A Trial of the Heart (Valdor #2)

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Y ou’re ready for tomorrow,” Daxton whispered against my ear. “I’m confident we’ll share endless nights together, just like this one, for many years to come.” His arms encircled me as his kisses traveled along the nook of my neck, down to my shoulder.

We had just finished making love, and still, I wanted him again. The feel of his touch was invigorating. Our love bridging our connection despite the missing threads of the unsealed bond. A powerful yet deadly weapon of the heart that could heal or destroy the world.

“You should be resting,” I said in a whispered hush.

“It’s you who should be resting,” he countered, his fingers seductively caressing the curves of my hips, leaving goosebumps in their wake. “Yet I find our bed empty with you standing naked in the moonlight. I’m entering the second trial with you, but I’m not the one tasked with slaying the basilisk.”

Two weeks had passed since the night Nyssa showed me her memory, revealing the identity of the beast I had to defeat in the second trial .

It turned out the wilt had granted Nyssa a magical gift after all. Zola could jump through shadows, and Nyssa could share her thoughts and memories through her touch.

Nyssa encountered this creature while still a nalusa falaya, so she was already, in a sense, deceased. The basilisk’s stare could not kill what was already dead.

“I’m still not sold on the idea of you going in there with me,” I said. “Dax, it’s not safe.”

“I believe I’ve already won this argument two weeks ago.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”

“I’m shocked.”

“Prick,” I muttered under my breath.

“I heard that.”

“I meant you to.” I couldn’t help biting my lip as Daxton nuzzled into me with a deep chuckle in his throat.

After Adohan helped simmer the tension between the two brothers, Dax and I went to our room to discuss our options and begin formulating a plan. Castor’s ability to enter the lair gave way to new ideas that Daxton was keen on fulfilling, which, to my dismay, involved him entering the second trial with me.

To say I was upset would not do my disposition justice. It was one of our biggest disagreements yet, and judging by how stubborn we both were, it wouldn’t be our last. I was against it from the moment he suggested the idea, refusing to allow him to put himself in that kind of danger. But Daxton remained calm, his patience winning me over and helping settle my raging fury.

He ended up using logic and our mate bond against me, saying, “If the roles were reversed, would you idly stand by as I faced this threat alone? ”

“Of course I wouldn’t!” I told him . He knew I would charge in with him regardless of the threat against my own life . Bastard .

“Where you go, I go.” Daxton said as he wrapped his arms around me. So sure, like there was no other option. “The key showed Castor the doorway just like we thought, and he passed through the entrance unharmed. The riddle for the second trial didn’t limit it to only the champion being allowed to enter like the first.”

“Or else you would’ve entered the labyrinth with me?” I challenged.

“You know I would,” Daxton answered firmly. “Do you really want to waste our time together asking me ridiculous questions you already know the answers to?”

His hands lightly cupped my exposed breasts, causing me to moan, before curling down my front and resting comfortably on my waist. Chills ran through me. My arousal built once again despite being fully sated only an hour ago.

“I can think of more useful things to do if you refuse to sleep.”

“We could always put in a few more hours of training,” I teased. “Should I call for Gunnar to meet us at the training fields?”

“Tonight, you selfishly belong only to me,” Daxton said. “I will not be sharing you.” The gravelly sound in his voice crept over me like an erotic caress. “Besides, our fighting techniques have synced like we’ve been training together for years. We move like one being, Spitfire.”

Daxton and I had spent countless hours training together over the last weeks. Since we no longer needed to research the identity of the creature, we focused on how to defend and fight against it as one.

It took a lot of missteps, of course. I lost count of how many times my bow was knocked out of my hands, I stepped on his foot, or I nearly stabbed him. Thank the Gods above that he was fast. On the third day, things started to click into place. And then, by the next week, we were no longer clumsily colliding and fighting like two separate entities. Instead, we flowed together like a deadly current in the ocean.

Castor crafted maps of the area and instructed us on narrow caves and passageways along the cliffside where the basilisk lived.

With Daxton joining me, we had to learn each other’s fighting styles and how to work flawlessly together in small quarters. I was in awe of Daxton’s exceptional fighting skills, realizing that his magic effortlessly supported his brute strength and speed, hiding in plain sight. His power flowed through him in each attack, blending into these movements like a perfectly choreographed dance.

