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“I heard… I thought you might…be in pain.” Her throat bobbed.
His jaw worked as he debated how to answer. But then she was slipping out of her clothes and stepping into the shower, her peculiar eyes locked on his.
“What are you doing?” His voice was low and sensual. Too filled with desire he was trying to keep in check.
She wrapped a soft hand around his cock. “Tell me how to take care of you.”
He sealed his eyes shut, nearly spasming under her touch. He had a mind to send her back to bed, but then she gripped him harder. “That feels good.”
Renton watched her as she kept her eyes on the movement of her hands, sliding up and down his shaft with reverence. Unable to help himself, he pushed her naked body back against the stone wall, trapped between his arms that braced his weight.
His mouth crashed down on hers until she had him seeing stars. His release bent him over until his forehead came to rest on her shoulder.
“You are trouble too, angel,” he said between soft pants.
He proceeded to gently wash her, taking his time with her hair, placing kisses wherever he pleased to earn little gasps of pleasure from her. After wrapping her in a towel, he shipped her off to bed.
Before dressing himself, he wiped the steamed mirror with a towel and stared at the ugly slash of ruined skin over his chest, accompanied by the five tiny punctures Tenah had left.
Kherathi had offered him freedom from it. But what was the cost to others? Was it the right decision to hand over a shard of power to a warped Chaos lord?
Aeyis, Renton called out, not expecting an answer. It wasn’t as though his brother was always tuned in.
What is it, brother?
The response came too quick, and Renton almost growled at him in disapproval.Anything in that tome of yours mention shards?
They are mentioned, yes. Says they serve as vessels for magic, dark or light. Xith used them to power his cities, trains, engines, and such. This is fascinating stuff. Conditions to regrow such crystals can only be produced with the right balance of dissolved minerals in the soil combined with extreme heat. Magma, lightning, Chaos…
Renton halted as he tugged on a long-sleeved shirt to accompany the soft, black pants he’d slid on. Courtesy of the villa workers. They’d learned of his preference for uniform, simple clothes.
What Aeyis had discovered gave a whole new perspective to Roan’s Wake. The scarred land, incinerated by fire and Chaos. How the High Court seemed to be so hands-off now as if they were waiting for something. Possibly new crystals to form? It would be the most nonviolent form of combating Cirel’s war. Pump them full of healing magic and let them purify the cursed souls roaming the wastes of Adra.
Unless Cirel knew about the crystals too.
Renton would have to sit down with his brother soon and delve into this topic.Sounds like you’ve been busy. Does your book mention how to remove them from the shadow body?
Hold please. Give me the night. Hass hasn’t been keen on letting me linger in the archives too long.
Renton breathed in steamy air before strolling out of the bathroom.Don’t work too hard.
He wandered to the edge of the bed, a smile forming as he took in Tenah’s sleeping form. She hadn’t bothered crawling under the blankets, choosing to curl up under the throw blanket instead.
Unwilling to disturb her with his movement on the bed, Renton dropped into a chair by the fireplace.
* * *
Sometime overnight, he’d navigated to the bed anyway. Soft beams of sunlight woke him. Disoriented from a rare full night’s sleep, Renton rubbed at his eyes and found Tenah tucked in next to him.
Her dark lashes fluttered open as she unfurled long arms and lean legs. He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. His fingers traced along the shell of her ear. In the morning light, her eyes were more of a rich shade of brown. Had they ever been red? In fact, all of her features had softened in the time he’d come to know her. The harsh frown of her mouth. The narrowed, distrusting eyes.
He couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss her. It was becoming his favorite game, catching her off guard. Tenah yipped and smacked a pillow down on his head. He didn’t try to block it. Throwing the pillow off the bed in defiance, he tackled her, splaying her out on the bed.
Staring down at her in wonder, heart swelling at the way she stared back with open eyes, he couldn’t help the smile breaking across his face.
“Get dressed, beautiful. We have plans.”
Ever since their arrival in Denoden, Renton itched to visit the western plateaus, curious about the views they had to offer. Would he glimpse a slice of paradise? He wanted nothing more than to share that with her.
