Page 11 of Queen of Shadows and Ruin (The Nightfire Quartet #4)

TEN

Zarya assessed Dav from head to toe while he returned the gesture.

“The resistance? Here?” she asked. “You never said anything about this.”

“It’s not as organized or as far along as in Ishaan,” Rabin said. “And I confess I wasn’t sure their fight would ever amount to anything, so I never gave it much weight. But then I saw what you all accomplished in Ishaan, and I thought…”

“Rabin,” Dav said, a warning in his tone. “You can’t tell anyone who we are.”

“It’s okay,” Rabin said. “I promise you have nothing to worry about. Zarya is a key member of the Rising Phoenix…but I shouldn’t speak for her.”

He gestured her way, and she inhaled a breath and nodded.

Abishek wasn’t convinced that helping the vanshaj was the right thing yet. But of course, others were working towards vanshaj freedom. If the king refused to help, she might have to work without his consent.

Once she’d relayed the entire story of the Rising Phoenix and what they’d done, Dav’s jaw hung slack, his face completely white.

“You broke the collars,” he said, obvious shock quivering in his voice. “You freed their magic.”

She nodded, twisting her fingers together in nervousness. No matter how often she revealed this secret, it always felt a bit dangerous.

“Could you do it again? Right now?” he asked, practically stumbling towards her. He didn’t seem at all interested in her revelations about the sixth anchor.

“Yes. I could do it as many times as you need.”

Dav opened his mouth and then closed it. “Give me a moment.”

He flung open the door and began shouting orders at everyone seated in the bar. “We’re closed! Everyone out!”

Zarya and Rabin exchanged worried looks as Dav insisted everyone leave, pushing people up from their chairs as they grumbled under their breaths.

“One free drink on the house tomorrow!” he promised. “As long as you get your asses out of here now!” That had the intended effect, and finally, everyone stirred into action. After another minute, the bar was empty.

“I’ll be right back,” Dav said, bounding up a flight of stairs at the room’s far end. Zarya and Rabin waited in the main area before Dav returned with a vanshaj woman in tow.

“This is Suria,” Dav said. “My wife.”

“Your wife?” Zarya asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

“Not my wife legally,” he amended. “But my wife in every way that matters.”

He held Suria’s hand to his chest, his voice so full of passion that Zarya felt her throat knot up. Now she understood why he hadn’t cared about the sixth anchor. He had far more important things to worry about.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Zarya said.

“Is it true?” Suria asked. “You can break it?”

“It’s true.”

Suria immediately stepped forward, pulling on the collar of her shirt to expose her throat. “Then help me.”

“Really? You’re sure?”

“Why?” Dav asked. “Is it dangerous?”

“No. It’s not. I just…usually have to work a little harder to convince people.”

Dav looked at Rabin. “You confirm she is honorable?”

“Of course,” Rabin said.

“Then that’s all we need.”

Dav took Suria’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “We want to be free of this. We want to marry properly someday.”

“You understand you can’t tell anyone,” Zarya said. “The collar is only one step on the road to freedom. I’ve spoken to the king, and he’s still considering the consequences of freeing the vanshaj.”

“The king?” Dav said. “The king would never agree to this.”

“He might,” Zarya insisted.

“He will not,” Suria said, her mouth flattening. “He would rather see us all dead than see us freed.”

Zarya blinked at the venom in her tone. “You really think so?”

“I do.” Suria straightened her shoulders, her chin lifting.

Zarya frowned at Suria’s apparent certainty. The king was rigid, but she was sure he could be convinced.

“Then, you understand who I am?” she asked.

“We’ve heard the rumors about the king’s daughter,” Dav said.

“And you still trust me?”

“We are not the people we are born of,” Suria said, her lips set in a firm line. No one would know that better than her.

“We won’t tell anyone but those we trust,” Dav said. “Will you help them, too?”

Zarya inhaled a deep breath. She reached for her mother’s pendant, tears pressing her eyes at the reminder that it was gone. Regardless, she’d never forget the words inside.

She will free them all.

“Of course I’ll help them,” she whispered.

“Thank you,” Suria whispered back, her eyes glassy with tears.

“You will have magic,” she said, and Suria nodded.

“I can help her with it,” Dav said proudly.

“Okay, then give us some space,” Zarya said to Rabin and Dav, who quickly shuffled aside.

Suria stood before her and waited, unblinking, while Zarya pulled out a thread of her nightfire. She twisted it around the other woman’s throat, carefully pulling apart the star collar. She’d done this so often it had become an extension of herself.

It took only a moment for the sparkling black ribbons to do their work as the tattoo dissolved off Suria’s skin in puffs of shadow. When Zarya was done, she dropped her hands as Suria grabbed her throat.

“Did it work?” She looked at her husband, who was already crying.

“Suria,” he gasped, stumbling towards her, cupping her face in his hands. “Suria. I never thought I’d live to see it.”