Although my Silver Shadow had little to no weakness in his technique, understanding each other’s vulnerabilities helped formulate a solid front to combat any foe—even a mythical serpent king with a death stare.

Moving closer behind me, I felt Daxton’s length hardening against my backside.

“Ready again, are we?”My heart began thundering with anticipation.

“It never seems to stop when you’re near.” His chuckle of amusement vibrated low in his throat. “This need to have you is all-consuming.” He kissed my neck, nibbling at my heated flesh. “You’re not complaining, are you? ”

“Wouldn’t dare,” I rasped, reaching up and behind me to pull his delicious mouth to mine.

I savored the way he tasted, opening my lips to allow him to slide his tongue inside with ease. I moved my hips back, threading his erection into the line of my ass and stroking his inner thigh with my other hand. He moaned into my mouth, making my center throb with need.

“In that case …”

Daxton moved so fast that I barely had time to react. His grip tightened around my waist as a blast of cold air rushed in, the doors to the balcony swinging open as he carried me out toward the railing.

“Bend over,” he growled, “and don’t muffle your moans. I want all of Silver Meadows to know who you belong to.” The dark edge to his voice sent a thrilling rush through my center.

“Yes, Princey .” I moaned as he spread my legs and pushed my palms onto the stone railing, gripping both in one of his massive hands.

“Hold tight,” he instructed as I wrapped my fingers around the stone, preparing myself for whatever he had planned next. “Very good, my queen ,” he said as he moved to kneel behind me, running his fingers through my slickened folds. “You’re ready for me. Fucking perfect as always.”

The anticipation was killing me. At the very least, I needed to feel his lips finish what his fingers had started. Damn—correction, I needed all of him.

His tongue ran through me as I gasped aloud, my body trembling in response.

Daxton paused and leaned to whisper in my ear, “Since I’ve held my title, I’ve never willingly submitted myself or kneeled before another aside from you.” I stilled at his confession, the world itself ceasing to move. “ You are my true queen, Skylar Cathal. I’ll shatter the world on your command alone.”

I turned to look at the male who held my heart—who tethered my very soul to this life and the next. Words could not accurately express the love and devotion shining in his eyes, and I knew… I knew he would take on the world for me.

I kissed him, laying my soul bare, giving him every piece of me. “I need you—now.”

Daxton grabbed my hips between his strong hands, and in one thrust, he buried his perfect cock deep inside me.

“Gods! Yes, Daxton!” I screamed over the balcony into the chilling night air, meeting his thrusts in rolling waves of pleasure that made the strength in my limbs disappear as he filled me from behind.

He remained buried inside me, wrapping my hair around his wrist and pulling me upright. “We were made for each other, Skylar. I’ll never stop wanting to have you like this.”

He slowly pulled out before powerfully thrusting back in once more. His balls were slick from my arousal, and our combined releases from earlier that night. They brushed against my clit each time his hilt slammed into me, giving me a welcomed friction that enhanced the pleasure building in my core.

My inner walls tightened as another blissful orgasm threatened to break free, and I wanted… No, I needed to feel him come with me. I reached down between my legs, fondling his balls with my fingers and giving them a slight tug as he jerked his hips forward.

“Fuck,” he moaned.

“You like it when I touch them?”

“Yes,” he breathed, quickening his pace .

I continued holding them, happily stroking my sex in tune with his hard thrusts with waves of heat coursing through us both. I could feel his sack tighten as he continued to fuck me within an inch of my release.

“I’m close,” I rasped.

“I know.” He pushed me forward, bending over to grab my breasts as he pounded harder into my dripping-wet center.

“Gods! Yes, just like that… Yes!” I screamed. He shifted forward to slide his mouth down to the base of my neck, thrusting deep inside me. “Daxton!” I wailed as my orgasm spiraled through me.

Daxton moaned in response, his legs trembling as he emptied himself for the second time tonight. Thank the Gods he was taking the monthly aid.

“I don’t want to move, or more accurately, I don’t know if I can.” I leaned over the railing, my face flushed from my climax and my skin warm from his touch.

Daxton hadn’t yet marked my neck with his bite. He had asked me if I wanted him to claim me, following our shifter customs, but I didn’t want him to until I was able to reciprocate. Until the trials were over and our bond was sealed.

“Come with me,” he said, his breath still labored. “I want to show you something.”

