Page 111 of Darkness Births the Stars #1

CHAPTER

Rada

I couldn’t get the stain out. No matter how vigorously I scrubbed my linen dress against the washboard, sending up a flurry of soap bubbles, the dirt clung to the white fabric, mocking my efforts. With a sigh of defeat, I tossed the dress into a second barrel filled with clear water.

Humming a melodious Elvish song, Briseis took over, deftly rinsing the garment before adding it to the growing pile of clean laundry in the final barrel.

Together, we wound each piece around a sturdy wooden rod, wringing out as much water as we could before hanging them on the line to dry.

I stretched, pressing a hand to my aching back.

Washing was exhausting, and it made me miss my magic more than ever.

“So,” Briseis drawled, her eyes flicking toward the barn. “You and he are lovers again?”

Frustrated curses drifted over from where Noctis was attempting to build a makeshift forge.

His wounds had healed a tenday after the battle on the Ridge, and he had decided we both needed a macis —a set of chains to anchor our lyr -stones to our palms in battle.

A wise precaution, considering the enemies just waiting to descend on us, but a part of me loathed the reminder that our time in our sanctuary was running out.

“It’s complicated,” I muttered, my brow furrowing as I watched Noctis ignite a fire inside a semicircle of stones he had piled up next to the barn. Hopefully, he remembered it hadn’t rained for days, and the grass was so parched that every stray spark could get out of control.

Briseis laughed. “Most things that are worth it are.”

“He knows I still have feelings for him,” I confessed, my fingers trailing through the soapy water. “But I haven’t slept with him. Something within me hesitates, as if it’s a line we can’t uncross once we give in.”

Rhythmic clanging drew my attention back to Noctis.

He had heated the metal scraps he had found in my stores and was patiently bending them into shape with measured hammer strokes.

I had to bite my lip when he paused to slip out of his tunic.

Did the man still fancy himself a god, impervious to the danger of heated metal?

“Oh, believe me, I know.” Briseis’s voice faded into a distant murmur as I watched Noctis work.

The sun caught in his hair, bringing out its deep bronze highlights, and those tempting muscles flexed with each decisive stroke of the hammer.

“The tension between you two is so obvious even Varien has noticed. Yesterday, when you… I thought the man would combust… and…”

Unconsciously, I leaned forward when Noctis ran a hand through his hair, my eyes tracing the firm lines of his stomach.

“Rada?” Briseis’s voice sharpened. “You’re not even listening to me, are you?”

My hands slipped from the washboard and it splashed into the barrel, dousing me with a spray of dirty water. I blinked, attempting to conceal my distraction with a sheepish smile.

“I…”

Briseis raised a golden eyebrow at me, amusement dancing in her blue eyes as she glanced over at Noctis. Her expression turned pensive as she noted the scars and the dark lines of the tattoos that adorned his body, all too visible in the bright sunlight.

“The man is quite the romantic, isn’t he?” she remarked, a hint of surprise in her voice.

I recited the Aurean words etched indelibly into his skin: “ In my darkest nights, one guiding star will always remain. ” They burned through me with the same intensity as when I’d first noticed them after treating his wounds nearly four moons ago.

Lyr , so much had changed since then. Despite my vows, I had let him back into my life. Because part of me recognized a truth in those elegant lines, a truth I could neither deny nor ignore.

My doubts whispered through my mind, as familiar as my guilt. “I fear he wants me to be his conscience, the one thing that keeps him on the right path. But how can I, when I struggle with knowing what is right myself?”

Briseis’s eyes softened, her amusement giving way to understanding.

“It’s not about being perfect,” she said gently.

“It’s about being there for each other, finding the right path together.

Maybe that’s what he sees in you—a guiding star in his darkest nights, just as he is for you.

” She took my hands in hers, pressing them gently yet firmly.

“I won’t tell you what risks to take or if you should give him another chance.

But I know one thing, my friend. In all the years I have known you, I have never seen you more alive than when you are with him. ”

Yes, but what if that undeniable fire between us consumed us both—consumed the world—until there was nothing left but ashes?

