Page 63 of To Sway a Prince
The pain crescendoed. I screamed, clinging to him.
"Feel me. Use all of your senses," he said, his voice rumbling in my ear. "Smell the air. Hear my voice. This is not an ordinary dream, and you know that. You're coming back to me now, Astraia. You're coming home."
Suddenly—scents flooded back. The gemstone sand jars' earthy bite. The sharp tang of magic. Ramiel's cedar and frosted silver, warm cashmere and burning wood.
Sounds sharpened. The vibrating hum. My ragged breathing. Ramiel's steady heartbeat. The smooth silk of his shirt beneath my fingertips. Cool air and—my own tears, hot and wet, streaming down my cheeks.
"That's it," he whispered. "Come back to me."
"How—?"
"Trust me," he said. "Everything will be all right. I promise you."
The pain surged again. I cried out.
"Hold on," he urged. "Just a moment longer."
His hand cupped my face. His thumb brushed away my tears.
"I love you," he said again. "I will always find you."
Then his lips pressed against mine.
Light exploded behind my eyelids—blinding, golden, warm. The mate bond flared strong, bright and undeniable, burning and aching.
The world tilted.
Then stillness.
25
FAMILY
Iblinked, disoriented. Wh—what? I wasn't standing. I lay on something soft.
A finished stone ceiling came into focus above me. A real one. Not a dream.
Ramiel leaned over me, his silver hair falling forward, his eyes wide with relief and exhaustion. His hand trembled as he brushed the hair from my face.
"Dare I ask what you're doing in my tower?" he whispered. Tears shone in his amethyst eyes. He stroked his hand down my cheek, cupping his fingers beneath my chin.
My heart raced faster. I was back. Back and alive, my hands shaking as I pressed my fingertips to his jaw, his cheek, his temple, his lips. "I'd rather not have this conversation while in such a position." My lips trembled.
His smile curled higher. Leaning down, he kissed my chin, then my cheek. His lips lingered. "Is it wise for someone in your position to make such demands?"
The deep rasp of his voice made me melt, the sparking within me now pleasurable. The mate bond hummed. "Oh, you have no idea the demands I'll make of you."
His mouth quirked up. He nuzzled me, the tip of his nose grazing mine. "And I will happily spend the rest of my days granting them all."
A giggle escaped my lips, and I intended to tease him more. But as soon as I opened my mouth, he pounced and kissed me deeply.
It was hard to believe that somehow I had escaped both our curses. Somehow we were both here together.
His kiss stole my breath. His fingers tangled in my hair, cradling my head as if I might slip away again. I clung to his shoulders, anchoring myself to him, to this moment, to life itself.
When we finally broke apart, his eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"For the most awful moments of my life, I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, his voice raw. "The moment you took my curse—I realized that the curse fulfilling in this way truly was the way that broke me most. I feared—I feared that this was the true fulfillment. That I would lose you forever just after finding you."
