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Chapter Fifty-Seven

A elia

Powerful, raw emotion raced through the cuorem, driving my frenzied movements as I kissed Reign with everything I had. All else vanished within the safety of his arms—all thoughts of Heaton, of the impending war, of my uncontrollable powers faded. All that mattered was Reign and me, and this moment. I pressed harder against the unyielding strength of his torso, the sharp planes of his body easily giving way to mine. I loved him . Gods, I loved him with every ounce of my being. How could I have forgotten for even an instant?

Much too soon, Reign pulled back, those starlit eyes meeting mine. “We have to slow down, princess, or I’ll lose all control.”

“I want you at my mercy.” I grinned.

“You’ve had me at your mercy for months, princess.”

My heart thundered against my ribs as I reached for him, my fingers trembling yet certain as they traced the sharp lines of his jaw. “I don’t want to waste another second, Reign. We lost so much time before, too much. I refuse to let the past steal another moment from us. I love you. Gods, I love you, and I want to complete the bond now. Not tomorrow, not someday—now.”

“Oh, Aelia…” My name pursed his lips on a feral growl. “I’m certain I’ve been waiting my entire life to hear those words.”

“Then don’t say it—” I pressed my finger to his lips. I could feel it lingering in the air, all the reasons why now was not the right time. “No more excuses, no more waiting, Reign.”

His eyes locked on mine, so full of fire, and his head slowly dipped. He seemed as surprised as I was at the motion. “Okay,” he whispered, lips brushing mine.

“ Okay ?” I squealed.

“Yes, Aelia, I want to complete the bond, I need to make you mine. There is nothing in this world or the next that would make me happier.”

“Then why do I sense an objection?”

A smile parted his lips, the beautiful sight heart-stopping. “Not here,” he whispered before he pulled me into his arms, cradling me against his chest. Pure starlight flickered across the deep midnight of his irises. “I have the perfect place.” Those icy shadows coalesced, wrapping us in a blanket of frosty night. With excitement pummeling my veins, the dim chamber blurred, and we plummeted into the shadowy void.

* * *

We emerged from the dark abyss minutes later, Reign’s boots landing with a smack across stone. Opening my eyes, I scanned the rocky ledge, one half bathed in sunlight and the other half, cool night. A spritz of tepid water sprayed my heated skin as I took in the otherworldly surroundings.

“Where are we?”

“Along the border between Light and Shadow lands, along the Darkmania range, an offshoot of the larger falls.”

“It’s beautiful.”

We stood at the foot of a cavern, where it lay hidden behind the cascading veil of a luminous waterfall. Its entrance was shrouded in mist and moonlight, lingering on the edge of the sun’s rays.

“Wait until you see the inside.”

Reign’s hand curled around mine as he led me through the rushing curtain of water. A sudden hush enveloped us, the roaring falls dampening into a distant murmur.

Inside, the cave glowed with an ethereal shimmer, bioluminescent vines pulsing softly, casting a kaleidoscope of silver and indigo light. Stalactites dripped with tiny crystals that refracted the glow, as if they had been dusted in starlight. The floor was a smooth, polished stone, and scattered throughout with pools of luminescent water that rippled like liquid sapphire.

“It’s incredible,” I murmured.

Reign’s hand tightened around mine, his eyes sparkling beneath the starlight. “Just a little further.”

At the heart of the cave, a natural ledge jutted out over a lagoon, water gleaming with a soft golden light. Above us, small openings in the rock let in slivers of moonlight, mingling with the shimmering glow of the cave itself.

Reign’s fingers trailed up my arm, his warmth grounding me against the sheer wonder of this place. “No one will find us here,” he murmured, his voice low and reverent. “It’s our little hidden sanctuary.”

