33. Chapter 28
Chapter 28
Lillit h
A sher's confession echoes in my mind, even as he holds me close. The prince loves me? After witnessing the violent darkness within, how can he? I am a storm. I destroy all I touch. I have to protect him from me.
"You cannot love me," I whisper, pulling back to search his kind eyes... eyes that still look at me with affection, even after everything. "If you knew the truth..."
Asher silences me by pressing his forehead to mine. "I know your heart," he murmurs. "The battle I just witnessed only shows the depth of your spirit."
His earnest words ignite a fragile hope in my own troubled heart. Perhaps he sees something in me that I cannot.
"Do not be ashamed," Asher says gently. "All people have darkness within. Yours does not define you." He lifts my chin so our eyes meet fully. "I have seen your compassion, felt your warmth. The light in you called to me from the beginning. I love you, Lilly, in all your facets."
His conviction washes over me. He may not truly know me, but he has just seen a very dark side of me yet still cares deeply.
Perhaps I can become more than what I always hoped to achieve. After all, I have already become the most powerful villain in three kingdoms. What else is there for me to do? How else can I grow? But do I really want to become... good?
"If you can accept me as I am, then I love you as well, Asher," I confess. "You give me hope I can overcome the shadows yet still be who I want to be."
He draws me close once more. Together, we have awakened something pure.
I turn to Nargle, who watches us contentedly. "Thank you."
He gives a gracious bow before popping out of sight, leaving us alone but both less alone than before.
My mind tries to process what just happened. How did I just get divided in two? I could feel the other part of me missing, an invisible thread between us telling me that she was a part of me and not a copy. The only thing that comes to mind is my encounter with Mister Rotten Hand yesterday. What exactly did he hit me with?
The morning sun filters through the broken cottage windows, bathing everything in a hazy golden glow. Asher and I finally pull apart, though a new connection now hums between us. I study his face, committing every line and contour to memory.
"We should be going," Asher says gently, his thumb tracing small circles on my hand, "but I wish we could stay like this a little longer."
I nod reluctantly. Continuing our quest to stop Lexir feels less urgent when I am wrapped in Asher's arms.
To be fair, I'm not exactly in a rush. This is the prince’s mission. I'm just as happy to leave my ex to his own devices forever and never see that egotistical prick again. I wish we could linger in this moment forever—just the two of us and this fragile new love we have kindled—but the outside world waits.
With a sigh, I gather up my few belongings.
Asher gives me a sympathetic smile and squeezes my shoulder. "Someday, this will be our life, nothing but time together ahead," he says, ever the optimist.
My heart swells, imagining that future. I never hoped for something like that before, but perhaps I can do it... for him.
I almost throw up in my mouth. This isn’t me. I worked for too long and far too hard to give up everything I earned, but I have to admit, if I ever give up my real life, I can see it being for him.
Outside the cottage, I lift my face to the patches of blue beyond the forest canopy. Birds swoop from branch to branch, trilling joyful songs. It all seems brighter now, the world reborn through the lens of love.
We walk leisurely all morning, no particular destination in mind, simply enjoying each other's company is enough. Asher regales me with playful childhood stories that bring a smile to my face. In turn, I open up about my own past, tales I'd never shared with another soul. With him, the words flow freely.
By midday, we come upon a sun-dappled meadow dotted with wildflowers. It is too lovely a setting not to pause and rest. I sink down among the soft grass and herbs, closing my eyes contentedly as the sunlight washes over me.
After gathering some berries for us to snack on, Asher settles beside me. He begins fussing with something in his hands, brow furrowed in concentration.
"What are you up to?" I ask curiously.
"You'll see," he replies with a secretive grin.
I peer over his shoulder, catching glimpses of green stems and purple blossoms.
After a few more moments, he spins to face me with a triumphant, "Ta-da!" In his hands is a flower crown, expertly woven together.
"For you, my queen," he says, eyes dancing playfully as he places the circlet atop my head.
I laugh in surprise and pleasure. His fingertips linger against my hair, sending a shiver down my spine .
