Page 5

Chapter 5

Sorin

Present Day

S orin paced the deck of the ship. She’d been gone too long. They should have been back hours ago. No, not hours ago. Two godsdamn days ago. He could feel her. She was weak and had only managed to get a few words down the bond every couple of hours. He knew she lived, but where the hell was she?

He’d stayed on this deck all through the night, waiting for her and Cassius to appear. That had been the plan. She and Cassius would go into the Black Syndicate. Scarlett would do her thing, and then they would Travel to him. He hadn’t liked it. They had fought about it—for hours— but in the end, he had lost. She had said that he needed to be on the ship so she knew where to Travel to. That was the only way she’d be able to ?nd them—through their bond.

There was also the fact that he was still recovering from nearly dying.

Sorin rubbed at his chest where Talwyn’s power had slammed into him. The raised edges of the scarring were rough against his ?ngers. The High Witch didn’t know if it would get any better.

He hadn’t been able to get to her. Tarek had kept trying to bind him with his fucking vines, and Scarlett had been drained. So godsdamned drained. She had been trying so hard to save Callan’s sister. To save Callan. To save them all.

But hearing her tell him to ?nd her in the After?

That pain was far worse than the bolt of energy that nearly separated him from her.

Seeing her face when she realized he was dying?

That had gutted him and was the last thing he remembered before losing consciousness.

The only thing he remembered during that week of sleep was shadows and white ?ames and embers calling him home, calling him back to her. He’d thought he’d been dead. He’d thought he’d crossed the Veil and was searching for her among the ashes in the voids between the stars, just as he’d always promised he would.

They’d told him how they had gotten out. How Cassius had been able to Travel them all out of there and back to the Black Halls. His heart had been beating, but barely. Scarlett had been in hysterics until Shirina had appeared and somehow made her sleep.

And when she had woken, Altaria had apparently been waiting for her. Sorin hadn’t exactly been thrilled to hear that detail, considering the eagle was bonded to a man that kept appearing in Scarlett’s dreams. No one knew what she was doing. Everyone had thought she’d lost her damn mind. Which wasn’t too much of a stretch since she’d nearly lost her twin ?ame. Had lost her twin ?ame. According to the High Witch, his heart had stopped, and he had crossed the Veil.

But that wasn’t possible. There was no way to come back from the After once you crossed.

He’d woken to utter chaos. Inter-Court matters, Maraan threats, and plans to go to Avonleya dominated their time from sun up to sun down. Scarlett refused to use their Source bond right now, saying he was still recovering. It wasn’t until he’d been about to board this ship that he had convinced her to let him re?ll her power reserves properly. She’d still been hesitant, but based on the fact she was going to face Alaric, she’d conceded. On top of all that, for the ?rst time in his life, he found himself working on the same side as Azrael Luan.

All their planning and strategizing for invasion by the Maraans had been pointless when a week after he’d woken, Princess Ashtine had shown up and laid out a plan to keep the innocent people of their Courts safe while also sparing their own lives. He didn’t like the fact that it would appear to everyone, including their own people, that they had abandoned them and left. He didn’t like that it looked like they were running away. He didn’t like any of the plan actually, but it was how he had ended up on a ship that was the head of the small unit heading west to get help.

On two of the ships behind him, the orphans had been secured and kept out of reach of Alaric. Although their antics with the keys should have stopped any need for them, Scarlett hadn’t wanted to risk their safety. Especially not with Nuri in a place unable to protect them anymore since she was bound to Alaric. The plan with the keys had been in effect before the events in that throne room though.

He sank down, leaning against the wall of the ship in the mid-morning sun on the quarterdeck. He sat there utterly useless, waiting for his wife to show up.

To lay eyes on her.

To kiss her until she couldn’t stand.

“She is ?ne,” Cyrus said. Sorin looked up. Cyrus’s body blocked the sun, casting a shadow over him. “You would know if she wasn’t.”

“I know.”

Cyrus dropped down beside him. “This is all going to work out.”

“I know,” Sorin repeated.

“You do not sound overly con?dent.”

“He’s crabby,” came Eliza’s irritated drawl. “He always gets pissy when they’re separated. Remember when she’d go for those dinners with Callan in Solembra?”

Cyrus snorted a laugh. “Gods, you were a moody bastard those nights.”

“It was his own fault,” Eliza said. “We all told him to tell her they were twin ?ames. Multiple times.”

