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He laughed roughly, the sound barely audible. Still, I heard the difference in the timbre. I loved his laughs because, like me, I knew he’d lived a long time without laughter. But now, there was a weightless quality to the sound. No restraint. A reminder that he no longer kept large portions of himself closed off from me.
Even though my lip stung, I dipped my head, bringing my mouth to his. The kiss started gentle, a soft proclamation of love, but a spark ignited, fa
And I knew that if I kept kissing him, we’d never leave this bed.
Reluctantly, I lifted my mouth from his and then collapsed onto my back with all the grace of a feral hog. “So…” I glanced over at Ash. His lips were still parted and slightly swollen, and the hue of his irises was a heated silver streaked with brilliant lines of eather—the Primal essence. The way he looked at me as if he wished to devour me… Gods. I quickly averted my gaze before I lost the rest of the restraint I was barely holding on to.
I cleared my throat. “I wonder how long it will take me to develop your special hearing. Hours? Days? Weeks?”
“It shouldn’t take weeks.” Ash settled onto his side, propping up his head with a fist.
“What if it does?” I questioned, twisting the ends of my hair between my fingers.
“It won’t.”
“You sound so confident.” Meanwhile, I teetered on the edge of an anxiety spiral, even though I knew it was u
“Possibly.”
My mouth dropped open, and my gaze slid to his.
Ash winked.
“Don’t you be cute and wink,” I ordered. “Possibly?”
He laughed, the sound still unshackled. “As if I would ever consider such a thing. Even if it were possible, which it’s not.” He caught my hand, pulling it away from my hair. “There’s no one else for me but you. There never has been,” he said, and my breath snagged, our gazes locking. “And there never will be.”
“There is no one but you,” I swore. “Ever.”
“I know.” His jaw hardened just a fraction, but his gaze was still soft and warm. “Which is why I’m still a little angry with you.”
I frowned. “About what?”
“You wanted me to move on,” he reminded me, gnawing at the words as if they left a bad taste in his mouth. “You wanted me to find a way to have my kardia restored and find someone to love. You actually said that to me, even though there is no way you, of all people, would’ve been okay with that.”
“I said that because I was dying.”
“Likely excuse.”
“I think it’s a very good excuse,” I countered. “And what does you of all people mean? I spoke the truth when I said I wanted you to find love.”
“That’s bullshit, Sera.”
“It’s not.”
His laugh was full of blades. “If I had somehow managed to restore my kardia and actually found someone else, you’re telling me you wouldn’t have found a way to haunt my ass?”
Crossing my arms below my breasts, I lifted my chin. “Absolutely not.”
An eyebrow rose.
I held his stare.
He waited, then asked, “Really?”
“Yes.”
Ash tipped his head down, stopping when only a few inches separated us. “I know who you are, Sera.”
“I would hope so,” I retorted.
“I know you are far more caring than you acknowledge. I know you’re capable of unbelievable acts of kindness and sacrifice, which is only rivaled by your fierceness and stubbor
My lips pursed. “Well, I can’t deny the last part.”
“No, you ca
I couldn’t deny that I had far more monstrous tendencies than he did. He didn’t attempt to wash away the stain of the blood he shed. He memorialized the lives he felt responsible for. My hands had never been stained. I didn’t live with the lives I took. That would send most fleeing in the opposite direction.
Ash tugged my arms apart and brought his mouth to mine, nipping at my lower lip. “You give without thought, and you can take without hesitation. And, liessa, you’re possessive.”
“As if you’re not,” I said. “Did you forget how you basically promised to murder anyone I sought pleasure with? Or was that just…?” I smiled tightly. “More talk.”
“Oh, I haven’t forgotten. And I would’ve ski
“What?” I breathed.
“My promise to eviscerate whoever you used to satisfy your needs made you…” His lips brushed mine. “Wet.”
My chest rose on a sharp inhale. A mixture of embarrassment and desire scorched my cheeks. Well, it was mostly desire, with a tiny, barely-there dash of shame because he spoke the damn truth.
