Page 201 of A Soul to Embrace

Her beginning attempts had been clumsy, but he’d found them arousing all the same. She’d made him laugh when he doubted anyone else could have, and watching her fumble had been winsome. It reminded him of all the parts he liked about her gentle but curious personality, and how he could easily grow fascinated by the way she figured things out on her own.

And watching her explore herself for the first time... even now, a desirous shudder rippled down his spine.

All this had allowed him to settle gently into their intimacy, while his thoughts and lingering pain dissolved until all he could think about and feel was her. Until his heart realigned as she became the focal point of his feelings and reminded him ofwhyhe’d been so desperate to bring them here. Not for himself, but for her.

She also showed him that he now had a mate he could lean on. Someone who twisted him up inside in so many different ways that the unpredictability and mayhem of them often left him raw. Someone who was soft where he was jagged, sweet where he was nasty, and sensual when he was indifferent.

Someone who, from this day forward, could be his task.

He had nothing else to hold onto. If he couldn’t bear to throw her into the violence of his vendetta, then she would need to be what drove him forward without it. He would have to find hishappiness within her, as he knew there was nothing else that was going to give it to him.

At least... not in this wretched city.

Without knowing it, Zylah had become his centre.

He was surprised by how much that didn’t bother him. In the past, the thought of a female being the cause and result of all his next choices had been abhorrent to him. He hadn’t wanted anyone to fill the void in his chest because it meant letting go of who he was.

This female, his own personal bunny, was just cute enough that he didn’t mind.

It meant he now had to make choices he was uncertain about, but he was starting to accept them. Enough so that he gingerly sat up without disturbing her and shifted off the bed so he could stand.

Grimacing in disdain at her blood-soaked dress, he searched quietly for his pants. He yanked them up his legs and tied them around his waist while trying his hardest to avoid the beam of sunlight cutting across the room.

He should have known she’d sense that he abandoned her, since she groaned and shifted on the bed.I should’ve covered us with the blanket.Regardless, when her orbs flickered open to teal, informing him that she was awake, he knelt behind her and placed an arm on either side of her torso.

Jabez leaned down to her and brushed his lips against her bony jaw. “Go back to sleep, Zylah. I’ll return shortly.”

She turned a little and cupped the side of his face. “Where are you going?”

“To speak with the councilmembers.” He kissed her cheek, her brow, and then the side of her snout. “Don’t worry. I won’t be long, and everything will be fine, I promise. Stay here. Rest.”

Then he pushed off and walked to the exit, grumbling when she went to sit up despite what he’d said. He knocked on thedoor, and the guard on the other side cracked it open so they could speak. Jabez wondered if he heard their moans earlier, but decided he didn’t give a shit either way.

“Take me to the conference chamber,” Jabezgentlydemanded.

“They’re still discussing–”

“I’m aware,” he cut in. “However, I have new information I wish to share that may sway their decision.”

Showing he held no ill intention, Jabez turned and folded his arms behind his back in offering. It didn’t take long for the guard to make his decision. He stepped into the doorway to remove the golden cuffs from Jabez’s wrists, then replaced them with the proper prisoner bindings, which dampened both his strength and his magical capabilities.

“Jabez, why are you leaving without me?” Zylah asked while sitting up on the bed and kicking her legs to the side like she was about to get up.

He looked away when her orbs shifted to blue, although was thankful the door would be shielding her nudity from the guard’s view.

“There’s no need for you to come. You won’t understand anything, and I’d rather you sleep more.”

When he offered the best reassuring smile he could muster, she settled back onto the bed with a nervous chitter.

Jabez then turned and exited the room. There were multiple soldiers lining the hall, and he figured they’d increased their security here in case he managed to escape. The guard who bound his arms spoke to a fellow soldier further down the hallway, explaining what Jabez wanted, and they exchanged him so the original man could return to his post by the door.

The soldier was aDelysianfemale this time, who was quick to hold the strap between his clasped elbows and wrists to ensurehe couldn’t run away easily. Her companion fell in line in front of him, and they led him through the central-tree palace together.

A few more soldiers along the way noticed and joined them, creating a thin barrier between him and the many people who were now awake due to the first sun’s rising. They helped him avoid the sunlight peeking through misshapen branch windows, but he figured that was the Delysian soldier just trying to protect herself as much as him.

Civilians stared as they passed them, likely curious about who he was and why he was being led through the hallways. He doubted any of them knew of his arrival, especially since they lacked fear in their gazes or scents.

Most were Elysians in well-tailored, flowing outfits, each of them wearing different colours and styles. Many of the males were either topless or wearing intricate singlets that crossed over their torsos and tied at their waists. Some women were fully covered except for their arms due to the heat, while others wore what could only be considered loose strapping to hide their breasts and privates.

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