FOR HER, HE WILL SET EVERY KINGDOM ON FIRE.
Kyron LeFur never wanted to be king. He may have united a torn people and ended a bloody war, but none of that matters without his queen. She sacrificed her crown for him, and now he will stop at nothing t...
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The ache in my body is bone deep. Every joint and muscle screams in agony, sending my equilibrium spinning. I stretch out the kinks, slowly breathing past the pain. Sleep glues my eyes shut, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. I swear I haven't moved in decades, and maybe I haven't. My last memory was plummeting into the sea. My skirt wrapped around my legs, making it impossible to swim to the surface. I had to breathe to stop my lungs from burning. Panic set in and all I remember thinking was, this is it—this is how I die, swallowed by the ocean. My body forever lost at sea. Kyron would blame himself for not spotting Zek before he grabbed me. And I would never get to say goodbye to everyone I loved. As I surrendered to my fate and floated into the abyss, I smiled. At least I made it out of the trees and off the damn island. I was sure that would be my last thought, but it wasn't. I'm alive.
I pull the soft, worn blankets tucked around me to my face, rubbing away the sleep. Harsh rays attack my sensitive eyes, and it takes me a moment to see the sun blazing through a small round window. The scent of sea salt and weathered wood fills my lungs. A small desk sits in the far corner, piled with yellow tinted maps and books. The wardrobe across from the foot of the bed is a simple but functional design, with one door swaying open and closed. Nothing about the space is familiar until I lay eyes on the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.
Kyron rests in a plush leather chair next to the bed. His elbow is propped on the arm, and his chin is cradled in his palm. With every slight movement of his closed eyes, his long lashes fan against his golden skin. I ease my naked body onto my side and pull the blankets snuggly around me. I absorb every inch of him from his outstretched legs, crossed at the ankles, to the three rogue strands of ebony hair that brush his forehead. It's hard to believe we are in the same room, sharing the same air.
Last night was surreal. One minute he was cast in the cornflower beams of the moon and the next he was blasting his gift into the air to save our lives. Life slowed down, and I didn't have the chance to let it all sink in like I can now. Although my brain says this is real, my heart fears it's a dream. Just in case, I blink with caution, refusing to let this image slip away.
Kyron shifts and his upswept eyes flutter open. My breath hitches at the sight. The color of his irises always reminds me of a solar eclipse—golden rays of sunlight, blazing behind the moon. I dreamed of those eyes every night. My memory didn't do them justice.
"Hello," I whisper.
"Hi," he says, his voice a groggy rumble.
Statera help me. How can a single word make my insides feel like they're melting into a gooey mess? It's an impossible question to answer. Confusion, hatred, lust, or love, Kyron LeFur has always had a powerful effect on me.
He leans forward in his chair and brushes a strand of hair away from my cheek. I lean into the touch, basking in the warmth of his skin on mine. I don't feel the thrumming of his gifts like I once did. Shadows don't slither around my limbs and heat doesn't spread through my veins. The urge to control his power is gone, but the need to have him close is alive and well. My transgressions against the Statera didn't cost us the Parah Bond. For the first time since we met, I feel our connection in its purest form.
