CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Asher carried me through the endless corridors, past the blur of waiters and staff who were still busy clearing the remnants of the night’s festivities.
My eyes felt heavy, the exhaustion of the hunt finally settling into my bones, but every time Asher looked down at me, a fresh wave of heat pooled between my thighs.
He chuckled darkly, the sound vibrating against my chest as he tightened his hold.
“Gods, you are my fucking sin, Ava,” he murmured, leaning down to nuzzle the sensitive cord of my neck.
I leaned into him, breathing in the scent of smoke and storm that clung to his skin.
I could have stayed in his warmth forever, lost in the quiet power of his embrace.
We reached the spiral staircase that led to my private quarters, the stone cool and silent compared to the bustle of the Great Hall below.
“Your own wing,” he whispered, his silver eyes tracking the luxury of the arched ceilings and silken tapestries. “Fancy.”
He came to a halt in the center of the landing, his gaze dropping to mine with a predatory weight.
“All to ourselves, princess?”
The dark promise in his voice sent a sharp throb through me. I was already so sensitive, every nerve ending screaming from the friction of his movements and the lingering memory of what we'd done in the garden.
I didn't need to answer; the bond was already humming with exactly what I wanted him to do once we reached the bedroom.
He set me down in the center of the living room, my bare feet sinking into the thick, Zymarrian-threaded rug.
I looked around, and my heart suddenly seized in my chest.
The white walls were lined with delicate gold filigree, the marble floors gleaming under the moonlight that spilled through high, arched windows.
White and gold tapestries draped from the ceiling, leading out to a balcony that overlooked the sprawling lights of the city below.
The door to my chambers stood to the left, exactly where it had always been. And then, it hit me like a physical blow.
I was back. This room was exactly as it had been before... before he died.
Grief flooded my vision, hot and suffocating.
The air left my lungs as a jagged sob tore from my throat, and my legs gave out.
I collapsed toward the floor, the world blurring into a haze of white and gold.
"Ava!" Asher’s voice cracked through the room, sharp with alarm.
He was in front of me before I hit the ground, his arms wrapping around me, his hands catching my face to force me to look at him.
His silver eyes were wide, drowning in a sudden, crushing remorse as the bond transmitted every ounce of my agony directly into his chest.
He could feel it all—the hollow ache, the memories, the haunting silence of the room.
"I just haven't... gods..." I choked out, but the words were lost as I burst into fresh tears, my body trembling with the weight of a loss that felt as new as the night.
He pulled me into him, his grip iron-clad as he gathered me against his heat.
"Shhh," he cooed, his voice low and vibrating against my temple as he tucked my head firmly under his chin.
"I've got you. I've got you."
He sat with me for several minutes, the only sound in the room the soft rustle of the silk curtains.
Gradually, the last of my tears spilled over, and the frantic clawing of anxiety in my chest began to ease.
I took a deep, shuddering breath and let it out slowly, finally grounding myself in the present.
I nodded against his chest and peeled myself out of his arms.
When I looked at him, his eyes poured into mine, searching every fractured part of my expression with a devastating intensity.
"I need to bathe," I whispered, my voice hoarse and raw from the sobbing.
He didn't say anything, but the sheer weight of his presence was the anchor I needed to stay upright.
"Which way?" he asked, his voice so soft it was barely more than a breath.
I tried to point toward the door on the left, but my hand shook violently.
Before I could pull it away in shame, he caught my fingers in his.
He brought my hand to his mouth, his lips pressing a lingering, grounding kiss against my knuckles.
"Let’s go together," he murmured, his gaze never leaving mine as he slowly rose, pulling me up with him.
He took my hand, and we walked together through the archway into my bedroom.
It was exactly as I remembered it—massive and regal, with gold and crimson sheets spread across a heavy four-poster bed.
I immediately called a spark of fire to my palm, tossing it into the hearth until the fire roared to life, casting a warm, flickering glow over the room.
Asher stood beside me, his gaze sweeping the space before settling on mine with a quiet, knowing grin.
“The bathroom is through there,” I said, pointing toward another archway.
He nodded, already moving toward it.
I let out a long, shaky breath, trying to steady my racing heart.
“Flame One.” Aether’s voice slid through the link, pulling me toward the balcony where he always spent his nights when we were here.
But he wasn't outside.
He was in the living room, his massive head turning toward me as his golden eyes locked onto mine.
I ran to him, burying my face in his sleek onyx fur in a massive hug. Aether’s heavy paw came around my back, pulling me close, his deep, rhythmic purring grounding me in a way nothing else could.
Then, another shadow shifted near the doors.
Zya’s powerful frame filled the space, her silver eyes shimmering in the dim light as she moved toward us with a fluid, silent grace.
She came to sit beside me, her large head nuzzling into the crook of my neck.
“You are fire, Ava,” she declared through the bond, her voice a resonant chime in my mind. “And we will be here for your rise, and when you fall.”
My heart swelled, a lump forming in my throat at the sheer weight of their loyalty.
“Now, do I get a hug?” Asher’s voice drifted from behind me.
I turned to find him leaning against a marble pillar, looking like an absolute mess of sweat and dark charisma.
“You’re pushing it, shadow-boy,” Zya murmured through the link, her tail already flicking in sharp irritation.
Asher only smiled, unfazed by the goddess-cat’s warning. “Bath’s ready,” he said softly.
I nodded, reaching out to take his hand.
The grief was still there, a dull ache in the background, but as he led me toward the adjoining bathroom, the warmth of his grip promised that tonight, I didn't have to carry it alone.