"How does it look?" I ask self-consciously, though I can't keep the smile from my face.
Asher's expression grows serious, his gaze tender. "Like it was made for you," he says, "though you'd be beautiful to me if you were wearing naught but rags."
Heat rushes to my cheeks at his words. I glance down, unexpectedly overcome with emotion.
Gently, Asher tilts my chin up until our eyes meet once more. "I mean it," he says earnestly. "Even when you don't see it yourself, know that, to me, you are everything graceful and good in this world."
My vision swims with tears I blink back. No one has ever declared such feelings for me. I want to scoff at the sheer sappiness of it, but instead, I find it simply makes me love him more.
"You have a rare gift for seeing light within the darkness," I manage unevenly. I caress his cheek, still hardly believing this man is mine. "With you, I feel... worthy. Whole."
The admission leaves me vulnerable, exposed, but Asher's eyes reflect only tenderness and awe.
"No greater honor than having won your heart," he replies softly.
He draws me into his arms then, and I go willingly, melting against him. We stay entwined in the meadow for some time, the rest of the world fading away .
When we finally part, Asher spies more wildflowers, and his eyes light up. "I'll make you a matching bracelet!" he proclaims.
I laugh, heart lighter than it has been for longer than I care to admit. "Only if I can make you one in return."
And so we while away the golden afternoon together, fingers intertwined, transmuting fragile blooms into symbols of our love. By the time we are done, I am bedecked in floral crowns, bracelets, and anklets. We must have looked a silly pair—a prince and sorceress adorned in wildflowers like woodland sprites—but when Asher pulls me in for another lingering kiss, I realize I won't trade this moment for all the power in the world.
We stay for hours, basking in joy and possibility. As the sun begins to set, we gather firewood, and I use magic to spark a small campfire. It’s a bit strange to be able to use magic in front of him freely. The flames soon crackle merrily, holding off the evening's chill. We lay out our bedrolls side by side, so close my arm brushes Asher's when I recline back to gaze up at the darkening sky. One by one, stars blink into being, like scattered diamonds against velvet.
Glancing over, I find Asher watching me, eyes soft. "What are you thinking about?" he asks.
I smile shyly. "How I never want this day to end."
It is the simple truth. Tomorrow, we will continue our quest, but under this vast sky alone together, no darkness can touch us .
Asher shifts onto his side and reaches out to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. "I was thinking the same," he admits. "If only we could stay in this meadow forever."
I catch his hand and press it against my cheek. "Maybe we can," I suggest impulsively.
Asher's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Then, his expression melts into a grin. "What did you have in mind?"
In answer, I sit up and hold out my hands, concentrating as I trace them through the air. A dome of pale light springs up around us, enclosing our little campsite in a protective bubble.
Asher's eyes widen in understanding. "A barrier spell?"
I nod, suddenly shy. "We can be safe here, just for a night. No one can touch us."
Perhaps it is foolish, delaying our quest over a fanciful notion, but Asher's face lights up with joy.
"It's perfect," he proclaims, pulling me back down beside him. "One night where it's just you and me under the stars."
My heart swells, and I nestle contentedly against Asher's side as we gaze upward. He points out constellations and tells the stories behind them. I conjure small illusory images to accompany the tales—heroes vanquishing monsters, lovers reuniting.
Laughing together, we forget everything beyond this bubble universe. Tomorrow can wait. Tonight, we simply revel in each other and the magical realm we have woven from light, story, and shared dreams.
When the fire eventually burns down to glowing embers, Asher stokes it gently back to life. The flames cast shifting patterns over his handsome features. Unable to resist, I trail feather-light kisses along his jaw and down his neck.
Asher inhales sharply, arms tightening around me. When he claims my lips a moment later, the kiss lights an entirely different kind of fire within me.
My skin heats, and my heart drums a wild rhythm as I eagerly open to him. His hands move down my back and linger at my waist, tugging lightly at the straps of my leather armor.
He breaks away from our kiss with a low chuckle, his breath warm against my neck. "You're wearing far too much," he murmurs, voice husky with desire.
