He paused, letting the weight of his words settle between us. “You’re a true queen, Bryn. A queen of magic. A queen of power. A queen of destiny.”
I was speechless, my heart pounding as his words echoed through me.
Zeke was the one born to rule, the rightful heir.
But the idea that I, too, possessed such power, ancient and real, was both exhilarating and terrifying.
A quiet stillness stretched between us, heavy with unspoken thoughts, until Zeke broke it gently. “I should head to bed,” he said, glancing at the clock on the nightstand before pushing himself up.
A pang of panic hit me, and before I could stop myself, I blurted, “Stay—please.”
My heart pounded with the vulnerability of the request.
He turned back to me, and a quiet relief passed over his features. “Of course I’ll stay.”
He slid back into bed, lifted the covers, and settled beside me. I shifted closer, drawn to his warmth, the steady rhythm of his breathing, the comfort of his presence.
With him next to me, the world outside seemed to vanish, replaced by a sense of safety I hadn’t known I was missing.
“I just want to remember,” I whispered, the quiet of the night wrapping around my words.
Zeke’s response was immediate, free of doubt. “You will. I promise.”
His voice was firm yet tender, carrying a quiet certainty. Then he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. Warmth spread through me from the place his lips had touched.
The simplicity of the gesture left me feeling cared for, cherished, and safe, feelings I hadn’t let myself experience in a long time, if ever.
But what came next stole my breath away.
He lowered his lips to mine, but didn’t close the gap. He just hovered there, breath mingling with mine, the air charged with a tension so thick it felt ready to snap. His breath grazed my skin, warm and steady, and the ache of wanting him settled low and heavy in my belly.
My heart beat wildly, each second dragging, the space between us tightening like a thread about to unravel. He lingered, purposefully, as if he needed me to want it just as much as he did.
And then,finally, he kissed me.
His lips brushed mine so gently it almost broke me, like he was memorizing the shape of my mouth with nothing but patience and reverence. It wasn’t a kiss so much as a question. A promise. A memory trying to find its way back.
My breath stuttered. I reached up with trembling fingers and threaded them through his hair, grounding myself in him, in this moment, afraid to let it slip away.
Then the air shifted.
His mouth moved against mine, slow no longer. The kiss deepened, fierce and hungry, like he’d been holding it back for lifetimes. My skin lit up, nerves sparking to life, and I felt myself dissolve into him, into the fire he’d been keeping just for me.
I melted into his embrace, his warmth wrapping around me, anchoring me. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was truly home.
twenty-two
Only darkness. Thick and endless.
The whispering returned, but this time, it was just one voice.
“I’m coming for you,” it hissed. “You can’t run from the shadows. You can’t run from ME!”
My hand burned. The room flickered with an eerie, ghostly glow as the Ruby flared to life, its power streaking through me like molten lightning. Heat radiated from my palm, crawling up my arm, prickling my skin with dread.
“I will find you! You can’t escape!”
The voice echoed in my mind, a chant of doom.
