon but having one tailored to my every need definitely helped. I moved through the phases, correcting and adjusting each stance as I went. Auras of white light reflected up my arm as I swiped and parried, casting elliptical rings that pulsed around me.

The next move was a challenge. My feet normally got twisted up when transitioning from the spin into the downward slash, but determination flared in my veins. I built up the momentum as I concentrated on the footwork. I whirled around in a fierce and powerful spin, using all my strength to slash the weapon down.

Suddenly, a clash of metal rang through the night as a shockwave reverberated up my arm.

Something had caught my blade.

I glanced up, meeting Rowen’s eyes over our locked weapons. “Remember when I said you didn’t have a predilection for combat?” he asked with a crooked smirk, his white teeth shining in the darkness.

Without missing a beat, I swung my blade out and around, freeing my weapon to strike again. “I do,” I replied, exhilarated by his impromptu cut-in.

He parried. “I was wrong,” he said, the moon casting pools of light on the sharp angles of his cheeks. “You look fierce. Absolutely remarkable.”

“Thanks,” I replied, and for a moment, we were locked together again. A curl of his brown hair fell into his face, momentarily distracting me before I twisted and struck again, keeping him on the defense.

He blocked me easily, then sidestepped and lunged. “I know something that will make you look even better.”

“What’s that?” I asked, spinning away and blocking his strike.

“This,” he said as he nicked the lace of my bodice.

My eyes opened wide in shock. “What are you doing?”

“I thought it was obvious,” he said as three deft swipes landed my vest on the ground. “I’m trying to get you naked.”

29

The area around the mirrored dome was dark, isolated, and surrounded by trees, offering privacy to those who participated in the Hymma.

I smirked and slashed Mithrion through the air, cutting open Rowen’s shirt. The fabric billowed open to reveal his chest and the defined lines of his abdomen.

A wicked grin lit up his face, the moon highlighting his roguish beauty. My momentary distraction left him room to parry, and in one skillful motion that I couldn’t deflect, he cut open my undershirt. My breath hitched as the tip of his blade whispered over my skin, exposing a strip of flesh down to my navel.

I rotated away from him to get his sleeve, but he flicked his blade up and caught hold of my shirt, stripping it off me as I spun. I swirled back on him, facing him naked from the waist up. Cool air met my flushed skin and pebbled my nipples.

“So glorious,” he hummed, his eyes dancing across my breasts. “Such pretty pink nipples that beg to be sucked.”

It was my turn to seize his distraction. I flicked my knife forward and cut off one of his sleeves. I felt a moment of pridebefore I looked down and realized he had already sliced open the panels of my pants.

“Hey!” I exclaimed, annoyed that he was beating me. I thrust my blade at him again, but his ax caught on the prong of my crossguard. He spun me around and slammed my back against his chest, our weapons locked above us. His chest heaved behind me as his erection dug into my back.

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