Page 126 of Tides of Shadows

“Do not speak to me like I am some sheltered palace Lady. You seem to forget who trained whom,” my tone turned equally frigid.

“Nerissa, I know what you are capable of. I know the power that sleeps within you. I feel it every day when you are with me. Still, the battlefield is no place for a woman.”

“You want to command me again? There have been others who tried.” I saw both fury and pain flash across his face.

“That is not what I meant… Actually, it is exactly what I meant. But I care only for your safety. You will not be safe in the desert. What will defend you when the water runs dry and they will fight with those black Elementars?”

“You know as well as I that sooner or later, we must all stand together.”

“Exactly. Together. And we do not even have the fourth heir. You worked on this at the Palace with your father. Use Minerva. Perhaps she can help you, and when you find the heir, then we shall consider your journey south. Preferably after I have already slaughtered everyone there,” he smiled.

“Asshole.”

“Ah, we return to insulting me. I thought we had moved past that.”

I pulled water from another barrel to throw at him, but he deflected it without the slightest effort.

“Not so easy with me, is it?” he mocked me.

I snatched a wooden sword from the table and threw it at him. He dodged effortlessly, so I reached for a second. With that unnatural speed of his, he stood beside me in an instant. He pinned my arm to the table, weapon still in hand.

“I had forgotten how much you enjoy throwing things at me.”

I tried to strike him with my elbow, but at the last moment he blocked it with his other hand and spun me around, my back pressed against him. He held me with his iron strength so I wouldn’t move. I could have struck his face with the back of my head, but I remembered how much I adored his nose and mouth.

Aidenar brushed his lips along my ear, my cheek, my neck. My body betrayed me. The tension was slowly draining away, leaving heat in its place. I felt his warm breath against my neck.

“You have two choices,” he whispered into my ear. “Either you come with me to my chambers, or I take you here and now. That is the only choice I can offer you.”

He loosened his grip enough that I could turn and meet his gaze. I was still looking at him with fury on my face.

“You know that when you’re angry it only makes me want you more,” he couldn’t stop teasing me.

“I need a bath,” I replied as a sign of defeat.

His eyes blazed with light.

I remembered my promise to Dricus. But I also knew that if all three of us rode south, we would never find the fourth. And if the witch had spoken true, then I had to find her. For now, I had to surrender and remain in Durminas, but I knew time was running short. Aidenar would leave tomorrow.

The final dinner passed in a funereal hush. No one knew what awaited Aidenar in the south or what would become of the Dominium if Emberhold fell. Words died in throats, spoons clinked dully against plates. The guests dispersed quickly. I remained at the table, heavy as stone, unable to rise.

My thoughts circled around the dark visions of the enemy army. How many forces did they gather? Would Dricus and Aidenar be able to stand against Malric and Rava? What their magic was exactly?

Aidenar took my hand and pulled me out of the storm of my thoughts. We went to his chambers.

We spent the night together, knowing it was the last time.

I woke at dawn. It was a bleak and rainy morning, as though Durminas wept for its heir. Mist drifted over the mountains and valleys. Aidenar slept curled around me. I turned to watch his face. The way his fair hair lay upon the pillow, the way his full lips seemed to wait for my kiss, the way the line of his jaw invited my touch.

I didn’t understand what he saw in me. He was too perfect to be real. I feared that what we had was too beautiful to endure.

“Will you keep staring at me, or will you finally kiss me,” he murmured with closed eyes, pretending to sleep.

I leaned in and kissed him softly. I could not speak. The words lodged in my throat.

We had to prepare. We ate a quick meal. He sat in the chair and watched me dress. My movements felt foreign, my thoughts scattered.

“You know, when you are truly troubled, you fall silent,” he said gently. “Usually you are like a ball of wild energy, but when the weight grows too heavy, you close your doors.”