Chapter 27
NOTHING GOOD
Gavrel
Atendril trickled over her forehead like a gentle, twirling stream in the dim morning light. I smoothed it behind her ear, my thumb lingering as it brushed the dip beneath her cheekbone.
Seryn nestled against my bare chest, palm resting upon my scar. Beneath her touch, my heart thumped languidly as my gaze roamed over her sleeping form.
For everyone, dreams had returned; it was true. But I still couldn’t fathom how my khorda was here in my arms. How she was mine. This was something I never dared to hope for. Never believed would come to pass.
And she was so at peace. I feared that if she awoke, she might never breathe this easily again. Because what was to come surely would steal more of these moments from us. And from those whom the nightmares would reap.
She stirred, limbs going taut as she inhaled and shifted her warm body against mine.
A smile curved my mouth.
Yesterday, she’d fallen into a deep slumber in the tub as I’d explored the new rune on her neck. A tangle of golden lines, the image of a snake strangling a crescent moon.
I was certain that the tattoo meant nothing good. But Seryn needed to rest, especially after all the power she’d expended. While last night was not the time for more questions—and admittedly, we were preoccupied—I knew the sunrise would bring answers.
So, I’d let sleep take us for a bit before we’d bathed, enjoying one another in the soapy water.
Ancients, I loved her hair. Enjoyed unbraiding it and the feel of its wildfire between my fingers. And then that led to me needing every inch of her beneath my touch. Over. Under. Any way I could have her.
And last night, once we made it to the silken sheets, she’d called my name like a prayer into the moonlit darkness as I sank myself into her again and again.
With a satisfied inhale, I cupped her rounded cheek and pulled her supple curves more snugly against my side.
My cock stirred, ready to take her once more. Bloody void. I would never get enough of my khorda.
My dimple indented at the thought.
Seryn’s eyelids fluttered, and she rubbed her hand over my chest and then my stomach. My length twitched under the sheets, eager for her attention.
A lazy smile spilled over her beautiful face, messy curls creating a soft, cinder-hued halo around her visage as pink and peach sunbeams painted the contours of her bare hip and thigh.
I dragged my gaze over her, hands itching to follow. Instead, my thumb grazed her jaw. “You’re a painting come to life,” I murmured.
She giggled, propping herself up on her elbow and skimming her fingers over my stubble. “Good morning.” She pressed a kiss to my lips, and the contact swept to my tailbone.
Turning toward her, I hooked my ankle over hers and wrapped my arm around her waist. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded, looking up at me through thick lashes. “And you?”
“Better than I have in a long time. Although I’m surprised you got any rest considering you weren’t tired.”
She swatted my chest and then sat up abruptly. Her fingertips prodded the skin above my heart. “What the void is this?”
My eyebrows rose, the haze of contentment flitting away. I glanced down, and instantly, my jaw clenched.
Black, fragmented lines splintered out from my scar, ink creeping along my arteries across my left pectoral.
Well, damn.
If I hadn’t been so exhausted and stupidly drunk on having her beside me, perhaps I might have worried sooner. Yesterday, the aching twinges had been easy to ignore; pain was old company for me.
I pushed upright, muscles bunching. “Nothing good, I suppose.”
Seryn frowned, sitting up. “Damn it, Gav. When did this start?”
“Since we left the Void, it’s been more bothersome.” I glanced out one of the circular windows along the wall, watching the sun push into the sky.
Trembling, her hand left the mark. Her fingertips met her lips. “Why didn’t you say something? We should’ve—We need to fix this.”
I caught her hand in mine and brought it to my mouth, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. “To be fair, the streaks are new as of this morning.”
Her chin dipped. “Gav, I think … I think this is my fault.”
I shook my head. “It’s likely a side effect of the nightmare realm. The banestone, the Nyxvein—take your pick.”
“No.” Her voice cracked, sharp and high-pitched. “I know you saw my rune mark.” Turning, she swept her hair aside. Dread prickled over my flesh as I studied the tattoo more closely.
I gathered her strands and leaned in to place a kiss in the curve of her neck. She smelled of lavender-tinged honey. I began braiding her hair. “Tell me.”
