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“Not yet,” he murmured against me. “You don’t get to come until I say so.”
“Hold on tight, then. I hope you’re not afraid of the dark.”
“Gods and fucking martyrs. Holy fucking shit. That’s right. Come. Show me how pretty you are when you fall apart.”
“Because she is moonlight. The mist that shrouds the mountains. The bite of electricity in the air before a storm. The smoke that rolls across a battlefield before the killing starts. You have no idea what she is. What she could be. You should call her Majesty.”
“You’re done here for the day. I’ll send someone else to refine the silver. There are plenty of other smiths who can do that kind of work in camp. Unfortunately, there’s something else I need from you, Osha.”
“What do you want me to do about it?” he replied. “She has a mind and a mouth of her own. I am the keeper of neither.”
He opened the door and just stood there, looking at me. “You’re wearing my shirt,” he said eventually.
The sound of Fisher’s genuine laughter was rarer than water had ever been back in Zilvaren; it almost brought tears to my eyes to hear it.
“Are you about to smile, Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate?” “What if I am?” he said in a very even, measured tone.
“I don’t want bright and happy,” he whispered roughly. “I want real.”
Grounding. Intimate. A connection.
The sound of it was so masculine and predatory that I almost lost my fucking mind.
still, there was one more thing… Bite me, Fisher. It came as a breathless thought. I can’t… Bite me. Do it. I want it! I can’t! BITE ME!
Ruin me.
Only this time, he was holding on to me for dear life. He didn’t let go.
Fisher and I were now randomly capable of speaking into each other’s minds.
“I didn’t know how you took your coffee,” he said softly.
“When I imagine you, Little Osha, you’re very rarely wearing clothes.”
Outside, the sky was lit up with an explosion of green and pink light. My breath caught at the sight of it. “What is that?” “The aurora,” Fisher answered softly. “A blessing.”
“I need to go and talk to Ren first. But yes. I’ll be sleeping here. With you.”
It took ridiculous effort, but I lifted my hand out of the water just enough so that I could touch his hand. He didn’t pull away. Lifting his fingers an inch, he repositioned, adjusting. It was a micro-movement, really. Subtle, but with meaningful results: his fingertips were left resting on top of mine.
No one had ever washed my hair before. It was an experience I wanted again and again. But only from him. Only from Fisher.
Fisher stared into me. The hard arrogance he would have worn a week or two ago was gone, replaced by caution.
“If you come, will you stay right by me?” he asked. My knees wanted to buckle.
This was the kind of male I wanted to be with. “I swear it.”
Ren stood, arms folded over his chest, watching. Our eyes met, and worry swelled behind my ribs. Would I find judgment on his face? Anger over a valuable Fae heirloom being passed into the hands of a human? Of course not. Ren’s expression was one of deep satisfaction.
“Good. At last. This is as it was always meant to be, Saeris Fane.”
“Be unrelenting and unmerciful in the face of the wicked dead,” Fisher said.
“And if you should find soul sundered from flesh, order a drink for us at the first tavern you come across in the afterlife. We’ll settle the tab when we get there.”
“Stubborn girl,” he growled. “Don’t you dare die on my watch, Saeris Fane! Fisher will never forgive me if his sole reason for living is torn to pieces on her first fucking battlefield.”
Time slowed down, and the strangest thing happened. My heart rate dipped. A sense of peace washed over me. Acceptance and understanding.
“She’s been kicking ass, Brother. She wields Solace almost as well as your father did.”
Fisher regarded me with something that looked a lot like pride.
he tapped his index finger and middle finger against my sternum, in time with my racing heart. Giving me a very tired, very sad smile, he said, “I give you my blood in thanks, Saeris Fane.”
But Ren assessed the scene, shot me a wink, and said, “Don’t you worry, Saeris. You’re perfect right where you are.”
“She’s honorable and brave, not to mention the most powerful Alchemist ever documented. She disarmed you in half a fucking second if you recall. Who the fuck are you to say she and Fisher don’t belong together?”
“I love a girl with a sharp tongue and a bad attitude. Kinda makes my dick hard.”
Yes, a good secret. Very good. You want to stay. You want to save him. You must. You must.
“Once upon a time, that was the case. Back when true mating bonds existed. Unions between true mates were blessed with marks from the Fates. That’s where the tradition of inking our hands originated from.
He sat there, his bare, inked chest not moving, his black waves tumbling into his face, so perfect, so handsome, and that cursed fucking thing deep down in the basement of my soul ached and said mine. You know why, he said into my mind.
That you’d shine so brilliantly that you’d light up hell itself and guide me out of the darkness. She had no idea what your name would be. Just that you’d have dark hair, and a beautiful smile. And that I’d love you with a fierceness despite myself.”
“If it were up to me, we wouldn’t spend another night without each other again.” Gently, he reached for the end of my braid and drew it over my shoulder toward him. He slowly unfastened it, working my hair loose with his fingers. His eyes were cautious when they sought out mine. “Does that scare you?” he murmured.
Everywhere I looked, there were candles. Fisher smiled, his mouth pulled to one side, a dimple marking his cheek as he watched me taking it all in. I spun around, holding my hands over my mouth. “It’s beautiful,” I breathed.
I am selfish, Saeris. I wanted something quiet and small and special for the both of us. Something we could keep.
Make me forget that I’ve ever suffered, I commanded. Make me forget that I will again.
God-bound. We were God-bound. Mates.
Already whole, but together stronger than we could ever be apart. It was my choice.
You’re like a fucking drug. You light me up.
His low, rumbling chuckle skimming over the surface of my mind was pure sin. You’ve got me, Little Osha. And I’ve got you.
“Nobody will ever fuck you the way I’m about to fuck you, Saeris Fane. I’m about to introduce you to all seven gods. When you meet them, don’t forget to tell them I’m the one you worship on your knees.” Out. Fucking. Loud.
