Page 19

Chapter fifteen

Morning Light

Ayla

I stirred, languid and sleepy, stretching out across the bed. Despite sleeping for only a few hours, I felt more replenished than I had in months. My body had been worked and pleasured and now relaxed in places I hadn’t known were tense.

For the first time in my life, I was no longer terribly lonely. Even alone in this bed, I knew Zayne was just outside—I could hear him speaking with Vanessa, his steady presence through the bond reassuring me.

The sea rocked the bed, and I debated surrendering to sleep or racing onto the deck just to be with him. I curled on my side, pulling the blanket higher, questioning the impulse.

I never wanted to need someone the way I need him.

The thought ricocheted through my brain, and I rolled onto my back, looking at the ceiling.

Curiosity drifted through the tether as if Zayne was checking on me. In reply, I broadcasted sleepy contentment through the connection, hopeful he understood the message: I’m fine.

Truthfully, I was only fine enough.

But I needed a few moments alone.

Zayne paused the conversation with Vanessa, but after some consideration, he carried on.

Relieved, I relaxed into the bed. The room still smelled like him, cedar and rain, enticing and amazing.

If he entered, I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to pull him into bed just so I could taste him again.

At the idea of it, my mind burst with memories.

The blur of pleasure, skin, and moans; my memories fractured by fervor. And the bond... There was no denying that it was stronger than the day before.

I craved to have him always by my side, touching me, with me. Inside my mind.

And that frightened me.

Deciding that I was awake, I shifted the sheet aside, my attention drawn to my naked skin. Memories flashed again—the sight of him gripping my thighs, his tongue rolling along my clit.

It was so hot. All of it.

I really wanted to do that again. And more.

I swallowed, flushed and aroused and uncertain of it all. I reached for my neck, and light flared where my hand touched my throat, as if my skin remembered when he’d kissed me there.

It was dangerous to have someone that close to me. The fact that I trusted him as much as I did was a miracle, and the level of vulnerability this evolving tether required...

Shaking it out, I reached for the water skin Zayne had left and took a long drink. Dressing, I found my worn leathers to be a welcome reprieve from the fae finery, the red dress from the night before still crumpled in a corner.

As I prepared, my hands glowed and dimmed, the insistent yellow-white light and hum of power increasingly familiar. It was getting harder to control, and I couldn’t deny the power was strengthening.

Hopefully training with Ninti would help.

I needed control before I saw the Starlit King again. Before he could offer another lesson that I honestly needed. He was dangerous, a familiarity to him that was far more worrisome than the warnings.

My light flared again, thrumming louder. I squeezed my eyes shut, willing it to go away.

This time when he checked on me, Zayne didn’t waste time with the tether.

He opened the cabin door. His silhouette filled the frame, imposing and intense.

Dark shadows rippled out from him, and all I wanted was to be inside them.

The memories of what we had shared suddenly felt far too intimate to be real, and I craved the evidence of him .

My light flared again. Embarrassed, I yanked my hands close to my chest.

The tether pulsed as he reached for me, cupped my chin, and guided my gaze to his. “Is everything okay?”

I breathed, just breathed, soaking him in, the perfection of his fae face shaking me to the core. “My light is getting more intense.”

His fingers traced down my arm, finding my hand, my skin still hot. His touch was cool as he weaved his fingers through mine. “We’ll figure it out.”

I calmed at his touch, and the light began to ebb. “This is so frustrating.”

He leaned closer, our foreheads touching. “I know.”

“After our time in Gloom, I thought I was recovered, taking care of myself. But since we’ve left, everything’s been so intense, and… Zayne, I’m afraid of losing control.”

The scent of him filled my lungs, and my breath hitched with the memory of him on top of me, stroking me between the legs, his mouth on my lips, another hand tight on my breast.

“You didn’t lose control last night,” he whispered in my ear.

“Maybe,” I considered. “But I’m always safe around you.”

Leaning in, I kissed him. His lips parted with the promise of more. Arousal pooled anew in my belly, further fed by the desire streaming from his side of the tether.

“We’ve almost reached the Isle of Dusk,” he whispered against my mouth.

“I figured.”

Still, my fingers trailed his skin. It felt too good to be near him, and I never wanted to let him go. I clung to our connection like a lifeline in a storm. His fingers traced the back of my spine, and I leaned into his embrace, soaking it in.

Too soon, Vanessa’s voice resonated throughout the ship. “Not to interrupt, but we’re nearly there. Where should I anchor?”

I hugged him a little tighter, hating the inevitable. He kissed me one more time and let me go.

“Tonight?” I asked, sliding on a boot. “We’ll pick up where we left off?”

“Tonight,” he agreed, kneeling before me. Taking the laces of my shoe, he tied them up. Leaning forward, he kissed my thigh. “Tonight, I’ll give you everything you want. And more.”