“And the day after that,” he whispers in my ear as I grab onto his back, lifting my legs to let him in deeper.
“And the day after that,” I say as he lowers his mouth to my breast, sucking it greedily as I tighten around him, my climax close once more.
His breathing shallows as his thrusts deepen and turn more erratic, my back arching to press my chest to his. “Forever,” I sayas I squeeze my body around his, as his hands reach into my hair to kiss me before he comes undone.
He cries out as he reaches his release, pulling me along with him, throwing his head over my shoulders and clutching me to him to unleash himself within me, filling my body and my heart.
He sits up, still inside me, and pulls me onto his chest, stroking my hair as my convulsions finally slow and then stop, then he twines my fingers with his as he presses them to his lips.
“Forever,” he says, his own light shimmering in his eyes like starlight.
Chapter Sixteen
Later, after a knock comes at the door to let us know we’re getting close to Faros, we finally pull ourselves from the bed to get dressed.
As I pull on the clothes he brought me—tan Selaran trousers made of a soft linen, a white tunic that actually belongs to Quinn, and my mother’s ring that I dropped to lead him to me—he picks up the nightgown Seth gave me from the floor, his fingers brushing the yellowing lace. “This is…”
“The sexiest thing you’ve ever seen?”
He laughs. “More like a glimpse into the future.”
I smile at him. He’s picturing a future together where I’m old enough to wear something like this, and he’s there with me.
I want that so badly I can barely breathe.
He leans down and whispers in my ear. “I like it.”
“I’ll bring it out on special occasions.”
He wraps his arms around my stomach, tickling me as I try to squirm out of his strong grasp. “You are such a smartass.”
“Takes one to know one.”
He laughs, his finger tapping my nose playfully. “True enough.”
The boat staggers to a halt on the shore as we make our way back on deck. I spot Prima sitting with Larus on a bench near the bow. She’s smiling at him, braiding her black hair as she talks to him at length about something.
My heart swells with love for my Guardian, and I’m haunted by the guilt of trying to kill him.
“He told me,” Ronan whispers, sensing my distress. “He was proud of you for fighting him.”
As I watch Prima, I’m reminded of the feeling of her fear in my body. It was so strange, so different from Ronan’s feelings. “Ronan, yesterday before the fight. I think I felt her. Her terror.”
Ronan’s head snaps to mine. “What? Directly? Not filtered through my perception of it?”
“No.” But now that he mentions it, I have never felt his perception of anyone else through his feelings. Only my own. “At least, I don’t think so. I couldn’t feel her as strongly as I typically feel you, even though I could tell what she was feeling was strong.”
“And now?”
I shake my head. “Nothing. No one but you.”
Ronan regards me, his eyes puzzled and somewhat troubled. “I wasn’t sure if this was worth mentioning to you, but last night, when we were in bed, I could see better than I usually can.”
“You’re right,” I realize. It was pitch dark in the cabin, but it didn’t stop Ronan from being able to tell where I was. I thought he’d just been operating on feel, like he does from time to time. “And when you and Taran came to the camp on Kira, I felt something odd when the shadow split. Like I was channeling you, I think. Your love. Your fear.” I reach into my pocket for the scrap of paper I took from Seth’s desk, but I had no pockets when I took it. Taran must still have it.
“Shadowbound,” says Seth.
I nearly jump out of my skin. “Asshole! Eavesdropping asshole. Why would you sneak up on me like that?”
