Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91891 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 459(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 306(@300wpm)
The time loop had brought us full circle to pit me against the whole monstra army. Did the Ember expect to drain my strength as it had once drained my mother’s?
Was that to be my end?
28
BITTERSWEET HELLOS
Astorm erupted outside the cave, whipping up a violent wind. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed, the atmosphere charged with electricity, raising the fine hairs on my body.
I lay on my side, with my back to Jasher, but now his arm draped over my hip. He slept through the tempest, apparently unbothered. All the while, the rainwater called to me, reminding me of my dream.
A slight pressure pushed between my shoulder blades. A prelude to wings ready to burst free? Would I one day soar alongside Jasher?
Or would he betray me, joining his elders?
Longing tangled with trepidation. In my dream…vision…he clustered together with the monstra. We had faced off, as if we were full-blown enemies.
Was this what I learned in the Ring of Truth? He still played the long con, as Daniel and Elowen once warned?
When morning dawned, the rain stopped, and I drowned in dread. I’d just admitted my love for Jasher; he’d just admitted his for me. Now, I might lose him.
Maybe we should avoid the Ring of Truth. But the thought was pure cowardice. Avoiding truth had never saved anyone.
As if hearing my thoughts, Jasher stirred against me with a groan. He eased into a sitting position, looking a smidge grumpy and—dare I believe it?—affectionate. “You are recovered?”
An answering affection welled up in me; there was no tamping it down. “Yes.” My strength had returned, at least. “How are you?”
He reached out and toyed with a lock of my hair, rolling the strands around a finger. The gentle action tickled my scalp.
“I’m sore but well.” Releasing me, he rose, swiped his shirt and donned it. That done, he hooked his axes in place. “May I ask you a question?”
“Of course.” I stood to almost-steady legs.
He smiled at me, and oh, he was adorable. Beauty and strength personified, rumpled with his dark hair in disarray, sunset eyes glittering. The axes crossed at his nape and protruded over his broad shoulders.
Hmm. Was something different about him?
His wings maybe? They appeared a wee bit bigger. And yet, his facial bones definitely maybe didn’t seem quite as prominent.
“While I appreciate the deep study,” he said, his tone dry, “I’d love it if you checked back into our conversation.”
I blushed and muttered, “My apologies.”
“I’m not complaining, just requesting you hear my words while leering,” he replied, earning a chuckle from me.
“Wish granted.” I waggled my brows at him. “Ask again, hot stuff.”
He snorted, then glided his knuckles along my jaw, leaving a tingling trail in his wake. “What did you do to your father to save him from the brink of death?”
Ahav…near death inside Mount Emerald…my glittery tears splashing over his chest, absorbing into his skin.
“I don’t actually know,” I admitted. “It was automatic. Instinctual, I guess. I wanted him better, and suddenly, he was. Just like the waterways. And your shadow-thing. You wanted, you got.”
“Oh, that our romance was so easy, eh?”
I gave a mock gasp and smoothed his tunic over his pecs. “The best victories are hard won.” Please, don’t turn against me again.
“Have I won then?” he asked softly. He cupped my cheeks, his sunrise eyes earnest. Hopeful. “Have I scared the doom away?”
I almost wound my arms around him, almost slid in close and promised him every future hereafter. Almost proclaimed my love again. But my dream…
Better to keep things light until we reached the Ring of Truth. “Congratulations. You’ve earned one gold star. Collect ten, and you’ll win a prize.”
A flicker of disappointment, making it clear he’d hoped for an admission. But he also offered a wry smile, as if he understood my hesitation. “Is it a kiss? Tell me the prize is a kiss.”
“There you go, flirting again.” My voice dipped, going low and smoky. “Any interest in a get out of jail free card?”
“Sentence me to forever. I’ll serve my time gladly, as long as your taste is on my lips.” His gaze held mine, burning unchecked as he leaned in. Everything he’d been, everything he was, coiled around me, a tendril of silk. Unbreakable. “I love you, Moriah.”
My breath caught. So much for keeping it light. Heat tore through me, burning away centuries of doubt in a single, ruthless sweep. I didn’t just unravel—I came apart at the seams. Defenses? Gone. Reduced to smoke and want.
And he wasn’t done. He lowered his grip to my jawline and glided his thumbs over my skin, leaving fire in his wake. “I love your kindness, your twisted sense of humor, your protective instincts, your stubborn determination, your heart for animals, your…everything.”
“Then I’ll give you an endless supply of kisses,” I whisper-croaked.
He kissed me, then. The kind of kiss that ruined you for every other life. I let myself believe—just for that heartbeat—that love could be enough.