CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE ISI
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
ISI
The kiss consumed me, days of restraint and fear burning away in the heat between us. We’d kissed numerous times, but now, we kissed in freedom.
I pressed my thighs against his hips as I straddled him, the position dizzying. Heat pooled low in my belly, a desperate ache that had nothing to do with the steam rising around us and everything to do with the man beneath me.
Safe. The word echoed through my mind with every beat of my heart. We were finally truly safe enough for this.
I pulled back enough to breathe, my forehead resting against his. “I want you.”
“Yes.” His hands slid up my sides, his fingertips gliding across the underside of my breasts through the hideous dress. “I know, love.”
I kissed him again, pouring everything into the press of my mouth against his.
His groan vibrated through my chest as his fingers found the buttons running down the back of the dress. “This monstrosity needs to come off you.”
“Please.” The word came out breathless.
He worked the buttons with patience given the way his breathing had turned ragged. Each one that came free felt like another layer of my father’s control falling away.
When the bodice finally loosened, I pulled back and let him ease the heavy fabric off my shoulders. The sleeves slid down my arms, and I shifted to let the dress pool around my waist.
Cool air kissed my skin. I wore only a thin chemise beneath, the fabric nearly transparent in the shimmering glow of the faelights and bioluminescent vines.
Trew went completely still.
His gaze tracked over me slowly, drinking in every detail like he was imprinting the sight in his mind. The golden flecks in his eyes caught the light, burning brighter.
“You’re stunning.” His voice came out rough. “Always absolutely stunning.”
Heat flooded my cheeks, but I didn’t look away. I loved that he wanted me this much.
“The dress is still technically on,” I pointed out.
His smile turned wicked. “Then let’s fix that.”
I stood, the movement requiring more coordination than I’d anticipated. Trew’s hands steadied me at the hips as I stepped out of the voluminous skirts. They fell in a heap of pearl-encrusted silk and lace, a cage I hoped I’d never have to wear again.
Now I stood in front of him in only the chemise, the hem falling to mid-thigh. His gaze raked over me, slower this time, and the hunger in his expression made my pulse race.
“If I’d known you’d be stripping me bare under the stars, I might have run away with you weeks ago.”
He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with mischief. “Minx, if I’d known you’d look this tempting in nothing but moonlight, I’d have carried you off the moment I met you.”
“When I stabbed you.”
“Yes, then, but earlier.”
“On the Day of Mercy?” My father would’ve shrieked with anger.
I might’ve shrieked with joy.
“I first watched you through Gavelle.”
“I’d wondered about that when I spied a cinderhawk on the tree outside my window. You were watching over me already, weren’t you?”
He nodded. “From the moment I saw you—through Gavelle—walking in the market the day before with Mae and Leo. Right then, I knew you were mine.”
“You saw me there?”
“You bought Leo a toy but then you bought everything the shopkeeper had and gave toys to every child in the vicinity. That’s when I knew I was in trouble.”
My smile came shaky. “I wish I’d known you sooner.”
He stroked my face. “I feel the same. You didn’t just steal my heart that day, Isi, you conquered my entire world. And I’ll surrender to you a thousand times over.”
“Good, because I’ve claimed you as my prize. No retreat, no mercy. Just us, forever entangled.”
His lips curled up on one side. “No more hideous dresses. From now on, I want you wearing nothing. Or whatever makes you feel like the queen you are.”
Leaning against his chest, I sucked in the feel of his warm arms around me, his kiss on the top of my head, and the warm pulse of his heart.
When I’d re-righted myself, I pulled back.
“Your turn,” I said.
He rose and his hands went to the hem of his tunic, pulling it over his head in a single movement.
My breath caught.
I’d seen him shirtless before a number of times, had tended to his wounds and traced the hard planes of his chest. But this was different. This was him undressing for me after all we’d been through, his eyes never leaving mine.
Scars marked his torso, some old and faded, others newer. The claw marks across his upper chest from the battle in the Rite stood out against his skin, still healing despite how much time had passed.
I stepped closer, trailing my fingers over the raised lines. “You received these while protecting me.”
“Worth it.” He caught my hand, pressing my palm flat against his chest where his heart thundered beneath. “Every scar is a vow etched into my skin and proof that I’d bleed for you, die for you, live for you alone.”
I rose on my toes and kissed one mark, then the next. His breathing hitched with each press of my lips.
“Isi.” My name came out strangled.
