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Maybe the winged creatures had finally made it to my head because my mind was empty except for… “Have you ever been in love?”
Surprise flickered over her face. “I have.”
“What does it feel like?” I whispered.
Her pace slowed. “It’s hard to explain, and I don’t think it feels the same for everyone,” she started. “But to me, it felt like…like being home, even in an unfamiliar place.”
I felt that, but there was also the ember that recognized Nyktos. I knew the ember didn’t drive what I felt for him, but I could have mistaken it for a more significant emotion.
“And it feels like you’re being seen for the first time,” she continued, a soft smile appearing on her lips while my stomach plummeted. “Like you’re being heard. I know that probably doesn’t make sense, but it’s like being…known in a way you haven’t felt before.”
Gods, it did make sense. I felt heard and seen by Nyktos, but I also hadn’t been known by many, so…
“I believe it’s something you just know.” Aios squeezed my hand. “Because you would do anything for them. Anything. And you can’t fake or force that.”
Anything.
I thought about when he’d asked me why I had volunteered to pay Kolis’s price. Deep down, I’d known why I’d done it.
I…I’d loved him long before today. Before I learned about the deal he’d made with Veses. Before I acknowledged that I wanted to be his Consort.
And it was why sharing my body with him had felt like more. Because it was for me.
“Fuck me,” I whispered as Rhain fell into step beside us.
Aios’s brows pinched as she shot a look at Rhain over my head. A moment passed. “Are you all right?”
As several rows of guards passed through the doors of the entry house, I nodded, even though I really might hurl this time around. The embers began to hum and wiggle, and my throat shrank in size. I saw another set of doors, ones with the same artwork as the throne room and the carriage. They opened to reveal a brightly lit chamber, now full of armored and heavily weaponed soldiers among the guards.
But I found him immediately.
He stood at the other end of the chamber, near a rounded archway I thought might lead out to the Hall’s main floor. His hair was free, brushing broad shoulders that stretched the iron-hued material of his sleeveless tunic. As the guards stepped aside, clearing a path to him as he slowly turned, my gaze locked onto…Ash’s.
Nektas’s words suddenly came back to me then. He is how you wish him to be.
And I knew right then, as I stood there trembling, who he was to me. He wasn’t Nyktos. He never had been. He was Ash, and I…
I was in love with him.
Everything stopped. My heart. My lungs. My steps. The air in the chamber. The entire realm. The harsh cut of his jaw loosened, and those full, lush lips parted. His eyes became luminous, silver pools as he stared back, as motionless as I was. I had no idea how long we stood there. My pulse raced, and my chest swelled as a hundred different thoughts cycled through my mind. It could’ve been seconds. Minutes. I had no idea, but I felt like my feet no longer touched the floor.
And then…Ash was moving, prowling toward me in fluid steps with the grace of a predator. I was struck by the memory of watching the kiyou wolves roam the Dark Elms. He moved the same way, and not once had he taken his eyes from me.
I was only vaguely aware of Aios slipping her arm from mine as…Ash stopped in front of me. His touch replaced hers, sending a shock of awareness through my entire system. His fingers curled around mine as he leaned in, lowering his mouth to my ear to whisper, “Breathe, liessa.”
Something beautiful.
Something powerful.
I inhaled suddenly and deeply, sucking in air. His hold on my hand tightened as he stepped in closer, stopping the wild tremor in my fingers and arm. The scent of citrus and fresh air filled me.
“That’s it,” he whispered, his lips brushing the shell of my ear and sending a shiver through me. Several moments passed before I stopped gulping in air. He stood so close his thighs nearly touched mine, and…thick tendrils of shadow had spilled out around him—around us—blocking out the chamber and shielding us from those within. His hand shifted slightly in mine, and I felt his thumb run across the inside of my palm. “Better?”
“Yes,” I whispered hoarsely.
Ash didn’t move away. He stayed there, sweeping his thumb back and forth across my skin. “I want to tell you that you look beautiful,” he said, his voice as soft as the shadows moving around us, warm against my cheek. “But beautiful doesn’t adequately capture what I see. I don’t know if there is a word that does. You have taken my breath with yours.”
My heart skipped as he stepped back, and I lifted my gaze as the shadows dissipated around us. I saw that the brocade along the neck of his tunic, and the slanted, vertical line cutting across his chest and ending at the hem above his thighs were brighter than before. Sharper. Jeweled. The black breeches and boots he wore were spotless. He wasn’t armed. He wore only the cuff, but as I tipped my head farther back, I…I saw the crown—one that was the opposite of the crown Kolis wore.
Nyktos’s sat low, just above his brow and was the color of midnight. The row of swords carved from smooth stone surrounded the middle spike that had been shaped into a crescent moon. The tip of each sword and the entirety of the moon glittered with diamonds.
It was a fearsome yet beautiful crown, made of shadowstone and starlight, just like its bearer.
Ash’s hand still held mine. “Sera?”
“The crown looks heavy,” I said, because that was the only thing I could say despite all the thoughts ru
One side of his lips kicked up. “Wait until you see yours.”
My brows lifted. “Is it heavy, too?”
He chuckled, lowering our joined hands. “Don’t worry. You don’t have to wear it after tonight.”
I nodded, swallowing against the dryness in my mouth and throat.
“Saion?” His gaze flicked away from me but returned quickly, skipping over the lace and beaded diamonds along my waist and hips. “Update?”
The god stepped forward. “All the soldiers are stationed along the aisle and at the foot of the dais.”
Turning my head, I saw that the chamber was mostly empty except for Aios and a handful of guards. She smiled at me, and I thought I returned the gesture. I hoped I did, but it felt a little weird. “Where…?” I cleared my throat. “Where is Nektas?”
“He’s around.” Ash’s stare glided over my jaw and lips. “Can someone get me a glass of wine?”
“On it,” came a response. A moment later, Kars appeared with a bronze chalice. He handed the wine to the Primal, only briefly glancing in my direction before stepping back.
“Here.” Ash placed the chalice in my free hand.
“Thank you,” I whispered, greedily but carefully taking a drink of the sweet and crisp wine.
He watched me, remaining quiet until I took another drink. “Are you all right?”
“Of course.”
Ash stared at me, his head tilting just a bit. The crown didn’t move even an inch. I saw that his eyes had narrowed.
My back stiffened, but I forced my voice to come out soft instead of blade-sharp. “Please, don’t read my emotions.”
Ash’s brows snapped together. “I think that was possibly the nicest way you’ve ever made that demand.” His eyes searched mine. “What’s wrong?”
Heat crept up my throat. How could I answer when the only thing currently wrong with me was that I was…very likely in love with him. And because of that, I didn’t know what to do or say.
Ash watched me closely. “Did something happen?”
“No,” I said quickly—maybe too quickly. And perhaps I needed to pull myself together as quickly as I’d responded. Or maybe I could stop behaving this way if I just told him. Not what I’d learned about Veses, because this wasn’t the place for that, but I could…I could be honest.