Page 138 of A Warrior's Heart

Theron still hadn’t spoken a word. Lorcan wondered if he ever would.

Once I had my fill of tarts, we said goodbye to Seth and left the bakery. Malik stopped me on the path to the market and chuckled before wiping the corner of my lip. He licked the jam off his thumb, eyes locked with mine.

“Keep doing that and I will be forced to drag you to the sea and have my way with you.”

“Have your way with me?” Malik leaned down, ghosting his lips across mine. “Perhaps I’d let you.”

My blood heated and the front of my trousers became a bit tighter.

He chuckled before lightly kissing me.

My lover had changed in the time we’d lived on the island. He was still a battle-hardened warrior who trained his unit of men and pushed them hard, yet softness gleamed in his eyes now. Happiness. I had never seen him smile so much.

I grabbed his left hand and lifted it to my mouth, kissing the silver band on his finger. I had a matching one, but mine had a small blue stone in the center.

With Lorcan’s blessing, Malik and I had married over the summer. The ceremony had been on the beach at sunset, the orange, purple, and yellow sky reflecting off the sea.

“I adore you,” Malik said, his expression softening even more as I held his hand to my cheek. “My body. My heart. My life. They all belong to you.”

“As do mine with you.” Emotion clogged in my throat as I stared into his beautiful orange eyes. “Every part of me is yours, Malik.”

The romantic moment was ruined when something crashed into Malik and sent him slamming into me. He caught himself—and prevented me from falling on my ass to the dirt—before flipping around.

“Apologies, sir,” Nereus said, running a hand over the back of his brown hair. His cheeks were flushed, and a smile sparkled in his eyes.

“You can’t run forever, Re!” Shar’s voice came from down the lane. “Don’t forget I track men for a living.”

“I’ve gotta go! Sorry again!” Nereus took off running in the other direction.

“What did he do now?” Malik asked when Shar reached us.

The blond assassin expelled a breath. “I pulled a muscle in my back while fucking him hard this morning, and he called me old. Once I could move again, I vowed to punish him. He’s been running ever since. I nearly caught him earlier when he stopped to admire shiny trinkets in the market.”

I laughed so hard I snorted.

Shar and Nereus had built a home together as well, though Shar sometimes stayed in the barracks with the other assassins if they were preparing for a mission. Lorcan hadn’t sent the Men of Shadow on any assassination operations since moving to the island, but they had accompanied King James’ men on a few expeditions east.

Nereus and Shar’s relationship had blossomed beautifully ever since the voyage on the Crimson Night.

Shar’s purple eyes moved to me. “I saw you shooting arrows early this morning near the stream. You’ve improved even more. I’m impressed.”

My cheeks heated. “Thank you.”

I preferred training in the early morning air. Though I was a practicing physician, archery brought me a certain serenity I couldn’t get anywhere else, especially during the moments when I was haunted by memories of Ezra torturing me. The nightmares had mostly passed, but some still woke me in the dead of night and sent me into hysterics. Malik was always there to soothe me.

The assassin clapped Malik on the shoulder before taking off into a fast sprint. Moments later, I heard Nereus yell in the distance.

“Looks like Shar caught him,” I said before laughing again.

Malik linked our fingers as we walked farther down the path. We visited the market, and I sampled perfumes and admired the soft fabrics that had just arrived on the merchant ship. King James ensured that we received shipments of the finest wine and honey mead. The luxurious items were his doing as well.

Despite Malik’s distrust in him, James had done nothing but uphold his end of the treaty. Malik still didn’t fully trust him. I doubted he ever would. But he no longer wanted to kill him at least.

“Can we visit Lor?”

“Of course.” Malik steered me toward the right, and we left the bustle of the marketplace.

Lorcan and Alek’s home sat atop a hill overlooking the sea, much like the one they’d had in Emerald Cove. Lorcan was no longer a prince. He had been crowned king. He’d refused to build a palace though. His home was moderately sized, though still extravagant in its own way.