“Making him take responsibility for his poor choices,” Cyrus said with a grin. “I like it.”

Sorin grumbled curses under his breath, tipping his head back against the wall of the ship behind him, closing his eyes.

“At least you are speaking. Briar is... not,” Cyrus said.

The mention of the Water Prince had Sorin lifting his head and turning to look at the foredeck where Briar stood, watching the water. He’d only spoken when necessary, but every once in a while the waters around their ship would get suddenly choppy and rough as he wrestled to control his emotions over Ashtine choosing to stay behind.

They needed her there. She was someone on the inside. She was watching over Briar’s Court, Ermir taking over her Wind Court. Luan had refused to join Talwyn and the Maraans, his Court being turned over to none other than Tarek himself. And his own Fire Court?

Talwyn Semiria oversaw it.

Rayner stepped from smoke a few moments later. He’d been doing rounds on the other ships, making sure nothing was amiss. They had wards in place, but if they could get past wards, so could others. Despite his wife’s af?nity for Blood Magic, he was still leery of it and knew Alaric had no qualms about using it to achieve his needs.

Briar’s Court occupied a ship directly behind them. Sorin had a feeling he came to their ship every day to escape his Court’s meddling. It was the same thing he’d done when he’d escape to his mountain chateau. Which is why he left his friend alone for the most part.

Luan was also on their ship, but he kept to himself. Another silent prince who only spoke to any of them when necessary.

And then there were the Tyndells, Callan, and his sister. They also stayed on this ship with his Court, along with Auberon, the former Contessa’s Second, and Beatrix, the Fire Court Witch and Healer.

They’d all become one big, godsdamn family. A roar had them jerking their heads skyward. A second roar had them on their feet.

“Where is he?” Sorin demanded, scanning the skies. He may have heard that roar only one other time, but it was one he’d never forget.

“There,” Eliza said, pointing off into the distance where a dark speck was beginning to take shape against the clear blue sky in the east.

The roar had brought the others to the main deck, and Sorin and his Court made their way to join them. Callan held Eva’s hand in his. Drake had Tava tucked protectively under an arm. Briar and Luan had come to join Sorin, everyone’s eyes on the sky, watching the dragon draw closer and closer.

“They are on his back,” Luan murmured several minutes later.

“What?” Sorin asked, only half-listening to the Earth Prince as he tracked the dragon’s progress.

“Scarlett and Cassius,” Luan said. “Ranvir has passengers.”

“Impossible.”

But as Ranvir ?apped his giant wings again, there was no mistaking the head of silver hair that sat atop him, a male at her back.

They all took several steps back when Ranvir ?nally reached the ship, the entire thing rocking violently when he landed before them on the main deck.

Scarlett slid from Ranvir’s back, Cassius helping her down before sliding down himself. The dragon released another roar that had Princess Eva screaming in fright, slapping her hands over ears, before he launched back into the sky. There was a ?ash of golden light a moment later when he disappeared.

Sorin watched Scarlett slowly drag her gaze over the others, all staring at her with mouths gaping. He found himself rubbing his ?ngers along his brow as he said, “Love, did we not say no riding the spirit animals, particularly the godsdamn dragon?”

“I had my shadow dragon, but seeing as my power reserves are basically gone and so are Cassius’s, I was rather grateful that Ranvir showed up when he did,” Scarlett answered, reaching up and brushing back some hair that was ?uttering in her face.

Sorin was already striding for her, a dagger slicing a thin line across the Mark on his forearm. He reached for her hand, cutting a gash along her palm and placing it atop the Mark, their blood mixing. His arm looped around her waist, and her head fell forward onto his chest as he felt his magic wrapping around her, pouring into her, ?lling her.

“I shouldn’t be drawing from you like this yet,” she said breathlessly. “You haven’t recovered enough.”

“I have more than recovered enough for this, Scarlett,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair. “Let your magic feed.”

Rayner had already retrieved a cup, blood trickling from Cyrus’s arm into it. Cassius looked like he could barely stand. Scarlett and the commander both looked utterly exhausted.

“What happened?” Sorin asked after a few moments. “Why didn’t you Travel to us?”

“I burned down the Fellowship.”

Sorin stilled against her. “Come again?”

She looked up at him, a malicious smile slowly ?lling her face. “I poured my white ?ames into every crack and crevice of the Fellowship. And after I’d given Alaric the key, I burned the entire thing to nothing but ash.”

Cyrus barked a laugh behind her. “Well done, Darling.”

