The moon hung high above us, barely peeking through the clouds. We did not need the light, though. A large tree sat in the middle of the courtyard. Luminescent blue flowers hung from the thick branches, cascading to the ground and shimmering in a kaleidoscope of colors depending on how you looked upon them. They smelled sweet, filling the small area easily with the aroma. There was a small alcove beneath the tree, the flowers forming a near perfect arch. Inside sat a bench built for two. The back was tall, with the edges similar to spires spiraling toward the treetop. What was curious was the variety of gemstones laid into the stone that detailed the phases of the moon. No stone was the same.
“What is this?” I asked, tracing my fingers over each jewel. There was no rhyme or reason to the coloring of the stones that I could see, but it was strange how they were not crafted from one source.
Eva glanced down at the bench. “It was built by one of the very first kings of Helia to honor his wife. The legend states the queen was blessed by the goddess of the sky, ruler of the sun and the moon. On the day she died, the goddess mourned, and the world was cast into darkness. Neither the moon nor the sun came out for an entire day. The king was driven to create a memorial for his wife, a place where he could come and remember her for who she was, as well as the love they shared. As a gift, the goddess gave a piece of herself to the king so it would bless those who came after him.”
I traced my fingers over the gems. “I do not think I would be able to build a monument large enough to express my love for you,” I said, lifting my eyes to hers.
Eva smiled sadly and pressed a kiss to my mouth. “Nor I you.” She leaned forward and placed her forehead against mine. “I want to marry you, Matthew. I want to experience everything this life has to offer, but I want to do this our way.”
I kissed her deeply, tasting the wine on her tongue from dinner. “I will do whatever you ask of me, princess. From now until the end. But I hope you know that whether or not we do this, it changes nothing between us. I do not need a ceremony to reaffirm my feelings for you, nor do I need the world to witness our declaration.”
She smiled against my lips and nodded. “I only want you,” she said, pausing as she looked around us. The flowers glowed brighter under our declaration, pulsing and thrumming to the beating of our hearts. I felt something stir in the shadows. Instinctively, I pushed them away, but then I saw a flash of brilliant blonde hair that made me pause.
Eva looked up at me, noticing my line of sight, and turned to gaze at the archway. “What’re you looking at?” She asked. Erina placed her finger to her mouth to keep me silent. I shook my head.
“Nothing, princess.” Eva shivered, and I ran my hands over her arms. “Let’s get you inside, shall we? It’s getting cold.”
* * *
I lie naked beside Eva,watching the moonlight trickle across her skin. The scars glowed on her bare back as I ran my hands along them. Each one was brutal and jagged, only allowing a glimpse of how horrible the injury itself would have been to heal this way.
Eva hated them. Hated how she believed they made her appear weak, but I only saw strength in each mark. I was the one who held hate in my heart toward those who had inflicted this pain on her. It took everything I had not to storm the dungeon and use a dull blade to pry the flesh from Damien’s bones just to hear him scream. But I knew he was already in his own version of hell, having to relive the atrocities committed by his hand.
When we made it back to our rooms, it hadn’t taken long for me to peel her out of her dress and press tender kisses along her skin. I memorized each moan she made, the urgency of her voice as I stared into her eyes and the way she begged for my touch.
We made love for hours. Each movement of our bodies was slow and methodical, but in a way that felt right. The feeling of being inside of her was unlike anything else I’d ever felt. She was warm and inviting and gripped me so tightly. Her fingers had left marks on my flesh, nails raking down my back and drawing blood. Her teeth left traces on my neck and shoulders as she clung to me in the throes of her orgasm until I spilled myself so deeply inside of her she would never be rid of me.
This woman was all I needed. Every choice I had ever made led me to her. She was destiny and fate wrapped up in one. I was simply a man who would bow at her feet for the rest of our lives.
I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her shoulder and was offered a sleepy smile in return. She hummed in contentment as she reached out for my hand and grasped it before her breathing evened out once more.
I untangled our fingers and stood, ambling toward the bathing chamber to relieve myself. The moon illuminated the small room. Prisms of light flickered along the walls, lulling me into a sense of peace I hadn’t known in so long.
We had a long way to go, the fight far from over, but I knew I would prosper by Eva’s side or we would go to the heavens together. There was no me without her.
I finished my business and walked toward the basin, cleaning my hands in the chilly water. My gaze shifted up, taking in the man staring back at me. There were moments I hardly recognized myself, knowing I was an entirely different person less than one year ago. But this man was someone I was proud to be. I had the woman of my dreams, my family by my side, and for the first time, I had a home.
I smiled to myself, turning away from the mirror and padding back into the bedroom. My blood chilled as the sharp tang of copper filled my nostrils. Every thought eddied from my mind as I ran toward our bed.
I stepped forward, my foot landing in something hot and sticky. The soft drip, drip, drip of something echoed in my mind, rooting me where I stood, studying the scene before me. The white sheets I had been wrapped up in were now covered in blood, the contrast of the two nearly sending me to my knees.
Gods, there was so much of it, and I–
My eyes flew open at the sound of Eva’s alarmed tone. Somehow I ended up laying on the floor near the fire. Beads of perspiration dotted my brow, dripping down my face.
“Matthew?” Eva called, scrambling out of bed. She ran to my side, her hand touching the bare skin on my back as it burned. My body jolted under her, and I cursed myself for drawing her out of her slumber. “Matthew, what is it? What is wrong?”
She was terrified, her voice giving it away as she beat at me, but I could not look at her. Not without picturing a lifeless gaze staring back at me, her blood coating my hands as I begged for her to breathe.
I could not lose her. I could not lose anyone.
Eva gripped my hair and yanked back. I cried out in pain, lifting my body off the floor. She gripped my face between her palms and pulled me toward her to look at me.
I buried my head into the crook of her neck, clinging to her as if she was my last breath. This was my only salvation. She rubbed my back in soft circles as I cried, wrapping her long legs around my waist as we held each other.
“I’ve got you,” she whispered. Her voice was raw from sleep. Her soft lavender scent filled my nostrils, and I breathed her in as she murmured sweet comforts in my ear. “I’ve got you.”
“Eva, I am terrified,” I whispered. “With everything I am and everything I feel, I am terrified of the loss this war will bring us.” Raising my head, I stared into her questioning eyes and saw the confusion lying behind them.
