Page 49 of Tears of Gold

Skye

I can’t sleep much in the day, but I’m more than content to lie still and listen to Erritt and Ava’s deep breathing in the otherwise silent room. Nothing in the world could drag me away from this piece of Eternity. My arm drapes carefully over Erritt’s side, and my hand rests on Ava’s hip, rising and falling softly with their movements.

My wild sexual appetites have been straining my self control since the moment Ava threw her arms around me yesterday, but I’m happy to see them both resting quietly. Although Ava slept well with me this morning, she’s still been strung out after such an eventful evening.

To have both my lovers in my arms again is a thing of dreams. Perhaps even more amazing is Vanrey’s casual acceptance of us being alone in Erritt’s presence. Have they come to some kind of agreement? I saw the dark look on the Elite’s face when he told us my beloved had been lashed, so I know he cares about Erritt a lot.

But Vanrey was supposed to protect him. What happened?

Anik, that fucker! I’d like to get my hands around his throat! Erritt shifts slightly and strokes my arm. Shit, my anger woke him.

In a barely audible voice, I whisper an apology into his ear. “What happened?”

Instead of speaking, he opens his memories to me. He sweats, and I tremble with shock and rage as we relive what happened together. I stuff a fist into my mouth to keep from roaring. I’m surprised and grateful that Erritt’s mind is safe, but the beating Anik gave him is no joke. Only the worst criminals would get that kind of a lashing and now he’s barely holding his essence together.

I shake my head, tickling my forehead against my prince’s short hair, fighting tears. Ever so gently, I enter him with my own qi and begin a thorough inspection. I know Erritt’s qi almost as well as he does. Four lashes have sliced him apart, but there are also tiny tears from his inner self being forced outside his body, as well as bruising from shielding his mind and pushing himself to move since the lashing.

Nothing can be done about the bruising, and the deep slices have been stitched by a professional so I turn my attention to the micro tears. Perhaps I can coax the fibers of his soul to close over and ease a little of his pain. The tiny traces of purple qi in here make me think Vanrey has been attempting to do the same thing.

Although he’s in excruciating pain, my beloved Erritt doesn’t even flinch, too worried about waking Ava. A few tears escape my eyes. I have to find a way to prevent this from happening again. I’m thrilled he kicked Anik across the room, but it would be naïve to assume no consequences.

We are both perspiring by the time I withdraw my qi. Erritt gives an experimental flex of his power and winces, but I can tell his pain has lessened—though not nearly enough. I kiss the back of his neck, wishing I could siphon away his suffering.

“The rogue said . . . he wants to . . . leave.” Erritt’s whisper is neutral, but I feel a surge of anger from him.

“Oh?” I prop up on one elbow, mentally tracing the handsome lines of his diamond-shaped jawline. “Do you think he means it? I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Imagine if we were in his shoes.” I can empathize with the rogue’s frustration, knowing what he and Ava got up to in the wake of the festival bombing. The poor guy must be beside himself with frustration and confusion.

“I thought . . . I thought he was . . . We called a t-truce, didn’t we?” The feelings leaking off Erritt are so complex it takes me a few minutes to sort through them. It seems Erritt doesn’t hate the wily rogue anymore. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“Will you miss him?” I ask gently.

“I f-forbade him . . . to leave.”

I chew on my lip. I shouldn’t be surprised that Erritt hasn’t figured himself out yet. It’s easier for him to give commands since he’s accustomed to everyone obeying him, and it’s not like he has many true friends. He’s spent his life hiding his feelings instead of expressing them.

“Did that go down well?”

“He . . . was pretty p-pissed.”

I fight a grin. “I can imagine. Our rogue does have a temper.” I smooth the blond hair around Erritt’s ear, wiping sweat away. “But we have a lot to be grateful to him for. His clumsiness with Ava brought back her memories.”

“What d-did he do? Vanrey said . . . Ava wouldn’t even . . . look at H-Harper.”

His stutter has got worse. Well, a qi lashing will do that to you, but it makes my heart ache since he was slowly starting to recover from being dead. How much more do we have to endure?

I debate withholding the details about Harper, but Ava is his girlfriend too and he has the right to know. “They showered together and got a bit hot and heavy. When they moved to the bedroom to take it further, Ava’s memories returned and she ran away from him.”

“That slick b-bastard!” He hums under his breath, considering. “That m-must have been very . . . confusing for . . . both of them.”

I lean over so I can look into his blue eyes. There’s hardly any jealousy in him as he says it. Maybe my cold-hearted prince is growing just a bit warmer.

Erritt drops his shoulder and turns his face toward me. “What?”

Shaking my head, I whisper. “I love you so damn much. You’re lying here in absolute agony, yet you’re thinking of others.”

He snorts softly. “I’m . . . always thinking of you and . . . Ava.”

I smile slyly and lift my brows. “And sometimes of Harper?”