Chapter 36 Aethra
Aethra
Ipulled my hood over my face and looked down, avoiding the gaze of passing guards. Security was at an all-time high in the city, but Seth and Seraphim were nowhere to be seen. The sun dipped below the buildings, promising another day without finding them.
The others had spread out in search of our lost comrades, leaving me to watch the hideout in case they returned. Ducking back into the alley, I froze when I noticed a young woman standing near the stables. A satchel stuffed with scrolls hung over her blue coat—a messenger.
She turned to me as I approached. “Hoping for a letter tomorrow?”
That was one of Cerys’ phrases. “One from tomorrow would be better.”
Pulling a scrap of parchment from her bag, the young woman handed it to me and walked away. Hurrying in the opposite direction, I read the short note.
Icelus would be sending a unit of men to apprehend Cerys tomorrow and take her in for questioning. If Seth wanted to make good on his challenge to Eris, he needed to do it soon.
Crumpling the letter, I chewed nervously on my lip. I had no idea where he was. No one had seen him since he stormed out of my room. Seraphim must have gone after him.
Two days had passed. Had they been captured? Surely Eris would have gloated about it . . .
I noticed a shadow behind me and whirled around. A strong arm grabbed my wrist and pinned me to the wall.
A black-cloaked man loomed over me. “What’s a beautiful lady like you doing in a place like this?”
My eyes widened, then narrowed. The fingers on my right hand twitched, begging me to slap him, and my teeth ground together. But I couldn’t muster any anger.
Mouth warbling, I fell forward against his chest and wrapped my arms around him.
Seth grabbed the back of my head and tucked me against him. Something brushed my leg, and I glanced down to see Whisper weaving between our feet, tail wagging furiously.
“I still think that was risky,” Seraphim said. Pulling away from Seth, I breathed out in relief when I saw her approaching. “She could have turned you into dust.”
“I couldn’t resist.” Seth glanced around before wrapping an arm around my shoulder and guiding me back to the safe house.
I waited until the door closed behind us to speak. “Where have you been?”
Seraphim grabbed a candle from the table and sparked a flame between her fingers. “Most of the story is Seth’s to tell. Getting back into the city was what delayed us—it was nearly impossible to find a means to slip in unseen.”
Seth threw back his hood. I gasped. A faint gray line streaked through his bangs.
“Why were you near the Empty?” I demanded.
“Seraphim.” Seth looked at our leader. “Would you fill in the others?” He glanced at me. “I assume they’re looking for us.”
“Obviously.”
“I will,” Seraphim promised. “Go on. Come tomorrow, everything will change. One way or another.”
“Go where?” I asked.
Seth didn’t say anything. He took my hand and looked at me with soft, pleading eyes.
Pulling out the crumpled letter, I handed it to Seraphim. “You’re right. Tomorrow.”
She took the note and nodded, glancing between us sadly.
Slipping out the door, Seth yanked his hood over his head before knitting his fingers through mine. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better,” I said. “Luckily, the cuts weren’t very deep.”
Nodding, he glanced up and down the street before guiding me down a narrow path I’d never walked before. We emerged beside a thin channel reflecting the orange and purple hues of the setting sun.
“Seth,” I whispered, “are you alright?”
“Yes.” He grinned. “Don’t worry, princess. It’s not bad news.”
He looked genuinely happy, but . . . something felt wrong. Falling silent, I searched for guards or prying eyes. We encountered only a handful. Seth weaved us through thin alleys and back roads, retracing paths he’d probably walked hundreds of times.
The channel widened, flowing back into the river. The rows of homes ceased as we reached a stretch of soil bordering the water, where trees and flowering plants grew in abundance. Ducking between the boughs, Seth led me toward the riverbank and dropped my hands when we reached an old, iron fence.
It was only knee-high. Lifting my skirt, I moved to step over it, but Seth picked me up and gently set me on the other side.
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow as he leaped over it.
“A princess shouldn’t lift a finger,” he teased, leading me deeper into the little woods.
“What is this?” I asked.
“The back entrance,” he said, turning away.
Wind blew through my cloak and rustled the leaves. A wind chime rang in the distance, faint and alone. Seth walked until he stood below the tree where the tiny, old chime hung.
