Page 73 of A Warrior's Heart

He held me, not saying a word. As if he knew I needed to let it all out.

My tears dried eventually, and my whimpers subsided.

Gently, Malik rolled me to my side and cradled me against his strong chest. I kissed his collar bone and palmed the ridges of muscle on his stomach. He had pleasured me. It was my turn to do the same for him.

He took hold of my wrist and stopped me before my hand could travel any lower. “That’s enough for tonight.”

“Why?” I peered up at him through wet lashes.

His thumb glided across my bottom lip. “Because tonight was about your pleasure, not mine. Now sleep.”

A complaint was on the tip of my tongue, but my eyes closed of their own accord. Exhaustion weighed me down, both mentally and physically.

After crying, my heart felt lighter. I had cried for the boy whose innocence had been taken from him. I had cried for all the years I’d spent afraid and untrusting of everyone.

And now I felt free.

Chapter Fifteen

Malik

The morning sun shimmered on Troy’s skin. I traced where the light hit him, the edge of his jaw and down his neck.

He sighed and nuzzled my bicep that was beneath his head like a pillow. The memory of him crying against me the night before caused a deep, piercing ache in my chest. I longed to take that pain from him, to make him feel loved.

I pressed my face into his hair. He smelled like the earth, warm with a floral undertone. Troy was springtime. Sunlight. And I craved his warmth, his light. I had lived in the dark for too long.

Deciding to let him sleep longer, I carefully slid out of bed, dressed for the day, and left the cabin, softly closing the door behind me.

Kellan left his quarters at the same time, shutting his door just as quietly. He gave me a knowing smile when our eyes met. “Ready to set sail?”

I nodded. “I’ll make sure everyone’s aboard before we leave the harbor.”

I checked Eva’s room first. She wasn’t in bed. I turned around to look for her elsewhere and saw her walking up the gangplank. A basket hung off one arm, and she held folded fabric in the other.

“Thought we could all use a nice breakfast,” she said, nodding to the basket. “Pastries and fruit for everyone.”

“And that?”

She held up the dark green fabric. “A new tunic for Troy. The boy is going to catch cold in the ones he always wears. His wardrobe might turn heads and inspire fashion in Avalontis, but it will do nothing for him here.”

“Prepare to hear him whine about it.”

Eva scoffed. “He can whine all he wants to, but he’s wearing it.”

I fought a smile and continued to inspect the ship.

Reif was helping Alek ready the sails, and Lorcan stood beside Kellan at the helm, so I skipped their cabin and went below deck. I counted four assassins still in their bunks before spotting Ervin getting dressed. The cloth wasn’t over his face, and I was taken aback by just how young he truly was. No facial hair, and his skin was smooth, lacking wrinkles or hard lines.

“We’re about to leave,” I told him.

He glanced around. “Shar and Nereus are in the back.” He tipped his head that way. “Everyone here is accounted for.”

My eyes focused on Nereus in the bunk farthest from the steps. He lay in Shar’s arms. I couldn’t fight my smile that time. Ervin shared my amusement, cracking a smile of his own.

“When we return to Avalontis, I will put Shar through a grueling training session as punishment for his behavior,” Ervin said. “But for now… I’ll allow him his happiness. Gods know we all could use it.”

“Is romance against the assassin’s code?”