Page 40 of Hearts on Fire
“He wants me to survey the area and to explain to the High General the entire battle, step by step.”
“Because you know how it’ll go?”
He heaved a heavy breath. “Not in as many details as the king demands. I learned about the war, of course, but I realize now how superficial my knowledge is.”
“Well, it has to be differentreadingabout something as compared to actuallylivingthrough it.”
“Exactly. So, the king wants to test my memory. The High General is going to make sure that the maneuvers I remember match with the location and the landscape. He also hopes that going to the area of the action may jolt my memories, to give him more details for his planning.”
I resented the king even more now that he was taking Elex away from me.
“When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning. It’ll take a whole day. We most likely will have to spend the night out there, too. In which case, I won’t return until after the battle, the day after.”
My heart thundered with worry, and I tried to breathe through it in small, measured breaths.
He’d be fine. He had to be fine.
He glided his hand up my back.
“You’ll be safe in the castle. The king and his men will leave the day of the battle, too. Just stay in my room. I’ll have meals delivered for you. It’ll be just for a day or two.”
“I’ll be fine.” I nodded.
It wasn’t me I was worried about.
“Promise me to stay safe,”I wished to say. But that would be demanding a promise from him that wasn’t in his power to keep. A war was going on in Dakath. He was putting himself in the middle of it. That carried a risk. A risk no promise would minimize.
“It’s all right.” I swallowed around a thick lump lodged in my throat and turned away, hiding my face. The devastation raging inside me would surely be reflected in my expression, and there was no need to upset him with how I felt.
“Hey.” He cupped my cheek, turning my face back to him. “You look like you’re going to miss me,” he murmured, his thumb stroking my skin.
“Maybe I will.” I focused on his chest, tracing the edge of his pectoral with the tip of my finger.
It was both exhilarating and terrifying to admit, but Elex didn’t just gain my trust. Little by little, he’d been taking over my entire being.
I’d felt something similar before, like a part of me was dissolving into the man I was with as our lives merged. The big difference this time was that I didn’t feel less because of that. Elex gave as much as he took. With him, it wasn’t giving up but gifting. It made me fuller, not emptier.
I slid my arms around his neck, pressing my body to his. He kissed my temple, then my cheek, and finally my lips.
This kiss, just like the one before it, wasn’t meant to happen. I wasn’t supposed to come to Dakath. But here I was now, and I couldn’t bring myself to regret it anymore.
“I’ll miss you too, Amber,” Elex whispered against my lips. “Somehow, my happiness is now directly dependent on whether you’re next to me.”
He slid his hands down my back. Cupping my backside, he lifted me out of the water and placed me on the smooth rock at the water’s edge.
I shivered as the cool air chilled my wet skin.
“I’ll keep you warm, my spark,” he vowed, spreading his wings around us. “I’ll always keep you warm.”
His wings curled around us. Heat rolled off his body in waves as he leaned over me. He kissed between my breasts then down my stomach.
“Elex…I…” I gripped his hair.
“Let me taste you.” Hooking my legs over his shoulders, he dipped his head between my thighs.
I gasped with a moan as his mouth connected with my sensitive flesh. His tongue was hot, almost too hot to bear, making me squirm.