Crown of Flames and Ash (Courts of Aetheria #2)

Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

A elia

Sweat poured from my brow, every muscle screaming for me to stop the torture as Reign pummeled me with wave after wave of nox . But alongside the pain there was something else. Something new and incredible, blossoming deep in my core.

We stood a stone’s throw from the shore of the Shadowmere Sea. It was the first time I’d beheld the dark, murky waters, lit by starlight. But there had been little time to take in its beauty.

“Just a little longer, princess, and you’ll get your reward.”

Reign had been taunting me with this reward for the past few hours. “It better be damned good, professor.”

“Oh, trust me, Aelia, it will be.” A glint of amusement set his pitch irises ablaze as he released another surge of impenetrable darkness.

For the hundredth time today, my fingers twitched for the familiar feel of my blades. As Reign was adamant I did not use them for the upcoming trials, he forbade me to use them while training. But once every ounce of rais was drained, there was nothing I wished for more than the fury of my daggers to combat his incessant nox .

Not for the first time, I marveled at Reign’s ability to wield so much power with those cuffs dampening his abilities. The Light Fae had no idea how lucky they were that Reign’s birthright had been stolen due to his impure blood. He would have been an unstoppable force as King of the Umbral Court.

“What’s Ruhl like?” I blurted as I summoned another luminous shield.

Reign’s shadows poked and prodded at the protective bubble, unable to pierce my rais . “You need to focus, princess.”

“I am focusing. I am quite adept at multi-tasking.”

Heaving out a frustrated breath, he recalled his shadows, the murky minions sinking back into his flesh. “He’s a lot like you, actually. Impulsive, stubborn, powerful…”

“He sounds lovely.”

Reign rolled his eyes, then swept the dark tangle of hair that had fallen forward during our strenuous training from his brow. After another twenty minutes of torture, he heaved out a breath and crept closer. “I suppose you have finally earned your reward.”

I bounced on my tiptoes before reminding myself to temper my expectations. At this point, I had no idea what to expect. Besides, the streak of pain that lanced up my spine at the sudden movement had me gritting my teeth. “So what is it?”

He stalked closer, erasing the space between us. Before I could utter a word, he swept me into his arms. The sharp tang of sweat and musk clung to the minute space between us, and still I found myself breathing him in, drawing in the familiar musky smell of him.

“What are you doing?” I managed on an exhale.

“Taking you to your reward.”

Reign’s shadows slid across my skin, the icy tendrils raising the hair on the back of my neck. They whirled around us both, the darkness expanding until we were blanketed in a cocoon of pure night. Then the dark field fell away, blurring in the background as we shot through the ether.

My stomach catapulted against my spine as we hurtled through the void, only Reign’s firm grip keeping the anxiety at bay. It had been a while since I’d shadowtraveled, and I’d nearly forgotten the thrill it brought.

Nearly as quickly as it had started, the darkness began to fall away, revealing a completely new scene. “We’re here.” Reign slowly released me, and my boots hit the soft ground beneath.

Under the shroud of night, a small island coalesced before us, cloaked in an eerie, haunting beauty. The inky black waters of the Shadowmere Sea lapped gently at the rocky shoreline ahead, similar to where we had just come from, yet altogether different. Its surface was barely disturbed, reflecting the faintest glimmers of starlight like scattered shards of obsidian. Shadows danced and flickered along the edges of the island, the interplay of light and dark creating an ever-shifting mosaic of deep grays and silvers.

“Where are we?” I whispered, as if my voice could shatter the unearthly beauty if I spoke too loudly.

“A small isle off the coast of the realm. It’s uninhabited.”

“Let me guess, another one of your haunts from your days at Arcanum?”

He nodded. “The need to find a place of solace during those dark years was essential to my survival.”

My bleeding heart pinched at his words, and more, at the darkness etched into his features. He never spoke much about his years at the citadel unless I prodded, and judging by his haunted gaze, tonight was not the time to delve into those memories.

Instead, I focused on the beauty stretching before me. Twisted, ancient trees with gnarled branches reached skyward, their silhouettes stark against the backdrop of the night sky. Their leaves, dark and glossy, whispered on the wind as it rustled through the dense foliage. I dropped down to the carpet of soft, dark moss and jerked off my boots, eager to feel the white sand along the shoreline between my toes.

“I wish you would have told me to bring a bathing suit.”

A devious smile parted his lips, setting his teeth aglow beneath the moonlight as he folded his immense form beside me. “Perhaps I’d hoped for a repeat of our night in the mystical pond all those months ago.”

A shiver rippled up my spine at the heated memories. Instead of indulging in the warmth it kindled, I sharpened my glare. “So you wish me to be poisoned?”

