CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO TREW
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
TREW
The sun had set hours ago, leaving us suspended between the earth and stars. Isi had fallen asleep against my chest sometime after we’d crossed into neutral territory, her body finally surrendering to exhaustion after our escape.
I’d felt the exact moment she’d stopped fighting sleep. The pressure had bled from her shoulders, her breathing had deepened, and she’d gone soft and trusting in my arms.
That trust gutted me in the best way.
Her hair whipped in the wind, tangling into impossible knots I’d gladly spend hours working free with my fingers. One of her hands curled against my chest, the other resting on my thigh. Even in sleep, she touched me. Held onto me.
Mine.
The word echoed through my chest with every beat of Lakast’s wings. I’d proven it today in front of her entire court. Let her father choke on that truth.
Pherin dozed on Isi’s shoulder, the little minxpip’s head tucked against her neck. The bond between them had strengthened during our time at Caldrith.
Gavelle sent a surge of fierce protective love that mirrored my own.
Sleeps well, he said from where he flew alongside us in his cinderhawk form. Safe with you.
As she always will be. Pherin, too.
Yes, my Pherin.
They were mates just like Isi and I, something not common among those bonded through the Rite. The fates decided, not us, and they’d chosen wisely.
After Gavelle and I had bonded, I’d watched it happen slowly, his protectiveness toward the fierce firecat female deepening from respect into something unmistakable.
The same way my own feelings for Isi had shifted from awareness into something I couldn't survive without.
The animals had just been less stubborn about admitting it.
I adjusted my hold, making sure the night air wasn’t chilling her. At least the frilly, flouncy wedding gown covered most of her body other than where she’d hacked off the skirt.
Kyreth soared beside us, Lexie in the front with Derren behind her and Kerralyn snoozing against his back. Lexie caught me watching and gave me a smile before calling out softly, “Everyone’s well. We’re tired but exhilarated.”
I nodded my thanks.
The wasteland spread below us now, the cursed stretch of dead land that marked Syllavar’s border.
I’d mapped it months ago, watching its slow expansion with growing dread.
But I’d also found something during those flights, a hidden pocket of life that had somehow survived the blight.
An oasis waited ahead, if it still existed.
It had to. I needed somewhere safe to take Isi. A private place where I could properly care for her after everything she’d endured.
My jaw clenched thinking about it. The whip scars on her back. Whoever had tried to kill her at my court. The Skathe battle. The horror of discovering who her father truly was. And then the mockery of a wedding, designed to break her spirit and cage her forever.
But she hadn’t broken. She’d grabbed a sword and cut herself free.
Her bravery wasn’t forged in fire, it was the flame itself, and I’d willingly burn for this woman alone.
I’d known I loved her before today. But watching her hack off that hideous dress and seeing her threaten the guards and Lord Alfred with steel and absolute conviction had made me love her even more. I didn't fall. I walked into loving her with open eyes, knowing it would ruin me for anyone else.
She was strong enough to stand beside me. Fierce enough to challenge me. Brave enough to choose me despite the cost.
She shifted in her sleep, a small sound escaping her lips.
That sound went straight to my cock. I’d heard variations of it before.
When I kissed her and when my hands brought her close to the peak.
When she lay in my arms, after, unguarded and completely trusting.
I wanted to hear it again. Wanted to discover what other sounds she’d make when I finally got her alone again, when I could worship every bit of skin her father had marked with his cruelty.
“What you do to me,” I whispered against her hair, knowing she couldn’t hear but needing to say it anyway. “Loving you means accepting I’ll never be untouchable again. Before you, I existed. With you, I finally learned what living means.”
She stirred at my voice, nuzzling deeper into my chest, and I had to close my eyes against the wave of tenderness that crashed over me. The world called me powerful, but she was the one who made me gentle.
I stroked her hair back from her face, trailing my fingers along her temple. “Easy, love. Lean on me. I won’t let you fall.”
She settled again, burrowing into my chest.
There. Gavelle’s voice pulled my attention forward. The canyon.
Relief flooded through me. The oasis remained, tucked between rock formations that protected it from the wasteland’s creep. Steam rose from the hot springs, visible even in the darkness. Bioluminescent plants dotted the canyon walls, casting everything in soft, ghostly light.
I guided Lakast toward the open area in the center. His talons touched down on the earth with barely a whisper.
Kyreth landed nearby, the others dismounting quickly.
I pressed a finger to my lips, gesturing for silence. Isi still slept, her breathing deep and even.
Lexie’s expression softened when she saw how I held her friend, her smile showing warmth and approval.
Derren nodded.
Kerralyn’s romantic heart showed in her eyes as she took in the sleeping princess in her king’s arms.
“We’ll rest here,” I said quietly, keeping my voice low. “Eat. Sleep. You’ll find hot spring pools you can bathe in near the stream over by that outcropping. We’ll continue flying at dawn.”
Packs on their backs, they strode toward the stream meandering along the edge of the open grassy area. Lakast and Kyreth soared over them, landing along the steam’s edge to their right, eager for fresh water after the long flight.
I gathered my magic and spun it outward, creating a ward that would tell me if anyone approached. The barrier settled into place with a soft pulse of power. Gavelle and Pherin followed the group toward the outcropping. I slid off the dragon’s back, careful to keep Isi secure in my arms.
She mumbled, pressing her face against my shoulder, but didn’t wake. Exhaustion still held her. She needed more rest. Needed care.
I would give her all of it.
Carrying her, I crossed the distance to the second set of hot springs beyond a large outcropping and made my way through a small bit of woods.
Steam rose from multiple pools, but I knew which one I wanted.