They fell against one another, sobbing while their bodies shook. As Zarya watched, she felt Rabin move beside her before he looped a finger through her pinky and squeezed. She looked up to witness the proud look in his eyes. She would never grow tired of this gift and this ability to change the course of someone’s destiny forever.

After a minute, Dav and Suria gathered themselves enough to pull apart.

“How can we ever thank you?” Dav asked. “You’ve given us our entire lives .”

“There’s no need,” she said, shaking her head. “I’m happy to do it.”

“I was hoping we could use the cabin tonight?” Rabin said, and Dav’s face lit up.

“Yes, of course! That’s perfect. You’ll spend the night with us.”

Then Dav took Zarya’s hand and squeezed it. “If they’re willing, can we bring others to see you?”

She swallowed hard. Five months ago, she’d arrived in Gi’ana intending to meet her family and had inadvertently stirred up a rebellion tearing apart their home. Was she here, meeting the other half of her lineage, preparing to do the same?

Of course there was no question. Of course she would help. She’d already sworn she’d die trying if that’s what it took.

She looked over her shoulder at Rabin, and she could see the worry in his expression. He’d beg her to be careful, but they had long ago been swept into this tide they couldn’t have stopped even if they’d wanted to.

“Yes,” she said, turning back to Dav. “Bring as many as you can. I will free them all.”

The cabin turned out to be a small, adorable house the couple rented out to visitors. Once Zarya agreed to return to the tavern in two days and free as many vanshaj as they could gather, Dav and Suria escorted them out the back door and along a snowy path lined with flickering lanterns.

They entered through frosted glass doors, finding a small single room with a massive bed covered in a patchwork quilt against one wall and a roaring fire against another.

“We’ll be right back,” Suria said with a sparkle in her eyes before the couple disappeared, leaving Zarya and Rabin alone.

“Do you think anyone will notice if we spend the night?” Zarya asked with a tip of her head.

Rabin walked over and wrapped an arm around her waist. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I stay here occasionally when I need space, so I don’t think anyone will miss us. Seems like a good chance for some alone time.” He leaned down to press his nose into the curve of her throat and rumbled, “Not being able to touch you is driving me mad.”

He tipped her head up to capture her mouth before he pulled away.

“Come and see the view,” Rabin said.

He led her through another set of glass doors on the other side. There, they found a covered balcony overlooking the mountain valley. In the center was a roaring firepit, giving off enough heat to discard the heaviest of their layers.

After dropping her coat on a chair, Zarya walked to the railing, watching the last of the day’s light fade as the valley turned from rivers of gold into puddles of twilight.

“This is magnificent,” she said. “It would be easy to dismiss this landscape as harsh and unforgiving, but you only have to look a little deeper to appreciate its true beauty.”

“Sometimes, I think that’s how you see me, too,” Rabin said softly as he came to stand next to her.

She exhaled a soft breath as she turned towards him. “It is. You’re my secret, and I’m keeping it that way forever.”

He gave her a pleased half-smile before they stood together, silently watching the darkening horizon for several minutes. The gentle breeze tugged at her hair and clothing, nipping at her nose and ears.

When the cabin door opened, they turned to find Suria and Dav laden with trays and baskets. They deposited a veritable feast on the small table, including food, wine, fruit, and sweets.

“We hope you’ll enjoy this,” Suria said. “It’s all our best provisions, shipped in from across Rahajhan.”

“Thank you,” Zarya said. “But this is too much.”

“It’s not nearly enough,” Suria said, her voice thick with emotion. “Call if you need anything.” Then she strode over and threw her arms around Zarya, hugging her tightly and sniffing before she pulled away, wiping her eyes. “ Anything at all.”

“This is perfect.”

“Then no one else will disturb you,” Dav promised with a bow and his hands pressed together.

After they were gone, Zarya smiled. “Are they always this generous?”

Rabin laughed. “Yes, but I think they went all out for you.”

She pressed the corner of her lips together. “I’m glad I could help them.”

He walked over and wrapped a hand around the back of her neck.

“I want to help the others, too.”

“I knew you would,” he said.

“We’d be doing this right under the king’s nose. I think Suria is wrong, and his mind can be changed, but I’m also not inclined to wait.”

Rabin nodded. “It would mean a breach of his orders, but you don’t owe him anything.”

Zarya gave him a quizzical look. “But he forbade it. You’d be defying him again.”

“I understand. But he’s wrong about this, too.”

Then he quickly looked away and picked up one of the large mugs from the tray on the table.

“Try this. It’s Dav’s specialty. Badam milk. Made with almonds, cardamon, and saffron.”

Zarya accepted the mug and inhaled the fragrant scent before taking a sip. The creamy liquid slipped through her limbs, warming her insides. “It’s delicious.”

Rabin then selected a bottle of dark amber liquor on the tray and tipped some into her mug before filling his own. After toasting with a clink, he took her hand and led her back onto the balcony.