“Yes, but... ” she said, her smile slipping. “There was an unexpected cost to the Mark we used to hide me from their wards.”

“Which was?” Sorin gritted out.

“Cassius couldn’t sense me, which we anticipated, but I also could not Travel with him, so we had no choice but to ride my shadow dragon. When my power gave out and I’d drained Cass of all of his... ” She shrugged as she trailed off. “Apparently his daddy knew we’d need help because Ranvir appeared just as my shadows began to give out.”

“You and Cyrus need to stop calling him my ‘daddy,’” Cassius grumbled.

Sorin cut a glance at Cassius, who was sipping from the glass of Cyrus’s blood. “Anything to add to her account of events, Commander?”

“She pretty much summed it all up,” Cassius replied. Cyrus had an arm looped around his waist, keeping him on his feet while he drank.

“You have been ?ying on a dragon of some sort for the last two days?” Eliza asked, her brows high.

“Has it been that long?” Scarlett asked, her forehead falling back to Sorin’s chest as she continued to draw power from him. “I lost consciousness for a while, so I really can’t say. That’s why I wasn’t as responsive down the bond.”

“Why is it that I have been missing out on all the excitement lately?” Eliza grumbled with a scowl.

Scarlett huffed a dark laugh. “Don’t worry, Friend. There will be plenty of seraphs for you to slaughter when we return.”

Eliza muttered something else under her breath, her arms folding across her chest.

“You need to rest,” Sorin said, tilting her chin up to look into her eyes. They were still icy blue. Not a hint of silver. She was completely drained. This would take a few days to restore.

“We can do the thing ?rst,” she insisted, trying to push off of him and stand on her own.

He ended up catching her when her legs buckled. Her hand slipped from his bleeding arm as he scooped her up. “It can wait.”

“I don’t want to wait,” she whined, nestling into him.

“You do not have a choice, Love,” he replied, striding for the prince’s cabin.

“So fussy,” she murmured, her eyes already ?uttering closed.

“Tell me again why we’re doing this on your ship instead of Briar’s,” Scarlett called out from the small bathing suite off the prince’s cabin.

“Why would we do this on Briar’s ship?” Sorin asked, moving to the doorway of the bathing room to ?nd her adjusting the dress she’d put on.

“Because his ship is prettier than yours.”

“For fuck’s sake,” he muttered under his breath.

She straightened, turning to face him to say something, but her eyes widened slightly when they landed on him, her lips parting just a touch.

Sorin smirked back at her. He could feel every lustful thought down the bond.

He wore black pants with a black jacket. Red, orange, and yellow threads ran up the sleeves, creating the illusion of ?ames. It had been tailored to ?t him perfectly. His black hair was swept back casually, a few strands falling over his brow, a crown of ?ickering ?ames sat atop his head. They’d hardly had any time alone since he had nearly died. He’d been healing. She’d been scheming.

And burning things to the ground apparently.

His golden eyes glimmered when she ?nally dragged her eyes back to them, her mouth snapping shut.

“Something to say, Princess?”

“No,” she whispered hoarsely.

Worry crossed his features, his brow scrunching slightly. “Are you all right?” he asked, stepping into the small bathing room.

“Yeah. Yes,” she replied quickly, clearing her throat and shrugging slightly. “You look... ”

“Stunning? Handsome?”

“I was going to say younger,” she replied nonchalantly. “Not nearly as ancient.”

“By the gods. That godsdamn tongue,” he muttered.

She smirked at him this time, running her hands down the sides of the dress she wore, smoothing out any creases. His eyes followed her movements, tracking over her hips, her torso, her chest, making their way back to her face. “I can’t believe you packed this dress.”

“It seems only ?tting we do this with you in that dress, Love,” he answered with a wink, reaching for her hand. “But also... ”

He led her back out to the main room. It wasn’t an overly large room. A full bed was against one wall, secured to the ?oor like all the other furniture. There was a small desk against another wall, an armoire beside it. A small sofa was secured to the opposite wall.

He could tell Scarlett still didn’t entirely have her sea legs, but after sleeping for three days, she had refused to wait another moment to do this. Admittedly, he hadn’t tried too hard to convince her otherwise.

Sorin dropped her hand, crossing to the armoire. He pulled open one side, reaching up to the top shelf. When he turned back to face her, he held her crown in his hands.

“I don’t really think that’s necessary,” Scarlett said, her nose scrunching. “It doesn’t go with the dress.”