···
We stepped into the bathroom. The space was a sanctuary of bronze and gold, centered around a bath the size of a small pool that overlooked the sprawling city.
What truly made my chest ache, however, were the hundreds of pale flower petals drifting on the water’s surface and the warm, flickering glow of candles lining the edge.
I looked at Asher, who wore a boyish, triumphant grin.
“I can be a romantic when the occasion calls for it,” he murmured, leaning down to press a sweet, lingering kiss to my lips.
“Now, let’s get you clean, you little heathen.”
He dropped his towel without a shred of modesty, and gods, he was hard and ready for me again.
I licked my lips, the sight of him stirring the fire in my blood despite the exhaustion.
I let my own coverage fall to the floor, biting my nail with a shy smile as I took his offered hand.
He guided me into the steaming water, letting out a low laugh.
“This isn’t a bath, darling. This is a fucking pool.”
The heat felt divine, instantly soothing my aching center and the sore muscles from our hunt in the gardens.
But the relaxation didn't last long. Asher reached for me, hoisting me up until my legs were locked around his waist.
The rigid length of him settled perfectly between my folds, grinding against me with a slow, agonizing friction that drew a sharp moan from my throat.
He captured the sound with his lips, kissing me deeply as he navigated us through the water toward the floor-to-ceiling window.
We stopped at the glass, the lights of Zymarra spread out beneath us like fallen stars.
“Gods, look at this city,” he admired, his voice thick with reverence. “It’s burning beautifully tonight.”
I followed his gaze, looking out over the kingdom that was my birthright.
“Yeah,” I whispered, the weight of the crown settling on my shoulders. “And one day, it will all be mine.”
Asher pulled back just enough to assess me, his silver eyes searching mine with a sudden, devastating softness.
“And I will be by your side, if you would have me,” he murmured.
To emphasize the vow, he ground himself against me again, sending a violent shiver down my spine.
His shadows began to peel away from his skin, swirling around us in the steam like silent, watchful guardians.
He reached for a nearby bar of soap, his touch surprisingly gentle as he began to wash the dirt and sweat from my arms.
“I would love to have you,” I said, my voice losing its whisper and hardening into a royal command.
I looked him dead in the eye.
“If you never leave me again.”
His eyes snapped to mine, the silver hardening into cold, unbreakable steel.
He didn't say anything at first, just stared, then a slow, lethal grin pulled at his mouth.
"Is that a command, princess?"
I didn't waver, even as he continued to wash the grime from my skin, his body still grinding against mine with a rhythmic, torturous heat.
"I don't want to command you," I said, my voice cracking despite my effort to stay cold. "But you left me."
I bit back the tears that threatened to blur my vision, but I couldn't hide them from the bond.
He sensed the fracture in my composure instantly.
He stopped washing me, his hands going still against my skin as he looked straight at me.
Guilt and pain flooded the connection between us, heavy enough to steal my breath.
"I need to know..." I swallowed hard, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. "I need to know that you won’t hurt me like that again."
"Ava—"
I silenced him with my hand, pressing my palm against his lips. His jaw ticked under my touch, the muscle leaping with suppressed emotion.
"I need to know. Now."
I was deadass fucking serious, and he knew it.
He took my hands in his, pulling them from his face only to kiss my knuckles before meeting my gaze with an intensity that made my heart stutter.
"I’m so sorry for leaving you," he rasped. "I didn't want to. Gods, fuck, Ava—you're my fucking world. I don't want to be away from you ever again." He shook his head, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment as if the memory were a physical weight. "But that night..."
He opened his eyes, the silver clouded with a dark, haunting shadow. "That night, something changed. I wasn't myself. It was like my power took over—a primal hunger. To protect. To destroy."
My heart hammered against my ribs. That night had been horrific; the images were seared into my mind, a nightmare I could never outrun.
"I was fucking ashamed," he confessed, his voice dropping to a low, broken whisper. "Zya was... gods, she couldn't even look at me. She forced me to leave."
My eyes widened. "She did what?"
"She didn't want me to hurt you. Or Aether." He looked down at the water, the flower petals swirling around his waist. "When she said that... when my own fucking boundling told me I was a threat to the person I loved most... I knew. I knew I needed to go."
My heart bled for him. I wanted to reach out, to pull him into me and kiss the pain away, but the scars on my own soul were still too fresh.
"So I went back to Umbra," he continued softly, his eyes searching mine. “To face the consequences of my actions. To heal myself and the bond.”
“Zya punished me every single day. I had to work to earn her trust back. And now, I’m back to earn yours.”
I didn't speak; I didn't know what the fuck to say.
Instead, I let the bond do the talking, flooding our connection with every ounce of love and undying loyalty I had left in my soul.
He smiled, a single tear tracing a path down his cheek, and gods, seeing him break like that absolutely destroyed me.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and crushed my lips to his, kissing him with a desperate, raw intensity.
He growled into my mouth as I grinded my heat against him, the friction in the water sending sparks through my nerves.
He waded forward, the water sloshing around us until my back hit the cool glass of the window.
I gasped, pulling away just enough to breathe.
He looked out at the lights of Zymarra, his silvern dark and predatory.
"I want to fuck you in front of your city," he mused darkly, his voice a lethal rasp.
Before I could even find my voice, he pulled back and thrust his entire length inside of me in one brutal, singular motion.
I screamed in pleasure, the sound echoing off the bronze and gold walls, and gods,
I let him fuck me into the night while my kingdom watched from below.