They stood at the railing, facing the soaring mountain landscape, staring at the sky now twinkling with a net of stars. Without any cloud cover, they sparkled in rivers against midnight blue. It reminded Zarya of the dream forest and the moment fate brought Rabin into her life.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“I’m thinking about the first time I saw you in the mind plane. Your face wasn’t even visible but somehow, I knew you’d be important.”

That earned her the barest smile. “That night changed my entire life.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, their mouths meeting and tongues sliding, heat rising between them as they luxuriated in each other. He tugged her towards a nest of plush chairs near the fire, settling her onto his lap as they placed their mugs on the table.

Then they kissed and kissed, hands grasping and breaths tangling in puffs of white.

“It’s been too long since we’ve done this,” he murmured, sucking on the curve of her throat.

“Far too long,” she agreed as her head tipped back to offer him access.

Their wedding night. It felt like a million years ago when they’d sealed their love in that opulent hotel room in the heart of Ishaan.

Then everything had gone to hell, and now they were here in this new place, pretending they didn’t mean anything to one another. And then their tainted bonding had cut them completely off from the last thread of their connection. Soon, it might take Rabin away forever.

She did her best to push away those thoughts as she kissed him harder, warmth swirling in the pit of her stomach. They’d fix their bond as soon as Abishek’s mystic returned, and nothing would ever come between them.

Maybe one day, they could live together in relative peace. Enjoy their lives and each other without a crisis creeping up their backs. She couldn’t wait.

His hand slid up her knee and under her long skirt, finding the cuff of her high wool socks. He teased the edge, his fingers ghosting over her skin and pulling up a shiver. His hand gripped her waist as he shifted her around until her back was against his chest and her legs were spread over his knees.

She melted against him as her arm wrapped around the back of his head, and he continued tracing tiny circles over the skin of her inner thigh. “Rabin,” she breathed as his hand drifted higher, finding the dampening seam between her legs.

He cupped her pussy as he kissed her neck. Then he found the band of her underwear before he shoved his hand inside. She moaned as a thick finger found her wet heat, her hips writhing against his hardening cock.

“Remember the alley in Ishaan?” he said as he circled her clit with a gentle touch that was driving her mad. “That rush of maybe getting caught?”

She huffed out a breathless laugh. “Of course.”

“We need to do that again,” he said, thrusting his finger inside before adding a second, stretching her as he pumped in and out. Her eyelids fluttered, and she whimpered at the coil of fire spiraling in her stomach.

“Gods,” she moaned as he teased her, applying varying pressure, featherlight and then rough, as her breath came in tight, gasping pants.

“Maybe in the castle,” he mused. “Find a quiet corner where we might get caught.”

“I thought we were being discreet,” she gasped with a breath that was part moan and part laugh.

She leaned up to kiss him and then flipped around to straddle his hips.

“I want you inside me,” she said, grabbing his shoulders before she leaned in to kiss him hard. He gave her a wicked look, a low, dark chuckle rumbling in his chest.

She felt the swell of his cock against her bared skin and shifted her hips, trying to generate friction. Lifting the hem of his kurta, she exposed the taut lines of his stomach as she traced the curves and planes of muscle. Her hands drifted lower, unbuttoning his pants before reaching in to find his hard cock.

He moaned as she wrapped her hand around it, pumping a few times as he twitched in response to her touch. Then she lifted up, positioning the head at her entrance. She hovered there as she met his gaze.

“Trying to torture me?” he asked with a curl of his lip.

“Is this torturing you?”

“Every moment without my cock filling this sweet cunt is pure fucking torture, Spitfire.”

Then he grabbed her hips and thrust . They both groaned as he split her wide, the force of his size both decadent and offering just the right amount of pain bordering on pleasure.

A rumble stirred in his chest as he waited for her to adjust to his presence. His hand slipped higher under her skirt, finding her breast and squeezing it before he pinched her nipple hard enough to send a flash of arousal straight to her clit.

She exhaled a strangled breath as he gripped one hip, thrusting up into her with force, over and over, as she felt her release climbing. She was only dimly aware of their surroundings. Of the mountains and the sky. Of the wind gusting over the pristine landscape.

She tipped forward, her forehead touching his as her hips writhed, his thick cock hitting every sensitive spot as she clenched around him. It was hard to believe this could be so hot when they were both fully dressed.

“Zarya,” he moaned as he fucked her with abandon, and the cold air chilled their noses and cheeks. She inhaled a deep breath of clean air as he reached down to roughly circle her clit.

She fell into nothing, her release exploding through her limbs. He continued touching her, kissing her, fucking her until a minute later, he let out a deep groan and then came as his hand tightened around her hip, his fingers digging into her flesh to the point of bruising.

When the waves of her orgasm faded out, she collapsed against him. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tight.

“I love you,” she said, burying her mouth into the curve of his throat.

“I love you too, Spitfire,” he said. “I will protect you with every breath in my body.”

She laid her head on his shoulder and blinked, wondering why she detected a thread of uncertainty in those words.