AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Jude flinched, but his arm around me tightened.
Eventually, I drifted into a deep slumber, the crackling fire and Jude’s even breathing lulling me to sleep.
Whatever dreams I might have that evening, they wouldn’t compare to my reality. And that frightened me the most.
When I’d asked Grandmother about the sun when I was a young girl, all she’d told me was, “You cannot covet what you do not know.” And now that I’d tasted but a hint of happiness, I feared I would miss it when it was inevitably taken from me.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jude
Maliah, Goddess of Revenge and Redemption, is a fickle master. She often acts with spite, causing chaos and war simply to watch the ensuing bedlam. Not much is known about Maliah, but there have been reports of her many lovers, both men and women, whom she gifts with acts of vengeance on their behalf. Perhaps this is why many seek her favor, hoping they might catch her eye and be rewarded in return.
Excerpt from Asidian Lore: A Tale of the Gods
For the second time in as many days, I woke up with Kiara’s body pressed against mine.
Sometime during her sleep she’d rolled over, her small body draped across my torso like a warm blanket. Her head rested against my chest, right above my enlivened heart, and one lean leg was tossed carelessly across both of mine. Her tiny hand grasped a fistful of my thin undershirt, pinning me in place.
This certainly was a pleasant way to start the day.
I was her personal pillow,again. And I didn’t mind in the least.
Peering down my nose, careful not to disturb her rest, I took in the sight of her—of the long sweeping lashes that dusted her rosy cheeks and the slightly parted lips that sent a different kind of heat spreading like wildfire across my chest.
My goddess of war was so very docile in her sleep.
I couldn’t remember a time when I hadn’t dreamed of the sun or the dark shadows that eventually stole it away. And I knew my peaceful sleep was due to the stunning creature in my arms—one crafted of both strength and ethereal lightness. She chased my demons away.
“Mmmm.” Kiara shifted in my arms, and instinctively, they tightened.
Her bare fingers curled and tugged me against her chest as if, even in her sleep, she fought to keep me impossibly close.
I glanced down at her hands, recalling the sheer terror that had filled her eyes when she’d shown me her secret. I’d been honored—“honored” being too small a word—that she trusted me. It felt like that pull between us had finally snapped, and now we were irrevocably tied together.
How could I push her away now? I’d be a bastard if I did. Isiah would’ve frowned at me and called me an idiot, but…but Isiah wasn’t here. When was the last time peace had fallen over me and a sense of safety had warmed my chest? Never. That was the cold truth of it.
Kiara twitched, her lashes fluttering as a chilled wind swept across her cheeks. Sleep had lost its hold.
“Morning,” I murmured into her copper hair, my nose inhaling her distinct scent—an exquisite aroma of the open woods and some foreign bloom. Kiara angled her head, peering up at me with those striking amber eyes. Eyes familiar to me in a way I couldn’t describe.
“Morning, commander.” She stretched, arching her back and raising her arms like a kitten. “You still make a fine pillow,” she said.
“And you still make an excellent heater.” My lips curled. “Although, you do snore like a bear.” A lie, but it got the reaction I was aiming for.
One moment she was nestled in my arms, pliant and content, and the next, she was straddling me, her hands resting on either side of my head, her fists in the soft dirt.
“Say that again, and I’ll slit your throat in your sleep,” she threatened, her tone saturated with mischief. She loved the challenge as much as I loved the fight.
“I only speak the truth,” I cooed, goading her further. Poking her beast was becoming my new favorite hobby.
“Well, I—”
Kiara’s full lips froze. Whatever she’d planned to threaten died on her tongue, and her eyes turned shrewd as she scanned the forest.
Following her gaze, I, too, startled. “Where the hells are we?”
Apparently, our sleeping positions were not the only things to shift overnight. The magical glen we’d drifted off in? Yeah, that was nowhere to be seen.