“Fair is fair,” I murmured against his skin. “You get to worship me, I get to worship you.”
His fingers threaded into my hair. “You’re going to make me fall apart.”
“Do it. I’ll catch you.”
He kissed me again, harder this time, his tongue sweeping into my mouth with clear ownership. I melted into him, exploring the broad expanse of his back, the muscles that flexed beneath my touch.
When he pulled back, we were both breathing hard.
“The spring,” he said. “Get in the water, love. Let me take care of you.”
I stepped back and pulled the chemise over my head, letting it fall beside the discarded dress.
Trew’s inhale was sharp enough to cut.
I stood before him completely bare, lit by faelight and stars. I remained still, proud, letting him look his fill.
“Amazing.” He reached for me, his fingertips ghosting over my collarbone, down between my breasts, and across my belly. “You’re perfect, Isi. Every bit of you.”
My skin heated beneath his touch. “You’re still overdressed.”
His smile flashed as he made quick work of his boots and pants, discarding them on the ground. Then he stood before me, equally bare, equally beautiful.
Over the past days, I’d imagined this moment in stolen fragments. Like always, the reality shattered every fantasy I could’ve dreamed up.
He was all hard muscles and golden skin, marked by battle and time. Scars told stories across his body, each one a testament to survival. He looked at me like I was precious and powerful and his. That made everything inside me align into perfect clarity.
“Fates, Trew, you’re a masterpiece,” I whispered, my voice husky as I traced a scar with my fingertip. “Every mark on you is like a love letter to the battles you’ve won. Battles for me and for us.”
His gaze softened, but the heat in it burned hotter. “I love that you’re all soft curves and fierce fire.” He held out his hand. “Come here and let me touch you. I want to memorize every sigh and shiver.”
I let him guide me toward the pool. The water lapped at the stone edge, steam curling into the cool night air.
Trew stepped in first, his movements careful as he found his footing on the bottom. Turning, he lifted me by the waist, lowering me into the water beside him.
Heat enveloped me, chasing away the last chill from our flight. The pool was deeper than I’d expected, the water rising to my chest. Minerals made it slick against my skin, soothing my muscles.
“Better?” Trew asked.
“Much.”
He pulled me closer, until my back rested against his chest and his arms wrapped around my waist. We stood like that for a long moment, just breathing, just being.
“I was scared,” I said quietly. “They took you to the dungeon and my father said I had to marry Lord Alfred, or he’d kill you. I had two knives. I was going to use them. But I worried I’d be overpowered and forced to marry him no matter what I did.”
His arms tightened and he curled around me, kissing my shoulder.
“I would’ve done it.” The confession tore out of me. “If you hadn’t come. If there had been no other way to keep you safe, I would’ve stood at the altar and said the words because losing you would’ve been worse than losing myself.”
He turned me in his arms, holding my face with both hands. “You will never have to make that choice. Do you understand me? Never.”
Tears prickled in the backs of my eyes. “You can’t promise that.”
“I can and I do.” His kissed my cheek. “Whatever comes next, we’ll face it as one. No sacrificing yourself to keep me safe.”
“Then no sacrificing yourself to keep me safe either.”
His smile was soft. “We’ll protect each other. How’s that?”
“Better.”
He kissed me, gently this time, his lips moving over mine with tenderness that made my chest ache. When he pulled back, he reached for the water, cupping it in his palms. “Let me wash you.”
I nodded, turning around again.
“Keep your hands on the edge,” he said, his voice dropping to something that made my pulse stutter. “Don’t move unless I tell you to.”
The command sent heat spiraling through me. “What if I want to move?”
His hands stilled on my shoulders. “Then you’ll have to ask permission.”
“And if I don’t?”
His laugh came out rough. “Then I’ll stop touching you entirely and make you watch while I finish bathing myself.”
The threat made me press my thighs together against the sudden ache. “You wouldn’t.”
“Oh, yes, I would.” His mouth brushed my ear. “I’ve waited this long to have you properly, Minx. I can wait longer if you can’t follow simple instructions.”
I gripped the edge and squirmed. Damn, I wanted his cock buried deep inside me now.
His hands moved over my shoulders, smoothing water across my skin, each touch a calculated tease. Water dripped from his fingers as he traced the line of my collarbone, then lower, skimming close enough to my breasts to make me arch toward his touch.
“Remain still,” he warned when I pressed back against him. “I’m not finished.”
“Finished with what?”