“A crown goes with anything,” Sorin argued, striding back to her and placing it carefully atop her head. “It also looks stunning on you when you wear nothing at all.”

She rolled her eyes, but he caught the slight color that entered her cheeks. “Cad,” she mumbled.

He chuckled, bending to press a light kiss to her cheek. “Ready?” he asked, straightening and holding his right hand out to her.

“Yes,” she breathed, her left hand slipping into his.

Her left hand with her twin ?ame Mark swirling down her thumb and three of her ?ngers. Only one remained unmarked.

And they were about to take care of that now.

Long after he had been ?lled in on everything that had happened when he’d woken in the Fire Court, Scarlett had lain cuddled up beside him. His eyes had been closed, still utterly exhausted, as she’d slowly traced the Marks on his chest with her ?nger.

“Sorin?” she’d asked, breaking the comfortable silence. He’d almost been asleep as he mumbled, “Yeah, Love?”

“We... We’re good, right? You trust me, and I trust you. Completely.

Right?”

That had certainly jolted him wide awake.

He’d opened his eyes, reaching over to tip her face up to his. “I trust you, Scarlett. I am yours, and you are mine. Always.”

She’d pushed out a long breath, almost as if she’d been relieved. “Okay,” she’d whispered. “Then when you are... better, can we go see Beatrix?”

“Why?” he’d asked, his mind immediately turning over every possibility for why they might need a Witch.

She’d held up her left hand, that new Mark down her ring ?nger where her marriage band sat atop it. “We have a bond to Anoint, Prince.” He’d slowly reached for her hand, running his ?ngers along the Mark.

They’d done it. They’d completed the twin ?ame Trials.

His eyes had snapped back to hers. “When?” he’d rasped out.

Tears had glimmered in her eyes. “When I woke after giving you all my magic, it was there.”

Her sacri?ce trial.

He’d pulled her face to his then, kissing her until they were both breathless.

She hadn’t let it go any farther though. And okay, ?ne. He’d almost died, so he could understand her being careful.

But then she’d continued to refuse until she was convinced he’d healed enough.

Then all the planning and strategizing had happened. They’d been preparing to leave, and they’d never found time to seek out Beatrix and get this thing Anointed.

The day she’d left for the Black Syndicate, Scarlett had kissed him softly and had murmured that the moment her feet landed on this ship, they would get the bond Anointed.

Then it had been his turn to make her wait.

Eliza had Marked her to hide her Marks from others before she’d gone into the Syndicate, but Scarlett had added additional glamours she’d found in the Sorceress’s spell book to make sure Alaric couldn’t see through them. They didn’t want it known that the Fire Prince still lived.

Sorin ushered her through the door and out onto the quarterdeck before they descended the stairs to the main deck side-by-side, making their way to the foredeck where Beatrix stood waiting for them. The moon was bright, and the stars stretched as far as they could see. It had been Scarlett’s idea to do this under the night sky. He hadn’t argued. It seemed right to do this in the darkness, beneath the stars, and with her in that dress from the party at the Pier nearly a year ago.

“It would seem the Fates have yet again found a way, Prince,” Beatrix said, her eyes soft and full of an adoration rarely seen from a Witch.

“It would certainly seem that way,” he replied, smiling softly and bending to press a kiss to her cheek.

“And you, young queen,” she said, turning to Scarlett. “You have brought hope to those who thought all was lost.”

“That is what I am told,” Scarlett said with a slight frown.

“I speak not of the kingdom we sail towards, but of the one standing beside you,” Beatrix replied. Before either of them could respond to that, she said, “Left hands out, palms up.” She pulled a black dagger from the cloak she wore, and Scarlett gasped, her hand falling back to her side.

“That is a nightstone dagger,” she said, taking a step forward.

Beatrix gave her a knowing smile. “It is a ceremonial dagger for exactly this purpose.”

“With a nightstone blade.”

“Some refer to it as a blade of the gods, but that is neither here nor there at the moment,” Beatrix said, hushing Scarlett before she could ask another question. Beatrix motioned for her hand to come up once again, and Scarlett obeyed, eyeing the dagger closely.

A slash was cut across both their palms, and the Witch spoke in a language Sorin could not understand. Scarlett seemed to stiffen slightly beside him, but she did not interrupt again. When she ?nished speaking, Beatrix took Scarlett’s hand, placing her cut along his, and the moment their blood mixed, Sorin sucked in a breath. He heard Scarlett do the same.

