Page 24 of Treasured

I smirked. “So you’d be alright if I decided to forgo them altogether?”

A growl rumbled through his chest. “Absolutely not.” His hand found my bottom, and he squeezed. “If you did that, you’d be signing the death warrant of anyone unfortunate enough to look upon you. You’re mine.”

My chest warmed at the declaration, and I kissed him. “I suppose it’s good that I don’t have a penchant for nudity, then.”

“A very good thing.”

This banter felt good. Normal, even. The queen’s summons might have been trying to destroy us, but this was proof that she couldn’t.

Sebastian and I were two halves of the same whole. Whatever challenges came our way, we would make it through.

He patted the spot next to him on the bed, up by the pillow. “Come here, darling. I need you.”

“You mean…” My words trailed off, but I gestured between us suggestively, wiggling my brows.

A laugh. “I’m impressed by your assumptions of my virility, but I want to hold you. There will be plenty of time for that later.”

I hoped so. Every time Sebastian and I came together was better than the last. Still, I would not give up the chance to be with him in any way, shape, or form.

Crawling onto the bed beside Sebastian, I snuggled up in front of him. I fit against him perfectly, his arm falling over me as he drew the blanket over us. Almost instantly, I was drowsy, my body happy to remind me how much I needed sleep.

The bed, like everything else in this small room, was tiny. It wasn’t meant for two people. None of this was. The space had a single chair, a small wardrobe, and a window looking over the mountains.

Despite its size, it was enough.

Books and riches and castles were nice, but they didn’t matter. Not really. All I needed in this world was the vampire behind me.

“I love you,” I whispered, my eyes slipping shut. I had questions about the key and the bond, but those would have to wait. Kinthani, the gods be with her soul, always said big conversations were best had when bellies were full and the sun was shining. The sun part couldn’t happen, but the rest was sound advice. We could wait until tomorrow.

He returned the sentiment, his hand landing protectively on my hip. “Sleep, darling,” he murmured. “We can deal with everything else tomorrow.”

I tried; I did.

Despite my exhaustion, sleep did not come easily to me. Low rumbles came from the snoring vampire behind me, but I couldn’t quiet my mind.

There were too many thoughts and emotions. I could have been upset by this lack of rest, but instead, I focused on the good things. Sebastian had woken. The cuts on his cheek healed. The summons was quiet. And I was in his arms. Being in this place with him filled me with hope, even in the darkest times.

And times were dark.

If there was one thing I had learned over the past fifty-six hours, it was that the darkness had spread far and wide. From my position at Sebastian’s bedside, I’d been in the perfect position to overhear the priestesses and witches as they walked down the hallway, unknowing or uncaring that I could hear them.

Death crawled over the Koln Mountains, choking out all the life in its wake. Creatures that had never before been seen were making their way into Eleyta from Ithenmyr. The weather was erratic, everything was colder, and no one was safe. The queen in Ithenmyr was said to be even worse than Marguerite—a feat, considering my mother-in-law’s wickedness—and she was wreaking havoc over Ithenmyr and Drahan.

Everything they said only confirmed what I already suspected: the queen’s Fortune Elves had been correct about the darkness.

It was here.

Now that Sebastian had returned to me, waking Marius was more urgent than ever.

The harbinger, the Sunwalker, and the Wielder of Shadows.

It sounded like the beginning of a bad joke.

But instead, it was my life.

Dread was a massive, swirling pit of despair in my stomach. I couldn’t shake the thought that whatever was coming next would make the queen’s tournament seem like child’s play. That thought, more than anything else, chilled my blood.

When sleep finally pulled me into its embrace, I found myself in a realm of nightmares.