A Baron of Bonds (Conduit of Light #2)

55. Karus

Chapter 55

Karus

Jasmine and lavender.

A tickling breeze across my cheek.

I turned my head, eyes still closed, my skin meeting soft grass. The call of birds singing and the rustle of their wings flapping through the warm air broke a smile on my lips.

My eyes fluttered open, met with the brilliance that was the light of Viridis, streaming through the glass dome gilded in gold.

I stared up through the long branches of birch trees, their dance of limbs reminding me of a wave of hello, greetings from an old friend. The thin bark on their trunks peeled like strips of paper, and I reached out to touch the base of the tree I lay next to. Warm and solid, I could sense the power of this enchanted place returned. As it should be.

I sensed him there beside me and turned my head the other way. The warm light lit his face, his eyes closed, a soft smile on his lips. His arms were pulled back behind his head, his hands threaded through his dark hair.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” he murmured, his voice gentle and light in the air.

I reached for him, tumbling over his chest to straddle his hips and bury my face into his neck. His arms smoothed over my back as I broke into sobs.

He brushed his hand down my hair, pulling me taut to his chest, continuing his observations. “I’d forgotten. I’d forgotten how Viridis makes me feel. I took it for granted. I never doubted it would always be here. I should have appreciated it more back then.”

I laughed at his neck, nodding and sniffing. I wiped at my face before running small, short kisses up to his jaw, his chin, finding his lips and relishing in the feel of them pressed to mine in the sanctuary our mouths had met in many times before.

I kissed him deeply, breathing him in, taking my time to appreciate him . His touch, his skin, the way he pulled on the back of my thighs without realizing he did it, guiding me closer, always bringing me closer.

I pulled away from his lips to see his face. A few scratches at his brow and one longer gash at his right cheek had once bled and closed, leaving a slash of red across the surface.

I traced the line of crimson at his cheek while whispering the spell of mending, watching it close completely, leaving just a line of blood, the only evidence it had marred his face at all.

His hands slid over my hips as his gaze flickered over my hair. I didn’t want to know the amount of white streaks it contained now.

I continued my pass of mending over his brow, speaking my piece as I went. “I love you, Baron of Felgren, Keeper of Promises, Savior of Powerful Women On the Brink of Self-Retribution.”

He laughed at that, rising to sit, holding me to his lap by wrapping one arm around my back, hand sliding up my neck with the other.

“You did it,” he said simply. “The Blight in Viridis is gone.”

I grinned, glancing around us, but not for long before my gazed settled back on his face, rival as it was in this place of beauty.

“I had some help. How long was I asleep?”

“Just an hour or so.”

I brushed my fingers through his hair, pressing my chest to his, my body reacting to the heat that pulsed through me. “And the Growers? Moira?”

“They’ve gone. The Growers sealed the door to Felgren as they left. Moira was difficult to convince to leave, but I assured her you were not lost and that you’d wake soon enough.”

His hand slid from my neck down to my chest, unbuttoning the top of my vest.

“How did you know?” I closed my eyes and inhaled sharply at the soft press of his lips at the curve of my breasts. “How did you know I wasn’t lost this time?”

“Our bond. You were there. Just tired.” His breath was warm and heavy over my skin as his lips found my peak, pulling it into his mouth, his tongue a gentle caress.

I moaned, slipping my hand into his vest to pull out his flask, finding it empty.

“Fuck,” I groaned, tossing it into the grass.

He pulled away from my breast and my body shuddered in his absence. “I should have made more tea this morning. Our routine was thrown off a bit.”

“We shouldn’t,” I exhaled, biting my lip before I realized I was doing it.

His gaze flickered there, repeating, “We shouldn’t.”

“Clairannia warned not to risk it,” I added, my breath refusing to slow.

He nodded. “We’ve risked it several times already.”

“Though…” I trailed, using everything I had not to grind on top of what was hard beneath me. “We’ve made it through just fine in the past.”

His fingers dug into my thighs, and his head fell forward. “Karus, I need you to get off my lap before I beg you to stay.”

“Right,” I said, lifting myself and buttoning my shirt and vest quickly, my skin burning, my body aching, screaming at our choice to separate.

He rubbed his face, pulling his fingers back through his hair and rose, slipping his hand into mine. “Right. Let’s go find that book.”