“Aelia…” he growled. “I had hoped to spend some time with you. For us to enjoy a few hours of rare peace in the tranquil waters before the chaos of the Umbral Trials begin.”

“Where I’ll surely be poisoned.” A bitter laugh slipped out.

“I wish I could say it could never happen, but I promised to no longer lie to you.”

“Something to look forward to, then.” With a sigh of resignation, I stuffed my socks into my boots and rose. My breeches would certainly not make for the most comfortable swimming attire, but if I peeled them off, it would leave me in only my tunic, which barely covered my behind.

“You’re going to swim like that?” Reign arched a dark brow as he pulled his tunic over his head.

Every ounce of moisture in my mouth disappeared as I took in the sight of his perfect form glistening beneath the moonlight. Waves of dark hair fell across his broad shoulders, calling my attention to the runes along his arms, which I then followed back up and over to the dark slashes on his chest. The mark of the banished, which had not been magically placed, as I’d assumed, but painfully inflicted by his tyrant of a father.

My fingers twitched to reach out and touch him, to run my fingertips over the fine dips and valleys of his torso, to explore the canvas of tanned skin and mystical markings. Instead, I curled my fingers into a tight fist and forced my gaze to the ground. “Yes,” I finally murmured.

“Suit yourself, but our return trip will not be very pleasant in those wet breeches.”

I lifted my gaze once more to tell him to mind his own business when he began to unlace his own leathers. Oh, no, no . Squeezing my eyes closed, I waited until I heard the unmistakable sound of his trousers hitting the soft earth.

“You can open your eyes, princess. I’m still wearing my underclothes. I haven’t forgotten about your delicate sensibilities, despite your clearly Fae blood.”

I snuck a peek through slitted lids, and once I confirmed he was telling the truth, I opened my eyes all the way. Still, those undershorts left little to the imagination, so I kept my gaze pinned to his, determined to not let my eyes drift—no matter how much they seemed to want to. Mirth flashed across those dark spheres as he clearly noticed my flustered state.

“If you’d like, I can close my eyes so that you may at least remove your breeches. Once you are fully immersed beneath the dark waters, I assure you I will be unable to make out any details.”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Why must you be so stubborn?” he growled. “When will you embrace your Fae heritage?”

“Oh, I’m not Fae enough because I refuse to bare myself to you?”

“No, Aelia, that is not what I meant. Sometimes I just wonder if you’re the one blocking your powers.”

I slapped my hands on my hips and glared up at the insufferable male. “So if I strip down, it will magically unbind whatever is blocking my rais ?”

Reign stalked toward me, a tendon feathering his jaw. “I don’t know. Maybe! Would you try it if I believed it were?”

“No!” I squealed. “Because I cannot trust that it’s not merely a ploy to see me naked.”

Reign barked out a laugh, the rumble of his bare chest causing the runes across his torso to vibrate. “Trust me, princess, if I was that desperate to see you naked, I’d find another way.” The jagged edge to his tone sent fire licking down my belly.

I knew we were treading dangerous waters, and still I continued, helpless to still my traitorous tongue. “You believe yourself to be that irresistible?”

He inched closer, and my feet propelled me forward, guided by that unnamable force between us. “Mmm, I do.” His tongue jutted out, gliding across his bottom lip, and gods, I wanted it to be my tongue across his lip. “Because you can deny it all you want, but I see the desire in the widening of your pupils, the ever-quickening rise and fall of your chest.” He paused and his nostrils flared. “I can even scent it in the air.”

I squeezed my thighs together to quell the burgeoning heat. “My physical reactions have no bearing here. I’m not an animal driven only by lust, and that is all there is between us. Because without trust, there could never be anything more.”

The amusement in his eyes vanished, the twinkle of light evaporating in a slow blink. His entire posture stiffened as he regarded me, the weight of his gaze so powerful it fixed me to the spot, thick roots wrapping around my legs and digging deep into the earth.

“Do you really feel that way?” he whispered a long minute later.

“I must protect my heart at all costs, Reign.” I laced my arms around my torso in an effort to keep myself from falling apart.

“And that is what I want to do.”

“But you haven’t earned the right.”

His chin dropped, and he drew in a lengthy breath. “Then I will continue to try.”

I waited for more, but he turned on his heel and marched toward the lapping waves, leaving me exhausted and alone.

Why did all of our encounters end like this? Why couldn’t I simply give in to the overwhelming need to be with him?

The answer was simple: I was terrified.

A dark shadow blotted out the moonlight, and I lifted my gaze skyward just in time to see a wave of dragonfire setting the night ablaze.

“Aelia, watch out!”