“All right,” I answered, immediately intrigued as we strode from the balcony.

“And I need to find some clothes. My blood isn’t as thick as yours. Without your gorgeous body keeping me warm, the winter chill will likely freeze my balls off.”

“I wasn’t the one who carried us out here onto the open balcony,” I teased, unaffected by the cold sting of night air thanks to my shifter half. “Don’t you command ice magic? ”

“I don’t routinely freeze myself.” He smirked, his mouth spreading into a wide smile. “Well, actually, there was one occasion.”

“When?” I asked, crossing the threshold of the doorway to pull a night slip over my head.

“That morning in the bathhouse.”

“In Solace?”

Daxton reached for his pants, pulling them up and over his muscular thighs before securing them loosely around his waist. “How else do you think I managed to stay on the other side of that hut while you were very naked… and very wet in the bath across from me? I froze my ass to the bench so I wouldn’t take you right then and there.”

“Maybe you should’ve,” I said with a dangerous look.

“Careful, Spitfire.” His gray eyes darkened like storm clouds, ready to unleash themselves in a raging downpour.

“What about no peeking?” I scolded him, arms crossed in front of me. “You peeked, didn’t you?”

His saccharine smile grew wide, the dimple on his right cheek visible even in the dim light. “Never.”

“Daxton!”

“All right, all right…” His laughter was deep and pure, one of the most beautiful sounds I would hear in this lifetime. “I might’ve stolen a glance of that perfect ass sliding underneath the surface of the water,” he said as he pulled me in close, placing his hands firmly on my backside.

“Might?” I challenged him.

He squeezed harder, attempting to make his point. “All right, I did.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, my arms crossed under my chest, purposely pushing my breasts upward just to tease him. “And here I thought you had such high moral standards. That my mate was a true gentleman.” His smile practically reached his ears, and I knew it was in response to me calling him my mate . I would be lying if I didn’t feel the same every time he said it as well.

“You and I both know you’d never settle for a vanilla mate who always stuck to the rules and never challenged what they thought was right. That is mundane, my love. You and I were never meant to live meek and uneventful lives.”

I was about to argue, but then again, we both knew he was right. “Fine, point taken, High Prince of Silver Meadows .”

“Forgive me for peeking yet?”

“No.” He frowned slightly. “But…” I paused. “I do have some ideas on how you can make it up to me.”

His smile returned as he bent closer to my lips. “Gladly.”

He stopped with our lips breaths apart, but neither of us moved forward. “Weren’t you about to kiss me?”

“Weren’t you about to forgive me?”

I cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are you withholding your kisses until I do?”

“Maybe.”

“You won’t last long.”

“Is that a challenge, Spitfire?”

“Yes,” I said with a smirk.

Daxton released his hold and silently stepped backward. His expression was unreadable, and his demeanor mimicked one I had seen on the sparring fields and in the midst of battle.

“Challenge accepted,” Silver Shadow replied. “We’ll see who caves first.” He looked at me with cold, calculating eyes that mimicked raging mountain storms .

Fuck . I gulped, barely able to keep myself from spreading my thighs and begging for him to take me again. His smoldering stare of menace only managed to turn me on all over again. He would never intimidate or frighten me. I knew him. I loved every part of who he was and apparently was even aroused by the deathly terrifying Silver Shadow facade dictated in the history books of Solace.

“Fine,” I groaned with a glare, knowing he could sense my arousal. “Wasn’t there something you wanted to show me?” I asked with my own blast of power fueled by my animal, my eyes glowing like amber fire.

I watched his eyes flare, knowing he could feel my magic skittering across his taut flesh, feeling the same exhilarating and arousing caress I experienced when his power reached out to find me. It put us in a sort of fight or flight. Well, no, more accurately, a fuck mood. The adrenaline rush was overwhelming, followed by intense, lustful waves of pure desire.

“Don’t look at me with those eyes, Spitfire.”

“What eyes?”

He narrowed his gaze at me, his muscles flexing across his chest and arms as he fought to keep them pinned at his sides. “Like you’re hungry and already waiting for me to fill you for a third time tonight.”

“Maybe I am.” He went utterly still, every ounce of self-control teetering on the edge. “But alas, you’re withholding your kisses until I forgive you for peeking. And I have ideas in mind for you to earn your way back from that.” I licked my bottom lip, sucking on it for a moment, never letting my eyes wander from his. “Your move, Princey.”

