Page 199 of Fearless

My wife.

My eye in the storm.

She slips a hand into one of the many pockets of her vest before shouting through the rumbling thunder. “You’re not the only one who brought a gift.”

I track the movement, blinking in the rain as she pulls a stem of forget-me-nots from the soaked fabric. Paedyn Azer’s smile is dangerous as she reaches up to tuck the flowers behind my ear.

“So you don’t forget who I am,” she whispers against my lips.

“And what am I?” I trace my thumb along her bottom lip. “A fool. A cocky bastard?”

Her voice is steady. “You are mine, Malakai.”

Water drips from my lashes, some from her nose. “I always have been,” I murmur. “Until… whatever the hell.”

The laugh that spills from her soft lips has my breath catching. She tips her head back to smile at the storming sky, unburdened by the mention of Adena. “Until whatever the hell,” she echoes, letting that piercing gaze fall back to me.

Beads of water trail down her bared neck as I greedily take in the curve of her mouth. Like a reflex, reverence softens my gaze, coats my voice. “There is that smile I have been waiting to memorize.”

Paedyn blinks up at me in the rain, grin widening. She twines slick arms around my neck before her cold nose is brushing mine. “And you have all the time in the world to admire it.”

CHAPTER 76Paedyn

Five Years Later

I breathe in the fresh air, sun soaking my skin.

A blue sky hangs above the yawning stretch of crops. I shield my gaze with a hand, determined to find the end of this daunting cornfield.

“Somewhere more interesting.”

Kai’s voice is a drawl beside me. My eyes flick to him, combing over the stubble clinging to his strong jaw. “What?” I ask, fearing the answer.

“Somewhere more interesting,” he repeats with a sigh and crossing of his arms. “That is likely where this field ends.”

I scoff before I scold. “Tando has been good to us. That being said”—I glance around the nearly deserted brick road we stand on—“let’s settle this year’s trade agreements and get the hell out of here.”

Kai takes a step toward me, blotting out the sun with his broad shoulders. “Admit it, darling. You hate it out here more than I do.”

I’m spinning the rings that hug each of my thumbs.

“What makes you say that?”

“The quiet.” He brushes a long strand of hair from my face. “The open space. The lack of handsome strangers to rob.”

I give him a flat look. “You’re right. Not a single handsome face for miles.”

“Easy, Azer. Don’t hurt your foot with such a blatant lie.” He flicks the tip of my nose gently. “I saidstrangers, and we both know I am nothing of the sort.”

“No, you’re not.” I grab his hands and pull him close. Then I’m murmuring, “But that doesn’t mean I can’t still rob you.”

I lift his wedding band between our close faces.

It was simple, really, snatching the silver ring from his thumb. He wears his symbol of our union on the same finger I do—a reminder of our love, and the love of a lost brother.

Kai shakes his head at me before grasping my hand. “Still as vicious as ever.”

“You love it.”

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