Page 186 of A Fate in Flames

A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed hard to keep single tear from falling.Instead, I reached up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, pouring everything I couldn’t say into the simple gesture.

By the time exhaustion finally claimed us, Dalkhan had pulled me against him, his arms caging me in as if afraid I might slip away.

As if he would never let me go.

I awoke cocooned in the lingering heat of the night before.No nightmares, no haunting visions.Just peace.

I sighed in relief.

Dalkhan’s arm was still draped over my waist, heavy and possessive even in sleep.His breath fanned against my skin, slow and steady.The soreness between my thighs was a delicious reminder of how thoroughly he had claimed me.Of how many times I had whispered his name into the dark, only for him to demand it again, but louder.

Azmik was coiled around my arm, his body a warm band spiralling from my wrist to my neck.His small head was tucked beneath my chin, nestled in the hollow of my throat where my pulse beat steadily against his scales.

I hadn’t even noticed him appear.Even while sleeping, his tongue flicked out occasionally, tasting my skin in gentle, feather-light touches.

The morning light streamed in through the open balcony, honeyed rays spilling over us, bathing our bare skin in warmth.I turned slowly, careful not to disturb Azmik or wake Dalkhan.

I took in the sight of him—the powerful rise and fall of his chest.The sharp angles of his face softened by sleep.His dark braid had come undone in the chaos of last night, loose strands spilling over his shoulder and onto the pillow.His lips still swollen from the countless times he had devoured me.

I reached out, tracing a single finger over his mouth and trailing down to his beard, to the pulse thundering at his throat.He stirred, a low, almost inaudible sound rumbling deep in his chest, but he did not wake.

I wanted to stay like this forever.

But I couldn’t.

The choice I’d been avoiding crystalised like ice in my veins, sharp and unforgiving.

I couldn’t do it.I wouldn’t.

Whatever fate awaited the mortal realm—whatever destruction Dalkhan was destined to bring, I could not be the one to stop him.My own selfish need for him was too strong, too consuming.It would devour me whole before I could even lift a finger against him.

I would lie to Zaheera, tell her my search had led nowhere.There was no sign of the stone.

Would it be enough?

Doubt gnawed at me.Zaheera would know.She would feel my betrayal.

My throat constricted, my eyes burning with the threat of tears, but I held them back.

There had to be another way.

Maybe… maybe if I told him the truth, he would reconsider.Maybe I could convince him to change course.

Or maybe I am out of my mind.

The thoughts battered against my skull.I needed space to think.To breathe without the weight of such impossible choices crushing me.

Carefully, I slipped from beneath Dalkhan’s embrace and gently unwound Azmik from my arm. He hissed softly in protest, then reluctantly coiled onto the warm pillow I’d vacated.His golden eyes blinked at me drowsily before he settled back into sleep, wound into a perfect spiral.

I padded toward the bathing chamber, my body sticky with sweat and last night’s pleasures.Warmth greeted me as I stepped inside, along with the scent of fragrant oils.The massive stone tub was already filled with steaming hot water, waiting like an invitation to oblivion.

I lowered myself into the heat inch by torturous inch, shuddering as it seeped into my sore muscles—into the bruises he had left.The water swallowed me whole, searing away my doubts and my treacherous heart.

With a deep breath, I submerged fully, the world falling silent beneath the surface.My lungs burned, but I held motionless in the liquid darkness.This moment, this stillness, was the only thing keeping me from shattering into a thousand irreparable pieces.

I broke the surface with a sharp gasp, water cascading from my hair as I sucked in the sweet taste of oxygen—only to freeze.

Dalkhan was there.Leaning against the stone archway that connected his room to the bathing chamber, watching me.