“Is this . . .” I wondered, glancing around. Patches of overgrown grass grew to my knees, and once neat bushes and flowers lay in a jumbled heap, overgrown or dying. “A garden?”
“It was,” Seth confirmed, looking down from the chime. “Mother’s garden. I used to tend it with her.”
“Why did they let it die?”
“Nobody cared about it but her. And me, I suppose.” He took my hand and guided me through the overgrown vines to a secluded spot between the trees. I could see the river through the trunks, growing darker as night came.
Turning around, I studied the old chime. It was crude, as though crafted by a child. Seth must have made that for his mother.
Throwing back his hood, Seth took my hands in his. “I’m sorry I left. I shouldn’t have.”
“Eleos had the same reaction,” I said. “I should have told you.”
“I think I understand Seraphim now.” He glanced at the grass beneath our feet.
“Even though we suffer, and we fail, and we wish we could redo everything . . . that’s what makes us who we are.
” He turned back to me with a faint smile.
“Had I not slammed the door that day, I wouldn’t have found the means to save you. ”
“Save me?” I breathed.
Seth tilted my chin, turning my eyes toward the grass. He laid his head atop mine, fingers knitting tightly through mine. One by one, flowers blossomed from the ground, vibrant and blue, covered in red speckles that looked like fresh blood.
Slowly, the red overtook the blue, until the petals were entirely crimson.
I inhaled sharply. “You’re—You . . .”
“I saw my Mother. The way you see Ainwir.” He lifted his head off mine. “I think she was fed up with my moping.” Leaning his forehead against mine, he stared into my eyes. “You don’t have to do this alone anymore.”
Gazing into his scarlet eyes, I tried to make sense of my feelings. I didn’t want him to suffer the way I did. To come unwound and fade away. But . . .
I gasped, choking on a sob. “I don’t want to die.”
Seth wiped away the tears falling from my eyes and kissed me. “I won’t let you. Whatever comes, however much time we have left, I will protect you.”
More tears burned behind my eyes, and I tried to blink them away. Seth kissed me again, and I pressed my lips against his, knitting my hands around his neck to prevent him from pulling away.
We stumbled back, and he pushed me up against one of the trees. Dull pain throbbed in my wounds, but I didn’t care. They reminded me I was still alive.
I was sick of crying—of being frightened, and worried.
Finding the clasp of his cloak, I untied it and pulled it from his shoulders. He did the same, loosening my cape and letting it fall before trailing his hands down my sides.
Seth came to his senses and pulled back. “Should we be doing this here?”
“Yes,” I said, pulling him back to me.
Any control he had left vanished. Seth kissed me with fervor, and I hardly felt him reach for the sash of my toga before it slipped from my body and hit the ground.
Wrapping his arm around me, Seth spun me around, setting me down on the field of flowers. He pulled away abruptly, eyes flicking over me with concern. “Am I hurting you?”
He was, a little bit. But I didn’t care. Shaking my head, I tugged on his collar, beckoning him to fall with me. He followed me, cupping my back to lay me down gently before climbing atop me.
Sliding my hand down his chest, I undid his trousers and traced my fingers across his hard length. Pulling it loose, I wrapped my legs around his waist, guiding him between my thighs.
Seth made a sound of protest and broke our kiss. “Why are you in such a rush?” He breathed, opening his eyes. “We have all the time in the world.”
“Save the foreplay for round two,” I said, reaching for him again.
Seth jerked backward, out of my reach. “I don’t think you understand, Aethra. You’re not the only one who can seal the Acheron anymore. We have years ahead of us.” He smirked. “There’s plenty of time ahead for me to fuck you.”
Gently grabbing my hips, he spread my legs and pressed his mouth between my thighs.
Maybe I could wait a little longer. Lying my head back against the flowers, I closed my eyes in bliss, knitting my fingers through his hair. The pleasure ascended into an uncomfortable fire. My hips squirmed in his grip, and I heard him chuckle.
Pulling away from him, I grabbed his collar, trying to guide him back on top of me. He effortlessly ripped from my grip, tutting with disapproval.
He planted a kiss on my thigh, murmuring against my skin. “Did I not say I wanted to take my time?”