Because that was power. Pure and undiluted. His chest warmed, his very soul seeming to gravitate towards her, tugging him closer to her. Scarlett’s hand was squeezing his, and his arm came around her waist as she stumbled slightly. His ?re and her shadows encircled them. Snow and ice danced above his ?ames, and where they touched, they turned to ash, melding with her shadows.

The pleasure of their power combined with everything ?ooding him down their bond had him gripping Scarlett tighter to him as their very essences merged, an aura of pure light seeming to glow around them. It was brighter than any star, but all he could focus on were the silver eyes ?xed on his.

The glow slowly faded, their ?aring power dying down. They were still catching their breath when Beatrix pressed kisses to both their cheeks before squeezing their hands and leaving them alone at the front of the ship. Scarlett moved to the front of the foredeck, staring out at the black water ahead of them. Her hand was raised in front of her as she admired the completed Mark.

He slipped his arms around her waist, tugging her back into his chest. He pressed a small kiss to the spot below her ear, and she hummed in pleasure, dropping her hand to cover his.

“Tell me what you are thinking,” he murmured into her ear.

“I am thinking that I am grateful for these moments to breathe amid the chaos,” she answered. “I am thinking that tonight I do not want to think about Avonleya or Alaric. I do not want to think of the Courts we left behind or feel the heartache of betrayal by those we trusted. I do not want to worry about the friends we left behind— Ashtine and Hazel, Juliette and Arianna. For one night, I want to forget it all. And I am thinking that I am an awful queen for thinking such things.”

“My Love, you left to ?nd help. You left to ?nd the one thing that can stop all of this. You left to save those very people and Courts you left behind. And while I understand why you feel this way—because I feel the same—the stars in your company are just as worthy of your attention as the stars you are ?ghting for.”

She sighed, her head tipping back against his shoulder. “Such wise words from an ancient prince.”

“Perhaps we should ?nd a better use for that tongue of yours,” he purred into her ear, and he felt the tremor run through her body. He noticed her shift in scent a moment later.

“ Perhaps you should introduce me to more of your experiences , Prince,” she replied, turning in his arms. Her hands pressed against his chest as she pushed up onto her tiptoes to touch her lips to his. His ?ngers were immediately sliding into her hair, holding her mouth to his.

His tongue tasted hers as his lips moved against her soft mouth. His other hand was tracing down the back of the dress that dipped right down to the swells of her ass. Her hands slid up his chest, looping around his neck. She pulled her body into his, as if she couldn’t stand any space between them.

His ?ngers trailed down her ribs, slipping to her hips and then her thighs, ?nding the deep slits of the dress. He began slowly bunching the fabric up her legs. It took a moment for her to realize what he was doing, but when she did, she stiffened, breaking the kiss.

“Out here?” she questioned breathlessly.

“You said you wanted me to show you some of my experiences, Love,” he teased, continuing to slowly pull the skirt of her dress up.

“But anyone could come out here and see us,” she argued. Sorin brought his lips to her ear. “That is half the fun, Love.”

She was still a moment longer before he felt her relax into him. He resumed the slow bunching up of her skirt as he lowered his lips to her neck, trailing kisses down her throat. Her hands had moved to his jacket, quickly undoing the buttons before slipping it off his shoulders and letting it fall to the ship deck.

“I ?nd it unfair that you have so many layers of clothing on,” she said, her ?nger already slipping under the hem of his tunic and brushing along his stomach. His abdomen instantly tightened at her touch, her ?ngers tracing along muscles as she pulled his tunic up.

“You seem to make pretty quick work of them,” he said roughly, letting her slip the tunic over his head and toss it aside. “And this dress will be far more work to take off than any of my clothes, I assure you.”

“You chose the dress,” she tossed back, ?ngers roaming over his now bare skin, lips brushing along his chest.

“I did,” he conceded, nipping at the sensitive spot between her neck and shoulder. He felt her stumble into him a little more, and his lips curved up against her ?esh.

“You wouldn’t have to remove the dress,” she said then, her hands dropping to the buttons on his pants. But instead of undoing them, she ran her hand over him atop the fabric.

“Shit,” he breathed, his hips involuntarily bucking into her hand, and he felt her smile against his skin this time. “And why is that?” he gritted out as she continued to stroke him through his pants.

She pushed back up onto her toes to whisper into his ear. “Because I remember how much you enjoy no pants dilemmas.”

