Page 70 of Winds of Darkness

“That would be unwise,” she replied, but her eyes darted to his mouth anyway.

He moved fast, and she let out a small gasp as he rolled, hovering over her. “I tell you I have spent the last hours thinking of what it would be like to taste you again, and you tell methat?”

His voice was a sensual purr that she felt in her soul, making her toes curl in a way she’d never experienced. Wasthiswhat such intimacies were supposed to be like? She truly didn’t know, but gods, did she want to find out.

“Tell me not to kiss you, Ashtine,” he murmured, his face so close to hers they were sharing breath.

“Why would I say that if it is what I wish for?” she replied, her features scrunching in confusion.

“By the gods,” he muttered right before his mouth landed on hers.

His lips moved, insistent and demanding, but she didn’t care. Everyone was always so gentle with her. Sharp canines nipped at her lower lip, and another gasp slipped from her. Briar used the moment to slip his tongue into her mouth, tangling with her own. And she wanted more, just like the last time they’d kissed. Her hands looped around his neck, fingers twining into his hair. He was still propped up on one arm, but his other hand was roaming. Rough fingertips traced her jaw, her throat, her collarbone. She was the one shoving at the blankets, giving him room to explore further, but his hand slid back up and cupped her jaw. She was about to protest until he broke the kiss and his mouth followed the samepath his hand had. Down her throat, her collarbone, and her magic was restless, seeking out more as much as she was.

“I was wrong,” she said, and Briar paused, lifting his head to look at her in question. “I did not think I could be breathless, but I am.”

He laughed, a real one, before he kissed her again, this time rolling to his back and taking her with him. Another laugh sounded, but this was her own. She sat up, staring down at Briar beneath her. Her knees were on either side of his hips, her gown bunched up. His hands were on her thighs, and he was watching her in wonder. Not the curious air of bewilderment, but as if he were truly enamored by what he saw.

“I do not laugh often,” Ashtine said, more to herself than to him.

“It is a beautiful sound,” he answered, a hand skimming up her side and down her arm, where he interlaced their fingers. “You are still rather pale.”

“I am fair-skinned.”

“This is more than that, Ashtine. Tell me what drove you to the cliffs today,” he said softly, bringing her hand to his mouth and brushing a kiss to her knuckles.

“I already told you this. The winds are unrelenting,” she answered.

“Still about a coming war?”

“Yes, among other things. They speak so often, so quickly. So many things all at once …” She trailed off, the peace she’d been basking in already dissipating with his line of questioning.

Ashtine pulled her hand from his grip before sliding off him and slipping from the bed. Briar let her go, but he followed, getting to his feet just as quickly.

“Tell me one,” he said, reaching for her hand once more and tugging her to stop.

“Tell you one what?”

“Tell me one thing the winds say that drove you to the cliffs.”

She barked another laugh, but this one was humorless andharsh. “So you can carry such burdens too? I cannot do that to you, Prince Drayce.”

He snarled as he yanked her into him, tilting her head back with his finger while his other arm wound around her waist. “Stop trying to distance yourself from me, Ashtine. We can share burdens. We are not designed to face this life in solitude. We have centuries. What would be the point?”

“Then why was I given a gift no one else possesses?” she cried, and Briar’s eyes went wide, his grip on her falling slack. “I was given a gift that so many covet, but they should not, Briar. The winds are both loving and cruel. Their gifts are a blessing and a curse, and you rarely know which until their musings come to fruition. What good is knowing of the happenings in other realms? What is the purpose of driving me mad until I wish I were anyone but who I am? I cannot use these warnings to protect my people. I cannot use their omens to warn the realm. I cannot understand any of it.”

Her power gusted, blowing through the room with such force the plate of food beside the bed was overturned and pillows were tossed to the floor. Frames slipped from the walls, glass cracking, and pages rustled as books fell from shelves.

“Ashtine.”

His voice was soft and so full of an understanding he could not possibly possess, but he pulled her into his chest, arms wrapping tightly around her.

They come.

It was barely a whisper from the winds before there was a knock on the door. “Princess? Prince? Is everything well?”

Ermir.

“We are fine,” Briar called back, keeping her close. “Give us a minute, and we will be out.”