“I’ll walk you back,” Lux said, his face shadowed by something like concern.
“Back… two doors down?”
She laughed, but saw the fear settle in his eyes. “Archera would never let anyone get into the palace, Lux.”
He shrugged. “I’m here, aren’t I? You’re the only one who batted an eye.”
The thought ran her blood cold. Shards of ice prickled through her veins as his implication settled across her chest. “Point taken,” she whispered, letting him stroll beside her.
“Mirquios would have my head if he came back and I’d let some asshole in the forest take you down.”
“Lucky for you, I was there to save us all.” Astra let the sarcasm coat the regret in her voice, still struggling to accept the life she’d ended, no matter the stakes. She leaned against her door as he frowned.
“I was moments away from getting the upper hand,” Lux insisted, his amber eyes flaring with irritation.
“Sure, sure, Commander. We’re all very frightened of you.” Her teasing only fueled the fire in his eyes, a twisted rage darkening them.
“Never forget,” he murmured as he leaned close to her, holding her captive against the bedroom door. “As long as my heart beats Solarian blood, I am only ever one moral crisis away from destroying you.”
Her breath caught between them, the smoke of him enveloping her. “Lux?—”
His mouth turned up in a crooked smile, a thunderous laugh washing over him. He was so close to her, she could hear the breath drawing into his lungs as he pushed away from the wall.
“Goodnight, As.”
“You’re better than this, Fire Queen,” he whispered, his voice catching as her eyes fluttered open, fixed on his lips. Astra pushed back against him, surprised to find herself in the meadow, under his weight once more.
“You shouldn’t be here,” she hissed.
“No,” Lux agreed, lips hovering over her jaw. “I shouldn’t.” The burn of his mouth on her skin was as tempting as it was terrifying. Scarlet lust ran up her spine, setting fire to the space between her arched back and the meadow.
If he was here, if he wasn’t leaving…
She let her fingers crawl over his back, dark linen scratching against her skin.
He sighed, and the worst part of her hoped it was an invitation, not a warning.
His hips pressed into hers, a quiet sigh slipping from her lips before she could get control of herself, but he was only pushing himself away from her, rising quickly to his feet. He offered his hand again, and this time, she took it. A crackling heat sang between their fingers.
“What am I doing here, As?”
She blushed, alight with an acute misery in her chest, the adrenaline demanding she move.
Closer. Away. It didn’t matter as long as she did something with the sparking fire in her muscles.
“I don’t know.” She fixed her eyes on the wavering walls of the garden, moonblossoms unfolding in the early Autumn air, floating to the grass below.
Lux nodded, his lips pursed.
“Get some sleep. Without me.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Lux did not show up to the gardens after breakfast.
They’d made it a habit to meet there after they ate, spending a few hours on whatever trick he wanted to hone next. They’d break for lunch and then fill the afternoon with self-defense lessons.
