Chapter 29
HADRIEN
Iwatched the sun rise.
Not from the rigid, locked stillness of the perch, where I’d count the hours down until dark. I stood on the balcony outside the bedroom I now shared with Lilia and braced my hands on the railing.
I turned to the east, and the morning sun warmed my face—my skin.
For three years I’d only felt the sun on my stone, but now…
Words failed me. It simply felt…incredible.
The soft caress slowly traveled over my face and chest and arms, all the way down to my fingers.
I turned to feel the gentle warmth on the back of my neck and back.
Freedom. I could move with free will. And no words could describe the exultation bursting inside me.
Beside me on the balcony was the empty glass case that had held the poppy. Now, nothing but stone dust. I lifted the glass and breathed deeply. A warm current of air rolled in, carrying the dust out so it sparkled like metal specks in the rays of the sun.
Then, it was gone and the breeze stilled.
I stayed there for a moment, drinking it in and all it meant, knowing it would take time to process it all.
La Forêt de Veillepierre was just beginning to stir under the bright morning sky.
The birds sang out as they flitted from branch to branch.
The mist rolled over the trees in thin, drifting veils.
The morning light gleamed on Valgarde’s stone walls, warming the gray to amber.
Captivating. I’d never noticed it quite like that before.
Below, the gardens caught the morning light on Lilia’s favorite perennials and herb beds.
The statues of my soldiers were gone.
I’d expected their absence to feel like loss, but underneath the grief was something that felt right. They were at peace. Free. No longer trapped by darkness.
The weight of my heavy emotions was gone. The guilt and fury and shame that had shackled me for three long years. What remained was something I didn’t fully understand yet, but I felt more optimistic than I had in years, and much of that was due to Lilia.
I turned to glance at her. She slept soundly, one arm curled beneath her head, her dark hair spread across the pillow, and the sheets twisted around her body.
The morning light moved across her slowly, highlighting her hair, reaching the curve of her shoulder, the softness of her cheek.
She appeared at peace, and the sight of her like that undid me in a way I hadn’t processed yet.
Lilia had come back for me. She’d stood, ready to sacrifice her life, without hesitating. And she was still here, asleep in my bed, dark hair across my pillow, the most extraordinary being in the world.
My one true mate.
A longing to return to her rose, and I didn’t fight it.
There was nowhere else I’d rather be than at her side.
I stepped back inside and crawled back into bed with her.
She stirred as the mattress shifted beneath my weight, her body turning toward me.
I lay behind her, drawing her back against my chest. Her body was warm beneath the sheets, and I nudged closer, inhaling the soothing fragrance.
“Hadrien?” she murmured, her voice soft with sleep.
“I’m here,” I assured her with a kiss on her bare shoulder.
She turned to look at me over it with half-lidded eyes and a lazy smile.
Then she gasped and her eyes widened. “The sun.” She glanced out the glass doors, at the new day dawning, and then turned back to me with an awed expression.
“You’re here. Not outside…” She reached up and traced my jawline. “The curse… It’s truly broken then?”
“Yes.” That single word meant so much.
She yelped with glee and sat up, pulling the sheets up to barely cover her breasts.
“That’s—that’s wonderful!” She laughed, the sound bright and unreserved.
She pulled the sheets up absently as she turned to face me fully, her gaze moving warmly over my face.
“A new day. A new start. You’re free, Hadrien.
” She spread one arm wide, her expression jubilant.
“Free to go wherever you like. Do whatever you want.”
I held her gaze. My beauty. “I’m right where I want to be.” My voice rolled out in a deep rumble. I reached up and tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear, then trailed my hand down to her cheek, her throat, and over the curve of her shoulder. “With exactly who I want to be with.”
Her breath shifted.
I nudged her gently backward as I moved over her, bracing my weight on my forearms. She gazed up at me, her pupils widening, and let the sheet fall down to her waist.
My gaze traveled over her with the sunlight grazing over her breasts. “You’re beautiful,” I murmured. “And I know exactly how I want to start the day.”
She gave me a smile, the one edged with a naughty glimmer, just for me. She slid her hands up to my chest. “I hope I get to be a part of your plans,” she teased.
When I shook my head, she pouted. “Not just a part of my plans,” I clarified. “You’re everything to me.” I bent and kissed her, unhurried, as if we had all the time in the world.
Now we did. No more countdown. No more slow dread of time. Just Lilia and me, together, the way we were meant to be.
She trailed her fingers along the nape of my neck. I settled closer to her, savored her warmth against my chest and her heartbeat against mine. She stroked my horns, and that light brush stoked a wildfire in my veins.
“I love you, Lilia.” I took her wrist in my hand and kissed her palm.
Her eyes brightened and she smiled. “I love you too.” She wrapped her other arm around me and pulled me closer. “And there’s nowhere else I’d rather be than here with you.”