I blinked my eyes open and lifted my head, finding Kellan’s dark gaze tracing my face. He tugged his sea blue coat higherover my shoulders. The corners of his lips slid up into a soft smile as he drew his hand back and ran it through my hair.
Gods, that felt good.
I propped my elbow up and blinked as it sank into a soft, downy mattress. I jerked upright and stilled, Kellan’s coat sliding to my hips as my eyes darted around the soft top of the altar.
What the hell?
Kellan smirked, and he clasped his hands behind his head as he leaned back into the altar-turned-bed. I scanned the rest of the large chamber, noting the sheer, silver drapery that now hung between the bordering marble columns, creating a heavenly canopy around our impromptu campsite. The crystals shifted from a soft pink to a smoldering orange, shining through the gaps like a sunrise.
“How…” I trailed off. My eyes settled on Kellan’s relaxed form.
He shrugged, and he leaned his head to the side, scanning my face.
“You, of course,” he murmured. “I awoke to some wild golden lights swirling around us in the night. Apparently, the Transcindiel thought you weren’t comfortable enough. Please thank it for me.”
Kellan arched a dark brow, and the lilting tune of the transformational power rose from my depths, practicallypurringas Kellan spoke to it.
I did this?
The Transcindiel spun to my palms, lightening the matching eight-pointed stars in confirmation. Kellan propped himself up on his elbow.
I blinked, scanning his chest and noting the deep bruises that lined the sides of his torso, and my mouth fell open.
“You’re healing, Kellan,” I gasped, sliding my hands tenderly to the purple and yellow smudges that had replaced the gashes. He nodded his head, his brows rising.
“Yes,” he confirmed, looking over my shoulder in wonder at the pools glistening at the bottom of the stairs. “The water? This place? I’m not sure.”
He shifted and straightened. “There weren’t any blankets, so I pulled this from my pack.” He pulled his sea blue coat over my shoulders, his hand lingering as he ran a thumb over my skin.
My breasts peaked at his touch, but he kept his eyes up, sliding them along the line of my collarbone.
“It looks rather good on you,” he added, his voice rough. He dragged his gaze to my face, and a rare vulnerability softened the corners of his eyes as he sat up and pulled me to his lap.
I straddled his waist, resting one hand on the scars lining his chest and placing the other on the side of his face, my thumb running over the soft prickles of his short beard. My shoulder peeked out and his coat slid down as we adjusted ourselves.
Kellan kept his eyes on mine despite the position, despite the promise of perfect pleasure our bodies were desperate for.
“Yesterday was the happiest day of my life,” he confessed quietly, wrapping an arm around my waist.
A quiet realization hit me.
Happy.
When was the last time I’d been truly happy? The feeling spread through my body, washing away the lingering pain and hurt like a wave over the sand.
“And I will do everything in my power to keep that smile on your face,” he continued. “I’ll follow you anywhere, Bonscaíh.” He leaned in, sliding his hand to the side of my neck and through my hair. His lips pressed against mine in soft connection as his thumb brushed a delicate line below my cheekbone.
“And I you.To Hell and back,” I confirmed against his lips.
He broke into a smile as he huffed a laugh and shook his head against mine.
“To Hell and back.” He nodded.
Warmth swelled in my chest, my powers reacting to the overwhelming force filling my entire being. The force that bound them… The force that allowed them to coexist, to thrive as one.
Love.
Light filteredin through the entrance of the mountain as we made our way through the final tunnel leading back to the jungle of the Arx. We’d washed what remained of our clothes, and Kellan resigned to leaving his shredded shirt behind before we gathered our things and trekked out of the mountain.