The smallest, tucked against the canyon wall where moss-covered rocks provided cushioning and night-blooming vines cascaded down in perfumed curtains.
Faelights drifted through the air, their soft glow adding to the bioluminescent plants. Stars spread overhead, visible through the gap in the canyon walls.
It was perfect. Warm. Safe. Ours.
I held her, letting the familiar mixture of strength and sweetness calm the predatory instincts that had been prowling beneath my skin since the moment her father put a blade to her throat.
Soon, I would have the chance to erase every trace of fear and violence from her skin with my mouth.
The thought made my body tighten with anticipation.
I’d been restraining myself for so long, living on stolen kisses and careful touches, always mindful of guards and the need to keep her safe.
But here, in this hidden sanctuary, I could finally let myself want her without fear.
I sat on the smooth rock edge with Isi still in my lap. She fit against me like she’d been made for this, her curves pressing into my chest, her weight a welcome burden I’d carry forever.
I kissed her cheek, breathing in her scent. Beneath the lingering smell of flight and fear, she smelled like sunshine. Like home.
“Isi,” I said softly. “Love. We’ve stopped.”
Her eyelids fluttered but didn’t open.
I kissed her forehead, trailing my lips over to her mouth. “We’re safe. You can wake up now.”
A soft sound escaped her. “Mmm?”
“That’s it.” I stroked her jaw. “Come back to me.”
Her lashes lifted slowly, revealing those pale blue eyes that had haunted my dreams since the moment we first met. Her hand reached for the pocket where she’d tucked a blade during the wedding, her fingers twitching before she recognized me and relaxed.
“Where…?” The word came out rough with sleep.
“Somewhere safe. A place that’s ours for tonight.”
She blinked, awareness returning in stages. I watched her remember the ceremony, the escape, and the flight. Her body tensed before she realized she was in my arms, truly safe.
“We made it,” she whispered. “But Eva… Addie…”
“We’ll make sure Eva is honored forever,” I said, stroking her back. “We’ll find Addie.”
Isi nodded, her tension easing. Gavelle flew overhead, and a faint ping hummed through the ward from distant Skathe movement beyond the canyon. Would they always be a threat? I noted it, reinforced the barrier, and let it go. For tonight, they could wait.
“We made it.” I couldn’t stop touching her, sifting my fingers through her tangled hair, my other hand rubbing her lower back. “You were stunning today. Terrifying. Perfect.”
A sleepy smile curved her lips. “I trembled at the altar more than I would’ve liked, but I did hack off the skirt of my wretched wedding dress with a sword.”
“I noticed.” Heat bled into my voice. “When I watched you threaten those guards while holding only a blade, I’d never wanted anyone more.”
Her smile turned knowing, sleep fading as something warmer took its place.
“You interrupted my wedding with firecats and a dragon.” She shifted in my lap, straddling me, the new angle pressing her close. “The look on Lord Alfred’s face when Lakast landed was perfect. I’ll treasure that memory forever.”
“I’ll give you better memories.” My voice dropped, my gaze tracking to her lips. “Starting tonight. You’re worth a thousand dragon interruptions.”
Her expression shifted, the playful warmth giving way to heat. Her fingers tightened in my hair, and she pulled me down until our mouths were a breath apart. “I was terrified at the altar, afraid I’d fight but still not get away.”
“I was terrified I’d be too late,” I said, letting her see the vulnerability beneath my confidence. “That I’d arrive and you’d already be bound to him. That I’d have to watch you suffer because I wasn’t fast enough. That I’d lose you like I lost family before.”
“But you weren’t.” Her hand slid into my hair, stroking. “You came for me. You always come for me.”
I leaned into her touch like a newborn firecat seeking affection. “There’s no version of reality where I don’t come for you, Isi. You’re mine.”
“I’m yours.” Her eyes sparked with that fierce light I loved. “And you’re mine. And when my father brings his war, we’ll face it together.”
“Completely.” I cupped her face, brushing her cheekbones with my fingers. “From the moment you stabbed me, I was yours.”
She laughed, the sound washing over me like sunlight. “That seems like a lifetime ago.”
“You changed everything for the better.” I held her gaze, making sure she read my heart in every word. “My court. My kingdom. Me. You made me want things I’d stopped letting myself dream about. Partnership. Someone who sees past the crown to who I actually am.”
Her expression softened. “Trew…”
“I love you.” Simple. True. “The princess. The woman who climbs through windows and fights with deadly skill and challenges me at every turn. The woman who’s brave enough to stand beside a rebel king even when it costs her everything.”
Tears filled her eyes, but she was smiling. “I love you. So much it terrifies me sometimes.”
I pulled her closer. “Be terrified with me.”
“Stop talking,” she said against my lips, “and kiss me.”
She didn’t wait for me to respond. She claimed my mouth with a kiss that erased every coherent thought from my mind.
It wasn’t gentle or tentative. It was Isi pouring her fear, her relief, her love, and her desire into me. Her tongue swept across mine. She pressed her body flush against mine, her soft curves molding to hard muscle.
I groaned into her mouth, one hand fisting in her hair while the other gripped her hip. Her hands were everywhere, in my hair and across my shoulders and chest, like she was trying to memorize me with her touch.
I matched her intensity, letting her feel how much I wanted this and her. How I’d raze the world if it meant we’d find moments like this at the end.
Steam rose around us. Stars twinkled overhead. And we were finally, completely alone.
She broke the kiss only long enough to gasp. “I need you.”
“You have me.” I pulled her back, kissing her like I could breathe life into her lungs. “In every way that matters. I’m yours, Isi. Completely yours.”
Her answer was another fierce kiss, and I gladly surrendered myself to it.