“You’re a cunningly wicked female … who most certainly does not play by the rules.”

“We both knew that. ”

He chuckled a dark laugh, reaching up to untie his hair and adjusting his pants lower on his hips.

“Who’s being unfair now?” I scoffed, taking in his fucking delicious body for everything it was worth. My arousal sparked as I drank in the sight of him. The Gods themselves could not have made a more perfect male body. He was so handsome it was a crime.

“Over here.” He inclined his head, leading me to the far corner. “This is what I wanted to show you.”

Waving his hand, the illusion of the wall melted away, revealing a hidden cubby with a pure white stone the size of a small pebble nestled in the middle of a jet-black velvet pillow. I stepped closer, mesmerized by the beautiful swirls of silver etched along the edges, with glittering specks dancing along the surface. It was small, able to fit in the palm of my hand, yet I could feel the strong magic swirling around it.

“What is it, Dax?”

“A very rare trinket, a memory stone. This was my mother’s most prized possession, aside from the silver bow that you now carry.”

I remember when he first gifted me the silver bow and then told me its significance to him and his family. At first, I tried to refuse the gift, but it kept appearing in our training sessions. And I had to admit, no other bows could compare. Its strength, flexibility, and weight were perfect.

“I can’t believe you let me use it when we first arrived in the Inner Kingdom without telling me it belonged to your mother,” I said. “Castor’s surprised look makes so much more sense now.”

“He understood the reason why I gave it to you.”

“ He did. And apparently, everyone else in your inner circle besides me. ”

I learned that Daxton confessed the mate bond to Castor the first night after I snuck into the alpha’s house to heal him. Later, when we arrived in Crimson City, he told Adohan, Idris, and finally Zola.

Gunnar admitted he didn’t need to be told. “The way he looked at you without you ever noticing told me everything,” Gunnar said. “It was obvious that Daxton had fallen in love with you before ever bringing you to Silver Meadows.”

I was shocked at the depth of Gunnar’s confession, and when I told him just that, he scoffed at me despite my apology and grudgingly sulked for a few days.

“We used to have four memory stones,” Dax continued. “But when my parents died, and through the war, three of them disappeared.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that, Dax.” He shrugged nonchalantly, accepting my sympathy but not dwelling on it. “What do they do exactly?”

“They’re magical stones that hold memories. If you offer one worthy enough to the stone, it will grant you access to the memories stored within. Ironically, the smaller the stone, the more powerful it is and the more memories it can hold.”

“Interesting,” I said, tilting my head to inspect it further. “Have you offered a memory to this stone?”

“A small handful through the centuries, yes. One more recently,” Daxton admitted, standing behind me and watching me admire the stone.

“Which one?” I asked, my curiosity spinning, desperate to know which memory he would offer to this precious stone to be kept for all eternity. “The bathhouse?” I teased.

He merely chuckled in response .

“When I emerged victorious from the first trial? The first night we met when I almost killed you?” I asked.

“Those are excellent guesses, but no.” His outstretched hand gently cradled the stone. “I believe you’ll have to offer one to see it,” he answered with a cunning smile.

Grasping the stone, I knew which one I would choose. I willed myself to sink back into one of the darkest times of my mortal life to a moment when I was sure it was over.

“May I see it with you?” Daxton asked.

I nodded. “You’re the only one I would ever dare to share this with.”

I allowed my mind to wander into darkness—into the place I swore I would never return.

I was in Blade’s torture chamber after he struck me with his iron-tipped whip. Diving into this memory was almost harder than living it. I remembered how alone I felt. The pain muffled to a dull ache that covered every inch of my body. I was in so much agony I almost didn’t register the feeling anymore.

But the worst was realizing that the fight to stay alive was fading. That was the most terrifying piece of all. At that moment, I no longer wanted to breathe. I no longer wanted to live. I had given up, and death’s door was opening.

And then, I heard a call.

A familiar melody that sang to my soul, forcing my primal instinct to emerge and willing me to fight against death’s pull, convincing me to come back to the world of the living. It was him. His magic, his essence, raced through the abyss of darkness to find me. Daxton was my salvation, calling me back from death’s crossing.

“I should have known then,” I said as we returned, holding back my tears. “I should’ve recognized the bond right then and there. You found me. You brought me back. I couldn’t turn away when it was you calling me home.”

