Her thighs tremble against my hips as I find the perfect rhythm.
And when we reach that pinnacle—when at last I join her fully—it’s not with desperation but withworship.
We move together unhurried, like the tide meeting the shore, inevitable and eternal.
Her fingers lace with mine, our gazes locked.
The world narrows to that connection—the heat of her, the trust in her eyes, the quiet strength that makes me vow all over again to protect her with my life.
The magic swells gently this time, not a storm but a glow.
The air shimmers, the sheets ripple like water, and I feel her inside me, her soul pressed against mine.
When she cries out, it is my name.
When I follow her into the abyss, it is hers falling from my tongue.
Afterwards, I gather her close, tucking her against my chest.
With another flick of magic, the sheets warm around us, cocooning us in comfort.
I kiss the crown of her head and breathe her in.
“I love you, Phoebe,” I whisper into the quiet. “More than sea, more than sky, more than Nightfall itself.”
Her answer is a soft sigh, a brush of her lips against my throat, and the steady rhythm of her heart syncing with mine until sleep claims us both.
Chapter 30
Phoebe
The Lordof Water’s Private Chambers—Castletide
I wake to the soft press of Kael’s arm around my waist, the bed barely moving where he holds me like I might drift away.
Outside, the tide murmurs against the walls of Castletide.
Inside, the keep breathes slow and steady, as if the whole place is finally exhaling after the night’s violence.
My gaze lands on him.
Kael. Titan Lord of Water. My viyen.
The lanterns are low, throwing the room in shadows and a pearly wash that makes him look unreal—storm-dark, dangerous, and utterly mine.
“Kael?” I whisper.
“Mm?” His voice is rough with sleep and whatever else he wore into the night.
“Will you tell me?” The question slips out before I can smooth it.
It tastes like an ache in my throat.
But I need the truth. Need him to put the jagged edges of the evening back together.
He shifts.
I feel the warmth of him move against me as he fits me to him, his arms wrapping around my back.
