Page 65 of Thorns & Fire (The Ashes of Thezmarr #2)

Torj

‘What fate has forged, even the Furies cannot sever’

– Tethers and Magical Bonds Throughout History

T ORJ KNEW THAT they were riding back into the chaos of Drevenor. He knew that the midrealms were on the brink of conflict once more. Yet he couldn’t contain the joy blossoming within. Wren was in his arms. Wren was his . And nothing in the world could stop that from feeling right .

She sagged against him in the saddle, wrapping him in her scent as the soul bond flickered between them, at last dissipating as it had before.

‘No one can know,’ he said quietly. ‘About the soul bond. I don’t want it used against us.’

‘Do you think Silas realized?’ she asked, drawing circles on his exposed forearms as he adjusted his grip on the reins. ‘When he attacked the hall?’

‘I don’t know... Possibly.’ He let out a breath. ‘But with an informant inside the academy walls... I think we need to keep it a secret for as long as we can.’

Wren shifted against him. ‘The bond, or us being together?’

From behind, he tucked her hair around her ear. ‘What do you think, Embers?’

Her whole body rose and fell with her sigh.

‘The bond... We actively hide it. In general, though? I think anyone with half a brain could figure out we’re together.

But it’s not wise to flaunt it. That would be like lighting a beacon to our weaknesses.

We keep things quiet. With all the political unrest now, with. ..’

‘The Delmirian throne in question?’ he finished for her.

He had seen her battling with it for weeks.

Wilder had filled him in on what Thea had planned: the storm-wielding Warsword was going to take the crown.

Thea was going to shoulder the burden she’d dismissed time and time again over the years, and Torj knew that it wasn’t sitting right with Wren. The anguish in her voice confirmed it.

‘Yes,’ she whispered. ‘That.’

Even though she was sitting flush against him, Torj needed her closer. He wrapped an arm around her waist and held her to him. ‘Whatever you need, Embers. Just know that keeping us secret isn’t born of shame, or fear. I’d sing it from the rooftops if you’d allow it.’

Wren huffed a laugh. ‘Now that I’d pay to see.’

‘Maybe one day.’ He nuzzled her neck, still marvelling at the fact that he was able to touch her so freely at last. ‘But so long as you know that I love you and I want to be with you, that’s enough for me.’

‘The feeling is mutual, Bear Slayer.’

He smiled into her hair. ‘Why do I suddenly like that name again?’

‘Because it makes you feel like a king when I’m screaming it as I come on your cock,’ she quipped.

The cock in question twitched in his leathers, still hard from their fun in the saddle. ‘Such filthy words from a princess.’

‘You haven’t heard anything yet.’

He gave her a squeeze. ‘Is that so? I’ll be sure to wring every last word from your lips...’

The laugh that bubbled from her was like magic.

Torj knew it was short-sighted, that there were challenges to come.

But with Wren in his arms, he could only feel contentment – and a flicker of disbelief that they had reached this point.

He remembered the other times they’d shared the saddle, all sharp words and taunts. Now, he didn’t want the ride to end.

But end it did, with Drevenor’s wrought iron gates coming into view, the academy standing tall beyond the curling ivy.

He felt Wren tense between his legs, felt the tightness in her chest as though it were right there in his own.

‘It’s not going to be easy,’ she warned, her voice no more than a whisper.

‘I never said I needed easy,’ he told her. ‘I needed you .’