A soft breeze, carrying the scent of rain and blooming nightflowers, swept through the cavern, sending a chill up my spine. Reign’s arm curled more tightly around me, twirling me toward the warmth of his chest. His gaze dipped to mine, the flurry of emotions streaking through his eyes, stealing my breath. “If you’ve changed your mind?—”

“No.” I pressed my finger to his lips for the second time that evening, parting them. “I am ready—more than ready, actually.” Here, hidden away from looming war and duty, there was only us, two souls bound by fate, lost in the magic of this moment. “This is perfect.”

I dropped my hand, and his mouth captured mine, the crash of our lips a fiery crescendo. Need, want, and desire flooded the bond as his hand ran up my nape, tangling in my hair. “I love you, Aelia,” he whispered, his breath mingling with my own. The cuorem pulsed, a frenzied tempo increasing with each sweep of our tongues. It was as if it felt our conviction, reveling in this predestined moment.

Reign walked me back a few steps, toward the ledge that hung over the sparkling lagoon below. Silky shadows streamed off his form, brushing down my arms before coiling around my feet, their icy touch sending goosebumps rippling across my flesh. Releasing me with a rueful smile, he shrugged off his dark cloak, then lay it across the bed of shadows. I marveled at the sight of the flowing silhouettes curving into a mystical bed. Beneath the wisps of darkness, the bioluminescent vines glowed brightly, shedding ethereal light across the magical mattress. His eyes lifted to mine, glittering beneath the pale moonlight. “I hope it’s comfortable.”

Goddess, I was fairly certain he could claim me across burning coals, and I’d find it pleasurable.

“It’s more perfect than I ever could have imagined.” My fingers yearned to touch him, to relieve him of every shred of clothing. I pressed my body against his, the proof of his desire thick between us. Heat surged between my legs, the heady sensation of his arousal inciting a blistering wave of need.

His hands framed my face, midnight irises piercing mine. “No, you, my starlight, are more perfect than I could ever have imagined.” His head dipped, mouth capturing my lips in another scorching kiss that set fire to my soul.

As he kissed me, pouring every ounce of himself into the brush of his lips, the sweep of his tongue, I pawed at his clothes, unfastening and unlacing. His hands remained tangled in my hair, positioning my head to deepen the kiss. My chest heaved, my breaths coming in ragged spurts as his shadows sloughed off his leathers, then his undershorts. Anticipation coiled so tightly, it burned a raging hole through my ribs.

Finally, Reign stood bare before me, his gaze burning, shadow wings half-spread as though bracing for what was to come. The cuorem thrummed between us frantically, a restless energy vibrating in my very bones, in the space where his nox brushed against mine. I could feel it in the air, thick as a storm before the first crack of lightning.

Cocking his head to the side, he regarded me with a reverent awe I was certain I did not deserve. Lifting his hand to the laces of my sleeping gown, he whispered, “May I?”

“Gods, yes. If you don’t, I’m certain I’ll explode.”

A wicked gleam flashed across the dark abyss of his eyes as he reached for the lace and tugged. Excruciatingly slowly, he unlaced the top, then drew the light material over my head.

A sharp hiss rent the thickening air as his heated gaze raked over me. “By the gods, Aelia, I’ve never seen a more radiant sight.”

The heat swirling below climbed up my veins, settling across my cheeks.

“You are beauty personified, the perfect blend of light and dark, my love, my life, my cuoré.”

A tremor coursed up my spine, a combination of the frosty cavern and the weight of Reign’s words. He erased the space between us once more, driving out the chill with his heated body. I could feel him everywhere, thousands of points of contact all desperately aware.

“This will bind us forever, Aelia,” Reign murmured, his voice a quiet storm. “Not just in this life. Not just in this realm.”

“I know,” I whispered, stepping even closer. The cuorem pulsed, eagerly. Alive. “I want this. I love you.”

His eyes darkened, the stars caught in their depths flickering wildly as he lay me down across the cloak that hovered over the bed of shadows. I stretched across the soft fabric, reveling in its familiar scent, the amber and musk of Reign. He fitted his hips between my legs, bracing himself over me with powerful arms. His immense shadow wings flared, looming over us and casting our bodies in darkness.

“Are you ready?”

My head dipped without hesitation.