Chapter 47

Sparring wasn'tenough to keep my mind from Annora. Even with Reeve as my opponent, I kept allowing my thoughts to stray. I paid for every distraction with a quick strike of his practice sword.

When we finished, I retraced Annora's steps the day she was poisoned, and they led to the kitchen. From there, I was able to single out everyone but the cook and a maid who gave Annora some almond milk.

So, I questioned both thoroughly and determined the maid was the person who gave Annora the poison. She started sobbing the moment I got the truth from her, saying she was forced to do it, that Keel's men ordered her to.

I told my guards to lock her in the dungeon, then I set out on a path of questioning everyone who comes into contact with Annora. By nightfall the next day, two more people sit in the dungeon with the maid.

Satisfied, I have done everything in my power to protect Annora, I finally make my way to our bedchamber.

Annora will be there. I feel it in my bones.

When I see her, I'll pull her close. I'll kiss her.

I open the door to my bedchamber and step inside. It only takes a moment to find Annora sitting on the bed. Her nightdress clings temptingly to every curve, the thin fabric doing nothing to conceal her form from my hungry gaze. Warmth stirs low in my belly at the sight. After days of restraint, my self-control hangs by a precarious thread.

Without a word, I cross the room, sit next to her, and pull her into my arms. She comes willingly, fitting against me like she was crafted for me.

I lean down, pressing my mouth against hers. For a moment, the world narrows down to just the two of us. The warmth of her body against mine, the floral scent of her hair, the soft sound of her breathing.

She pulls away first and looks up at me. "Thank you for bringing Emerin here to heal me and for giving me time with her."

I brush a strand of hair back from her face. "I would do anything for you."

A smile touches her lips before she presses her cheek to my chest again.

"Annora," I begin. "I am sorry that things have gone differently than I intended when I married you and brought you to Sharhavva."

She speaks, her voice muffled against me. "It is my fault. I know Asha better than you, and I knew she wouldn't relent, but I came with you anyway."

No. I am the one who came to Bakva, and I am the one who promised Annora that I would unify our houses.

"I will not allow you to blame yourself."

"And yet, I do." She sighs and pulls away to sit next to me, her shoulders slumped under an invisible weight. "I am the one who broke Asha's heart, and I left my younger sisters to endure my mother alone."

Annora's sadness wraps around me like a suffocating shroud, coiling tighter around my chest with every shuddering breath she takes.

"I'm sorry. If I could change that, I would."

She sniffs and hunches her shoulders even more. "And now, part of my heart will leave tomorrow."

The bedcovers rustle beneath me as I shift to place my arms around her shoulders. "I want you to be able to be with your sisters whenever you want."

"I want that too, but it's impossible."

Maybe right now, but not forever.

I formed an alliance with the Bloodstone tribe after decades of conflict between our people. I believe the same thing is possible for House of Crimson and House of Silver.

But before I can introduce the idea of peace between our houses, I must quell this rebellion. Once I have stabilized my lands and ensured the protection of my people, only then can I extend an olive branch to House of Silver.

* * *

I jerkawake as Annora tenses beside me, her body going rigid. She mumbles something too soft for me to make out. I prop myself up on one elbow to get a better look at her. Her brows are drawn together, eyes moving rapidly beneath their lids as her head tosses fitfully on the pillow.

I hesitate, unsure whether to wake her or let the dream run its course. She whimpers, face contorting in distress, and I make my decision.

Reaching out, I grasp her shoulder gently. "Annora. Wake up."

She doesn't respond. I give her a gentle shake, then repeat her name more firmly.

Finally, she gasps, eyes flying open, body jolting upward. I keep my hand on her shoulder, steadying her as she glances around.

"It's all right," I soothe. "Just a dream."

Her frantic breaths even out as her gaze focuses on me. The lingering fear in her expression fades to relief as she sags back against the pillow.

"Jasce," she breathes. "You're here."

I offer a reassuring smile. "Of course. Where else would I be?"

She doesn't answer. Instead, she continues to stare at me for a long moment, as if needing visual confirmation that I'm real.

Lightly, I run my hand up and down her arm. "I'm here, my love."

"Jasce." The soft whisper of my name is the only warning I get before she moves. In an instant, Annora straddles me, the shift in position pressing us chest to chest.

Her lips find mine in a crushing kiss. It's fierce, desperate, as if she's trying to imprint the reality of my presence through sheer force of will. Her fingers dig into my shoulders while her mouth moves over mine.

I feel the frantic need in her kiss. It mirrors the way I feel about her. The way I need her. The way I would give up everything for her.

Slowly, I wrap my arms around her slender frame and allow my hands and lips to convey my thoughts. I'm here, I'm real, and I won't leave her side.

Her hands slip between us and slide down my body, seeking lower to wrap around my cock. I yank up her nightdress and rip her undergarments away as she guides me into her. I groan at the sensation of being inside her, filling her.

She controls the tempo, pulling back and then sinking down again, her breath hitching each time I stretch her. Each stroke, each delicious grind against me unravels another thread that binds my sanity.

The room, the world, everything spins around us, but all my senses are focused solely on her. The silkiness of her skin under my fingertips, the taste of her lingering on my lips, the intoxicating scent of her that drives me to madness.

Her movements quicken, become more urgent, and it takes all my self-control not to match her pace. I know she's close, but I want to prolong this moment, to engrave it into my memory so deeply that time can never erase it.

Even so, the searing heat building within me threatens to consume me whole. I grit my teeth against the pleasure, battling with every ounce of my willpower.

She arches her back, pressing her breasts into my chest. The sight of her, hair splayed out around her, head thrown back in ecstasy, is entirely too intoxicating.

"Hold on," I manage to get out through gritted teeth. "Just a little longer."

She looks down at me then, her eyes wide and wild with pleasure and something more—something deeper that tugs at my heart.

With a gentle but firm hand, I guide her movements, slowing her rhythm to a tantalizing crawl, stretching out the sweet torment for both of us.

"Faster, Jasce," she pleads.

I shake my head.

"Trust me," I whisper against her lips.

She nods, her gaze locking onto mine, filled with such trust and love that it makes my heart clench.

Her rhythm adjusts to mine, every movement drawing us closer to the edge but keeping us just shy of falling.

Her breathing turns ragged, her hands clutching at me as if I am her only anchor in the storm that rages within her.

"Now," I say, knowing I don't want to wait any longer.

Her hips grind down harder, faster, in sudden, reckless abandon. I meet each of her movements, matching her pace, her desperation.

We reach our release at the same time, shattering together, and collapsing in each other's arms.