Chapter 9

NINE

COLLINS

Bash lay at my side, silently breathing. I curled into him and rested my head on his bare chest. It’d only been a short time, and yet I felt so comfortable with him. The smooth, silky sheets were draped across his hips and up over my body. A cool breeze drifted in through the window on the far wall. The faint sounds of nighttime wildlife filled the air. The smell of the fresh blooming flowers I grew in the gardens drifted in toward us. It mixed with Bash’s vanilla scent and invaded my senses.

Of all the places I ever thought I’d go in my lifetime, a pocket realm full of mages was not one of them. Nor did I ever think I’d be sleeping in a real-life castle. Yet here we were in a king-size bed in a room fit for literal royalty. Which, of course, Bash was, but I definitely wasn’t. The walls were a warm cream color while the rest of the room was accented in a bright-red that reminded me of Savina’s power. The bedding, draperies, and area rug were all that devastating red color that struck fear into most. The truth was I kind of loved the mix of the cool cream and bright-red. The bed and furniture were carved with intricate filigree and dusted lightly with gold, almost making the room shimmer. It was out of a dream or something else I could hardly imagine.

Bash wound his arm around my shoulder and held me closer to his side. My hair fanned out around me in long, wild waves. Bash ran his fingers through the pink ends, stroking them in soothing twists. I reached up and toyed with the necklaces he always wore. I took time laying each one flat on his chest. Every stone gave me a little hint of their power. I sighed and let my breath fall into rhythm with his.

“Big sigh.”

“Lots on my mind.” I threw my leg over one of his and let my skin touch the smooth material of his pants. This close, I was covered in his vanilla scent and the warmth of his skin. Bash’s aura was so calm. It was like lying in the forest at night in the dark, listening to the sounds of rain. It made every muscle in my body turn to Jell-O.

His chest rumbled in agreement. “I know.”

I was terrified thinking about going against Tephine again. Sure, I’d done well in my training. I felt the power moving in me and could connect to it all now. I understood how I worked, how it worked. But Tephine put the smackdown on all of us the last time we faced her. She took some serious pain from Savina and kept on going. What if I wasn’t strong enough? What if I failed and all of Fae Realm paid the price for my lack of skills?

“Collins?”

His voice drew me from my thoughts. “Hmm?”

He nudged me with his shoulder to lift up my head. When I glanced around, dozens of amethyst stones had gathered in the room. They covered the floor and up the wall with a soft purple glow emitting from each one.

“Stressed, my dear?” His voice was warm and rumbling. He never stopped stroking my hair.

I’d created an entire room of amethyst to calm myself without even knowing it. I groaned and turned my face into him, trying to cover it. “Only a little.”

“My mother?” He put his finger under my chin and tilted my head up until my eyes met his.

I sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “How can we possibly stop her? Not to mention the rest of your evil family.”

“They are a lot to handle. I know this very well.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know how you dealt with it for so long.”

“The silence was a curse, but it was also a blessing in disguise. It gave me the chance to step back and watch them. From a young age, I knew they were the worst the world had to offer. Not that I was a saint . . . The people in this world and the others have a right to be wary of me.”

I sat up and let the sheet fall across my legs. Goosebumps broke out over my bare arms and under my tank top. “You can’t be held responsible for what you had to do to survive.”

“I’m not sure everyone would see it that way.” He put his hand behind his head and my eyes were drawn to the way the muscles in his arms flexed and moved.

“Then they’re assholes, and we don’t give a shit about assholes.” I reached up and brushed the soft strands of his hair back from his face.

“I find I care less now that you’re here.”

“You did what you had to do to survive in a world of psychopaths.” I leaned down toward him and pressed my lips to his in a light kiss.

When I pulled back, he wound his hand in my hair, stopping me. “Do you trust me?”

“With my life.” I meant every word of it. I felt it in the pit of my stomach. Bash would always be there, no matter what.

“It’s funny.” He let his hand fall to the side of my face to cup my cheek.

“What is?” I leaned into his touch.

“I never knew what trust was until I met you.” He wound his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me down to him.

Our lips crashed together, and I found myself falling back onto the bed next to him. He followed my move and turned to lie on his side while I fell to my back. His lips never left mine, and I felt my body warm under his touch. Our tongues wound together in a dance that was familiar yet somehow new and exciting, like we belonged together like this. His hand traveled lower, cupping my breast. His thumb ran little circles over the sensitive peak, and I arched into his touch.

It wasn’t enough, I needed more. I didn’t want material between us. I wanted the purity of us and who we were together. I reached down and fisted my hands in the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. Bash’s eyes widened as he looked down over my naked chest.

I grabbed his hand and placed it back where it’d been, satisfied that there was nothing between us now. “Don’t stop.”

“Are you sure you want this?”

I looked him dead in his eye. “I’ve wanted this since the moment we met.”

He didn’t need another word from me. He dipped his head lower and wound his lips over me. My back arched and a little cry escaped my lips. It was so hot, so warm, so delicious. I needed more from him. When he dipped his hand below the band of my pants, I quickly shoved them off, kicking them down to my ankles. A warm, dark chuckle escaped his lips and his breath danced over my skin. His hand traveled lower, and I found myself moving toward his touch, urging him for more. I reached out and when my fingers dipped below the waist of his pants, I found him more than ready for me.

When I slid my fingers over him, a hiss escaped his lips and his hips bucked toward my touch. I smiled up at him, and when our eyes met, I knew this was right. This was meant to be this stolen moment in time away from the chaos. I didn’t know how or when, but I knew things were about to be a lot more dangerous in our lives. This time was for us alone. His every touch was like a prayer on my body. He wasn’t in a hurry to do anything. He took his time making sure I was ready for him. Every move was a deliberate ownership over my body. It was like his fingers were drawing a map over my skin, and all I could do was take each lingering touch.

He moved over me, and I let my knees fall to the sides, making room for him. He paused. I nodded. I never wanted anything more. He pressed forward. I felt my body stretch around him in the most delicious way. Ever so slowly, he moved back and forth, never rushing, never pushing too hard. His muscles flexed and shook with tension. I hooked my leg around his hip and urged him forward.

His eyes widened and the wings popped from his back. They glittered bright in the dark room as he moved harder and faster. I wrapped my other leg around him and dug my hands into his hips and pulled him closer. He wrapped his arm around my back and pulled me up. My wings popped from my back of their own accord, and he slammed me into the headboard as he drove into me.

I threw my arms around his shoulders and tightened my legs around his hips.

When his wings began to flutter, excitement uncurled low in my stomach. We lifted up off the bed and hovered there for a moment until he slammed me back against the wall. We were high above the bed, and I didn’t care. Pleasure rolled through my body and the sounds of our lovemaking filled the room. His low growls filled my ears, his warm vanilla scent surrounded me, and I felt his warm skin against mine. Sweat covered my body as little moans escaped my lips. Pleasure grew deep in my belly, and I felt myself moving closer to ecstasy.

I threw my head back and let my excitement roll through me. Pleasure exploded behind my eyes and there was only him, only this moment. Nothing else mattered. My magic went off like a bomb and the crystals around the room popped into glowing bits of purple glitter that rained down on us. Bash moved harder and faster. The energy sizzled between us until he threw his head back and slammed into me a few more times before he too found the pleasure between us. Slowly, his wings fluttered and lowered us back onto the bed. Breathless and smiling, he freed himself from me.

He gazed down at me with a smile I’d never seen on him before. “Perfection.”