Daxton’s brow pressed against mine, his arms scooping me into his embrace that chased away my fears. “The power you mustered to come back was not mine alone. That beautiful strength came from within you, Skylar.” He stilled, holding me tight. “I’m the luckiest fucking male in existence that you’re my mate, and deeply honored that I’m yours.”

We held each other in silence, simply basking in the presence of each other’s company and treasuring the time we had.

“I believe you’ll now be able to access my memory.”

“How?”

“How else do you get something you want?” Dax teased. “Simply ask. And it does help to say please .” I chuckled, following his directions, asking the stone to reveal Daxton’s most recent memory.

In a rush of magic, I was jetted through time, standing outside the outskirts of the meadow in my home of Solace… but in a body that was not mine. I was in Daxton’s. The meadow seemed so peaceful, yet inside, my heart was racing. My anxiety was spinning so high that I thought I would snap in two.

My sharpened eyes scanned the moonlit meadow. Shifters were changing into their animal forms left and right, but my focus was on… well, me.

As Dax, I watched myself fall forward into the tall grass, and it looked like my skin was crawling with sparks of fire shooting beneath my flesh. Panic and dread coursed through Daxton—a desperate need to help alleviate the pain he was witnessing overwhelmed all sense of logic. Something had to be done…

Yet I sensed him hesitate, thinking. Stopping the shift meant I would be among the few who could be chosen for the trials .

As Dax, I heard my scream, and the sound of it vibrated across every bone of my body. The pain morphed into my own. The bond, although muffled, was guiding Daxton to help me. Instinct drove him to release his magic to help counter the pull of the shift that was tearing his mate apart.

Castor’s frightened stare bore into his brother. “Dax,” he warned.

“I have to,” Daxton growled, watching my glowing skin dim as a deep sigh of relief washed through him.

“That was not wise, brother. She’ll know.”

“It’s unsealed. Minaeve will never suspect anything until I allow her to.”

Then the presence of Gilen’s roc stole the crowd’s attention, and as Daxton, I watched as Minaeve made her way through the meadow, eventually stopping at Neera and declaring her the champion. Dread coated Daxton’s beating heart. Even he knew this young, gentle shifter would not survive the trials.

“What the actual fuck is she thinking?” I growled as Daxton.

“You presume she actually thinks before she acts. Cute,” Castor snickered.

Then, an all too familiar voice rang out from the crowd, making the world stop. “Take me! I will compete in the trials. I will travel to the Inner Kingdom and unlock the Heart of Valdor.”

“Has your female lost her mind?” Castor mumbled.

Daxton’s eyes never left me as a warm sensation coursed through his chest. A sense of awe and amazement shocked him to his core. Hope. There was a reason to hope again. “She’s the one. She will defeat the trials.”

“Has your muffled mate bond made you mad?”

“No, it has made me hope.” His voice, my voice, was deathly calm. “She’s the spark of something greater … a belief that a different life is possible. She’s the key. ”

The memory suddenly faded, bringing us both back into the present.

“It was the first time I knew I was falling in love with you,” Daxton said with admiration and passion shining deep within his eyes. “You held my heart long before I believe you even knew it existed,” he teased.

I looped my arms around his neck. “I knew it was there—just guarded in a gilded cage. Forced to harden into stone. Do you remember my ramblings about geodes in my letters?”

“Fondly.”

“ You’re my geode.” I sighed, running my hand through his silver and ebony strands. “Hard and bitter on the outside but breathtakingly beautiful on the inside. It just took time and patience to break you open.”

His grin stretched across his face as he held me close. “I love you, my Spitfire.”

“I love you, Dax.”

“Forgive me yet?” he asked with a raised brow.

I smile sweetly. “How could I not when you share that memory with me? You’ve tied my hands.”

“Well, I didn’t intend to tonight, but in the future, if you’d like to try it … I’m all in.”

“Dax!” I thumped him in the back of his head. “Seriously?”

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“I’m beginning to regret forgiving you so easily.”

“Then allow me to remind you why you did.”

His mouth crashed into mine, feverishly devouring me with the sweet taste of his lips and his well-skilled tongue. I moaned into his kiss, pleasure rolling through me in delicious waves of ecstasy that made my body come alive again.

Dammit, he was right. I was glad I forgave him because this was worth it. He was worth everything .