“And I know you would do the same. That part of me, right or wrong, recognizes that side of you. You love as fiercely as you hate.” He lifted his head. “And just so we’re clear, I believe you meant what you asked of me. It is the kindness in you that wanted me to find happiness. To live. But you wouldn’t have rested peacefully knowing I was with another.”
I opened my mouth but then shut it again. He started to grin. I had meant what I’d said. When I thought I was dying, I’d wanted Ash to finally and truly live. But would I have been at rest? Without him? Or would I have been one of those souls who refused to cross over? Deep down, I knew the answer. “Okay, I might’ve haunted you.”
“No shit.”
My eyes narrowed. “But I would’ve done it lovingly.”
A laugh rumbled from his chest as he dropped his forehead to mine. “You are…adorable.”
“Adorable?”
“Uh-huh.” He brushed his lips over mine. “An adorably faulty Primal.”
I moved to smack his chest, but he caught my hand and returned his cheek to his other hand.
He brought my palm to his mouth and dropped a kiss to the center. “Anyway, going back to the Primal changes.” He lowered my hand to my stomach. “Have you noticed anything else yet, other than your heightened vision?”
I thought that over. “I don’t think so—” I stopped myself, realizing there was something else. The intuition that was more a sense of knowing.
“I don’t know if I mentioned it or not,” I began, “but there’s this unca
“He did,” Ash whispered, his eyes widening slightly. “Vadentia.”
“Foresight.” Surprise flickered through me when I realized I understood the unfamiliar word spoken in a language I hadn’t been fluent in before. “See! I don’t know how I knew that, other than I just did.”
“My father had the ability before Kolis stole the embers.”
Curiosity sparked, fueled by the need to understand exactly what this ability was and its limitations. “Did he ever tell you about this…vadentia? Like how it worked?”
He shook his head. “If anyone would know the ins and outs of that ability, it would be Nektas. I’m sure he’ll be around soon.”
Making a note to ask the draken about it when I had a chance, I rolled onto my side to face him. “Is he not here?”
“I believe he’s with his daughter and Reaver,” he shared, skimming his fingertips down my side.
My heart squeezed as raw emotion twisted in my chest. I hadn’t believed I would see the two young draken again. “I want to hug them,” I blurted, feeling my cheeks warm. “Maybe just Jadis. I don’t think Reaver would like it if I hugged him.”
“He would.” Ash pressed a kiss to my forehead, and I wondered if he had picked up on what I was feeling or if I had projected it. “You hungry?”
My stomach immediately woke up, grumbling rather loudly. I peeked up at him. “I might be a little hungry.”
He chuckled. “There’s fresh water in the bathing chamber,” he told me. “Once you’re finished in there, I’ll get us something to eat.”
“You don’t have to wait on me,” I told him.
“But I want to.” He dragged his fingertip over my cheek and glanced down. “Plus, I get to continue enjoying the scenery.”
Knowing that he was wary of leaving me alone no longer embarrassed me. Instead, his thoughtfulness and concern made my heart feel like it was doubling—maybe even tripling—in size. I leaned over and kissed him. “I would love for you to continue enjoying the scenery.”
“Glad we’re on the same page.”
I gri
“There are.” His fingers skated over my arm, leaving a wake of shivers behind.
“Important things,” I said. “And I have a feeling the longer we stay in this bed, the less likely we’ll be to get around to any of the important stuff.”
“And I have a feeling,” he said, his nose brushing mine, “that we fundamentally disagree on just how important the scenery is right now compared to those other things.”
I laughed, relishing this playful, relaxed side of Ash that I’d only really gotten to see while still in the mortal realm before he brought me to the Shadowlands. That seemed like an eternity ago, and I hated to cut this short. “How am I being the responsible one right now? That’s your job, not mine.”
His lips curved. “I’m not sure I want that job anymore.”
“If you retire from such a position, it will be pure chaos,” I told him. “All day. All night.”
“Good thing I like your brand of chaos.” Ash’s hand dropped to my hip, and he tipped his head back. His eyes, now a warm shade of steel, searched mine. “You sure you’ll be fine?”
I nodded, and my heart filled to the point where it felt like it might burst.
“And you’re telling me the truth?”