“I don’t want to,” I gasped.
“You’ve spent the last few weeks thinking your time was up. I’m trying to teach you that it isn’t.” He pressed a kiss on my inner thigh. “Relax.”
I did no such thing. Sitting up, back arched, I gritted my teeth as his tongue started dancing between my legs again. This wasn’t pleasure. It was torment. I’d never felt such a burning need to have a man inside me before.
Biting my lip, I stared at his stupid pile of gorgeous hair and forced an emotion on him. The spell took effect with ease—the lust Seth was experiencing increased tenfold as I brought him to the brink of desire.
Desperately tearing his mouth from my entrance, Seth climbed atop me and plunged himself inside me.
“Gods.” He shuddered as he began thrusting, hard and fast. “You feel incredible.”
I laid back with relief, grabbing his hips to guide him, to prevent him from stopping. I found the laces of his tunic and untied them until the bare skin of our chests touched.
Overcome by the pleasure blooming at my core, I lost concentration on my spell. Seth smirked when he regained his mind, but his pace didn’t slow. “How dare you?” He growled, kissing me. His tongue intertwined with mine, and his teeth grazed my lips as they parted.
I giggled, pressing my hips to his sides.
Maybe I’d been a little too eager. Already, I could feel the soaring bliss of release coming.
Seth buried himself inside me and stopped abruptly. My eyes flew open, staring at him in confusion. He ran his hand through my hair, tangling his fingers in my curls. “I’m not done with you, yet.”
I squirmed beneath him, but it was too late. Dissatisfaction arrived where contentment should have been.
Seth’s eyes flicked over me, watching my breathing steady and my body fall limp. Smiling with satisfaction, he pulled out of me before sheathing himself inside me again.
“I swear to the gods,” I gasped. “If you do that again . . .”
“I’ll do whatever I like to you,” he breathed. “You belong to me.”
He had the audacity to kiss me, and I folded like a spineless maiden beneath his touch. The moment his lips broke from mine, I panted out a rebuttal. “I’m going to stab you.”
Seth’s face broke as he chuckled. Holding me tightly in his arms, he pressed his lips to mine and made love to me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.
He didn’t stop this time. I felt his grip on me tighten, and his kiss deepened. I pressed myself against him, wanting to be as close as physically possible.
Burying his face in my neck, Seth whispered three words. “I love you.”
I grabbed the back of his neck, letting our emotions intertwine, feeling his thoughts as mine. Depths of passion I hardly understood underlined his words, and rushing light traced through my chest, almost painful.
For years, I’d dreamed of falling in love. But not until now did I understand how it felt.
Wrapping my arms around him, I held him tightly until he slowed, my hips relaxed, and we fell still.
Breathing heavily, Seth kissed my forehead and braced himself on his elbow. His hand wandered down my side, seeking mine. Interlacing his fingers with mine, he stared at our knitted hands before meeting my eyes.
“Marry me,” he said.
I blinked. “What?”
He twisted his fingers around mine, staring at our wrists as though something was there. My heart flipped.
When I’d thumbed through Seraphim’s journal to find his new tattoo, I’d glimpsed a design meant for couples in love. When their hands met, the images would conjoin into one.
Catching his breath, Seth returned his gaze to me. “Aethra,” he said calmly. “Will you marry me?”
I never thought anyone would say those words to me, let alone with such love bursting beneath them. I nodded and laughed. “Now? I mean, yes, but . . .
He chuckled, caressing my face. “Not the enthusiastic response I was hoping for.” He swallowed. “Sorry, that just sort of . . . came out.”
Brushing his hair behind his ear, I traced his cheekbone with my thumb. “If we survive this? Yes.”
Grinning, he kissed me and laid beside me. He ran a hand across my stomach. “We probably shouldn’t stay here.”
“I thought we had all the time in the world?” I rolled over, laying on his chest. “Just a little longer.”
Closing my eyes, feeling his fingers carefully trace my back, I allowed myself to dream.
To dream of the house and its garden of flowers. The lake, sparkling beneath the sun. Two kids running around, laughing.
And the door swung open, spilling light across my face, as my love stepped from its embrace.