With a few deep breaths, her shoulders sagged.
“We needed Phobetor to believe I hated Morpheus—that I’d do anything to get you back.
” Her knees folded into her chest, and she wrapped her arms around her legs.
“But the price was you. I didn’t have enough time to think it through.
I’m supposed to steal my father’s ember—”
“He thinks you’re who the Fates foretold,” I interrupted quietly, tying off the end of the plait. “The one Phantasos told us of.”
Seryn’s eyes met mine, wide and troubled. She nodded.
“I don’t think Phobetor’s wrong, Little Star. Not after what you did to him.”
She glowered. “He said it was a daughter born of an Oneiroi. And if I tried to harm him—or didn’t drain Morpheus—you’d suffer.” Her words stuck in the back of her throat, tears coating her eyes. “And I think … you already are.”
I swiped my thumbs under her lash line, cupped her jaw, and kissed her softly. Relished the feel of her lips on mine and her flesh under my fingers. “We’ve suffered enough. If this curse is runebound, we’ll break it. Together.”
She drooped, cheek pressed to my chest. My heart pinched, and I held back a grimace.
“I can’t lose you again, Gavrel,” she whispered. “Not when we’ve only just begun. I won’t have it.”
I kissed her temple before I shook with silent laughter at her pervasive stubbornness.
“This isn’t funny.”
“I know.” I rested my chin on the top of her head. “All I want is a day without any threats to our lives.”
After a moment, she tilted her face toward mine, worry knitting her brow. I smoothed the wrinkle, the way she often did for me. My fingers rested below her chin.
“How is it,” I started softly, “that I want to shake you for always putting yourself in harm’s way—and worship you for being brave enough to do it?”
She gave me a watery smile. “It’s a talent. And how dare you,” she teased, nipping my thumb. A solemn expression overtook her playfulness. “To the Nether Void …”
“And beyond,” I finished. My chest tightened, love and pain tangling in the same breath.
Fucking void.
The world was crumbling, trying to tear us apart.
Elders were missing, and Phobetor was now on the loose.
We stood with one foot in a long-brewing rebellion, born of corrupt leadership and unspeakable injustices.
Once news that the Elders were divided and missing spread, their flock would be in upheaval.
People would scramble for power and control to fill the space the oligarchy had left behind.
Whatever poison the Ancient of Nightmare had woven into that bargain was slithering through my veins, bit by bit, unmaking me. Trying to rip my heart apart at the seams, thread by thread. And I couldn’t allow it to spill into our bond.
But, for now, I still had this.
Her.
“Seryn.” My voice was rough, splintered with everything I couldn’t say. She propped herself up on one elbow, her braid spilling over her shoulder and draping across her breasts. Ancients, she was beautiful. Like light itself, even when I was already fading into shadow.
“I need you to know.” My words caught in my throat. “I want nothing more than to bind myself to you for the rest of our lives, but I—”
She silenced me with her fingers against my mouth, then lowered her lips to the marred flesh above my heart. “I know,” she breathed. “But we don’t need a ceremony to prove it. The Fates can carve their runes wherever they want … Our souls were stitched together long before they noticed.”
The corners of my mouth lifted. “Just to be clear: you are my everything. No curse, no runebound bargain can touch that. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Across every thread of time, every realm.”
Light flashed across her icy blue gaze. “Even if the stars burn out?”
“Especially then. You’re the only star I’ll ever need, Asteria.”
Her laugh was quiet, broken. “Don’t make promises Kosmos can hear.”
“Too late,” I muttered.
My lips found hers, and I sank into her warmth. The kiss wasn’t about hunger; it was a vow woven from defiance and devotion.
Somewhere, I swore the air shifted, as though unseen hands tugged invisible spider silk around us. The amulet she wore warmed between us, but I ignored it. I disregarded the ache under my rune stone.
Because, in this moment, it didn’t matter that the world was unraveling.
We were the thread holding one another together.
Her chest flushed, lips curving. “Gavrel Larkin,” she whispered, sliding her hand beneath the sheets. My breath caught, and then her touch drew a groan from me. “Let me show you”—her murmur brushed against my lips—“how completely you belong to me.”