A small scream of surprise escaped her as he had her up against the side of the deck in the next breath. He lifted her by the hips, setting her on the narrow ledge.

“Sorin!” she gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders.

“I will always catch you, Love,” he said, one hand ?rm on her hip while the other reached up to her hair. “This, on the other hand,” he added, plucking the crown from the top of her head. “No guarantees.”

She laughed, the sound of it breathing life into his very soul. She took the crown from his hand and tossed it onto his discarded tunic. When her eyes met his once more, her features had softened. He brought his hand to her cheek, thumb brushing along her skin.

“A million stars in the sky above us, and you are still the brightest,” she murmured, ?ngers ?nally beginning to undo the buttons of his pants.

“A million stars in the sky, and you are the only one I care to look at. The only one that matters,” he replied.

She pulled him free as he bunched up her dress, lifting her slightly to let it pool around her hips. She spread her legs, letting him step between her thighs, and he could already feel her slick heat against him.

Then he felt her shadows rake along his skin as if she were lightly dragging her nails along it. The sensation made him groan, his ?ngers ?exing on her hips. His embers rose up to greet her shadows, and his ?ames skittered along her arms, rolling along her torso.

But when her actual ?ngers touched his ?esh, ice cold as she dragged them along his ribs, he hissed between his teeth.

She laughed tauntingly, but it quickly turned into a gasp as he jerked her hips forward. He’d already been lined up perfectly, and he slid into her with ease.

“I swear to Saylah, if you drop me in the sea, Sorin... ” She sucked in a breath, her head tipping back and up to the sky as he thrust in deeper.

“You would be ?ne. You can breathe underwater,” he replied, relishing the feel of her around him.

“So not the point,” she panted out, ?ngers digging into his shoulders when he thrust into her again.

“Relax, Love,” he murmured, his mouth ?nding her throat again. “Don’t think. For one night. Remember?”

He felt her shudder slightly before her head fell into the crook of his neck. The nails digging into his shoulder loosened some. Her entire body loosened, letting him take control of it. He felt her tip her hips up slightly, letting him slide in even deeper, and she moaned into his neck when he hit that perfect spot.

He slipped a hand between them, his arm looping around her back. His ?ngers slipped down to rub tight circles against her center, and he instantly felt her begin to clench around him. A few moments later, she was crying out, the sound muf?ed against him. A few more thrusts, and he found his own release as she continued to spasm around him before she went limp against his chest.

He pressed a kiss to her hair, her temple, her jaw. She just groaned.

He lifted her left hand, pressing another kiss to that completed Mark. “Thank you for not dropping me in the sea,” she eventually murmured into his chest.

He’d been running his ?ngers through her hair, and he let out a bark of laughter. “All my experiences prepared me for this, Princess.”

She tsked, pinching his bicep, and he laughed again. “Still a queen, you know,” she grumbled.

“Queen just doesn’t have quite the same ring as princess,” he said, lifting her down, her dress falling back down to her feet. “Come on, Love. Let’s get you back inside.”

She bent and retrieved the crown while he tucked himself away. He left his pants unbuttoned, grabbing his tunic and jacket before taking her hand.

As they were descending a set of steps, she said, “Sorin?”

“Yeah, Love?” He glanced back over his shoulder. Her silver hair was ?uttering around her on the sea breeze, and her eyes were almost glowing, as bright as the stars above them.

“When this is over, where do you want to live? Will we be expected to reside at the Black Halls?”

“Perhaps,” he said, ?ghting the grin when her nose scrunched in annoyance at the word.

“But you love the mountains, and you are still the Fire Prince. Wouldn’t you rather be in Solembra?”

“I wish to be wherever you are, Love.”

“Yes, yes,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “But what will be expected of us?”

“This is an incredibly random topic.”

“Not really,” she said with a shrug as he led her down the steps that would lead to their cabin. “I never let myself think of the future. I didn’t want to think of the future. It held nothing I desired except the illusion of freedom I never thought I would see. But you... ” Sorin came to a halt outside their door, turning to face her fully. All he could feel down their bond was a deep contentment. “You make me want to plan a future, Sorin,” she ?nished softly.

And then he was pressing her up against the wall, his mouth on hers once more, his hand caressing her cheek. It was a slow kiss, full of all the promises and vows they’d ever made to each other. When he pulled back, he brushed his lips over the tip of her nose before he said, “Then we will plan a future together, Scarlett. Always together.”