“Varien and I will visit the village today,” Briseis said in an innocent tone as she let go of my hands and hung up the last piece of washing. “We need a few supplies, and we’ll bring back the wagon and those lyr -stones Kyree is hoarding like a Dwarf his gemstones.”

“Briseis…” I murmured. The pain of my fight with the healer was still fresh, a dull ache in my chest.

She waved off my concerns with a casual shrug. “Don’t worry, I’ll be polite.”

Somehow, I doubted that.

Briseis winked at me, a broad smile spreading across her face. “And you won’t have to wait for us. We’ll stay the night.”

Seeing me breathe in deeply, she gave me no opportunity to protest. Her hands closed around my shoulders, her gaze locking onto mine. “Subjecting yourself to some strange self-imposed punishment will not bring back a single person who died in that war.”

“I am not—”

“Live while you can, or you might regret it.”

Her embrace was warm, a reassurance I hadn’t known I needed. Gratitude for her unwavering friendship swelled within me, and I had to fight the tears welling up in my eyes, the lump in my throat making it hard to speak. “Thank you, my friend.”

I followed her into the house, cleaning the kitchen while she changed and gathered an excited Varien, who could hardly wait to see his friend Alona again. The door closed behind them with a resounding thud, sending a mix of excitement and apprehension through me.

We were alone.

I glanced out of the window at Noctis, who was still working outside. We were alone, and nothing would stop me if I decided to… If I just walked over and…

Stars above. I had lived for millennia, and now I was no better than a blushing maiden, unable to admit the truth even to myself.

Enough.

I wanted him. I longed to feel his skin against mine, to drown in his warmth, to surrender to the fire between us and let it consume me utterly. I wanted him to fuck me senseless until I could forget everything poised against us, everything threatening to tear us apart.

The door creaked open, revealing the very object of my thoughts, his hair tousled, his tunic slung over a naked shoulder, all that tempting skin still on display.

“Oh, you’re making lunch,” Noctis said cheerfully upon spotting me in the kitchen, completely oblivious to my raging thoughts. “Good idea. I’m famished.” He chuckled, noticing his sweaty state. “I’ll rinse off and then help you.”

I stood there after he left for the outdoor shower, my breath quick and shallow. Hovering at the edge, still so fucking afraid to fall.

My body moved before my mind caught up with my decision, propelling me toward the door. I stormed out of the house as if fleeing, only to come to a sudden halt when the wooden wall of the shower came into view.

He was already there.

My steps were soft and deliberate now, a hunter closing in on elusive prey. Noctis had once told me there was pleasure to be had in anticipation. He had been right.

Heat coiled in my belly, growing close to unbearable as I caught sight of him under the spray.

I allowed myself to drink him in. His eyes were closed, the water cascading over him.

Each drop seemed to caress the firm planes of his body reverently.

My fingertips tingled, yearning to trace their path.

For one more moment, I clung to my control, a deep breath lifting my chest as I stood frozen in the storm of all the desires I had kept in check for so long. Then I moved .

Noctis was too much of a trained warrior to not sense my approach.

His eyes shot open just before my body collided with his.

Water and heat engulfed me, a shock to my senses.

I pressed on, claiming his lips in a kiss before he could speak.

We stumbled backward until we hit the wall of the shower.

Amid the drops raining down upon us, his gaze met mine—dark with want, flickering with a hint of disbelief.

“Baradaz,” he murmured, a question in his voice.

I pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him.

“Don’t ruin this,” I whispered, pulling him down to me again.

Our next kiss began slowly, a languid exploration, as if it were our very first. My lips glided over his, my tongue teasing the seam of his mouth, pleading for entry.

Noctis opened up at once, deepening our connection, need blooming to life between us.

My hands roamed over his body, driven by an insatiable hunger for his warmth.

Every touch was a silent plea. Hold me. Be with me.

Love me. And when he answered perfectly, it transformed into a fervent demand.

He groaned as I gripped the firm length of his cock without warning, a violent tremble seizing his entire body.

A spark ignited in his eyes, and suddenly, my feet left the ground as he spun us around.

My back collided with the shower wall with bone-rattling force, not that I cared.

I pressed myself against him, winding my legs around his hips.

Giddy excitement flashed through me at how hard he felt against me. I needed to have him inside me.