His fingers move deftly over the buckles and straps, loosening them one by one until the armor falls away from my body in a whisper-soft rustle of leather.
Finally free of the restrictive garment, I feel exposed but not uncomfortable, not with Asher's hands caressing me as if he memorized every curve and hollow of my body through some unseen touch.
A moan escapes me when Asher's lips close over one hardened nipple, sending a thrill straight through to my very core. He pauses to look up at me then, eyes dark with an emotion I can't name but want to explore more deeply.
Without a word, Asher shifts his attention to my other breast, teasing and caressing both until I writhe beneath him in pleasure. His hands glide down my body, exploring every inch of me as if searching for something he lost long ago.
Desperate for more contact, I grab the laces of his leather armor and tug it open with eager fingers. Beneath the heavy hide is a smooth expanse of skin that begs to be touched. With a silent request, Asher kicks the garment away and lies before me completely exposed.
My gaze flickers hungrily over his muscled chest and stomach, trailing lower still before coming to rest on his erect cock. Aroused by the sight, I reach out and slowly run one finger along its length. His sharp intake of breath only encourages me further, and soon, my hand closes around him possessively as I stroke faster with increasing pressure.
He groans in approval, pushing against my grip as he brings our mouths back together in a passionate kiss that leaves us both trembling with need.
Asher breaks away from our kiss just long enough to flip me onto my back before tugging off the last remaining pieces of leather armor. The cool air of the meadow brushes across my heated skin as he straddles me, his gaze hungry and full of desire .
He lowers himself down until I can feel the length of his hard body pressed against mine, and I moan in pleasure as his lips find my own again. His hands roam over my curves with renewed urgency while one thigh snakes between mine, pressing against my throbbing sex.
His skilled fingers find their way between my legs and start to stroke lightly at my clit. I gasp at the sensation, arching into him as wave after wave of pleasure ripples through me. His low chuckle is all the warning I have before he slides two fingers inside me with a single smooth thrust that leaves me breathless.
"You're so wet," he murmurs, his voice thick with need as his thrusts intensify.
Every movement feels like a direct assault on my senses, driving me closer and closer to sweet oblivion until finally I can't take anymore.
I reach between us and grab onto his cock, guiding it to line up perfectly with my opening. He groans in anticipation as I slowly lower him down until the tip is just barely inside me.
His sure hands move from my hips up along my sides and over my breasts. His lips trail kisses over my neck and chest as he moves faster and deeper, stealing all the air from my lungs .
The rhythmic movements combined with his skilled touches quickly bring me right to the edge of ecstasy until I am begging him for more, panting out his name.
Suddenly, he increases the speed of his thrust as an orgasm unlike anything I have ever experienced crashes over me in glorious waves of pleasure that leave me trembling beneath him in its wake. With a guttural growl, Asher follows suit a few seconds later, collapsing onto the bed of grass and flowers as we both gasp for air.
Afterward, I rest my head over his heart, drifting in sublime contentment. I have never felt so cherished.
"You are my light in the darkness," Asher murmurs, trailing his fingers idly through my hair.
My eyes grow heavy, and I let sleep slowly claim me.
I awake sometime later to silvery predawn light and birdsong, tucked securely in Asher's embrace. Last night comes back to me in a rush, and I smile, heartbeat quickening.
By unspoken agreement, we move slowly that morning, neither eager to shatter the spell of our hidden world. We bathe in the nearby stream then eat a leisurely breakfast in each other's arms.
Eventually, we can delay no longer. As the sun rises higher, I dissolve the barrier with a wistful sigh. Our one perfect night has ended.
Asher pulls me close and kisses my forehead. "We'll make more of these memories, I promise."
Together, we pack up camp and continue on our quest, hearts lighter after even so brief a respite.
As we walk, Asher gives me a considering look. "We should reach the edge of the area Lexir is rumored to occupy by tomorrow," he remarks.
My smile fades slightly. Of course reality would intrude again soon. At least we stole a moment of magic for ourselves. That will have to sustain me in the trials ahead.