Page 140 of Thorns & Fire
He faltered, tugging her to a stop so they remained out of earshot of the crowd.‘Honestly?All I want is a life with you, Embers.A life where we’re not constantly fighting battles or chasing prophecies or cures.Just...a simple life.With you.’
Wren swallowed the lump in her throat.‘And if I can’t give that to you?’
‘Then I’ll take whatever you can offer and thank the Furies every day for it,’ he told her fiercely.
Tears stung Wren’s eyes.‘I love you,’ she murmured, wishing she could press her lips to his.
Torj loosed a shaky breath.‘I have dreamed of the day you would say that to me so freely...’His voice was low and hoarse.‘It still doesn’t feel real.’
‘It’s real, Bear Slayer.’She brushed her fingers against his again, entwining them briefly.‘I love you.’
‘And I love you.’
‘Good.’Wren smiled, swiping at her falling tears.
‘What about you?’the Warsword asked.‘What do you see for yourself?’
‘I want the same thing, only with one minor addition,’ she replied.‘I want a cat.’
Torj made a noise of protest.‘Surely you can be convinced of a dog instead?’
‘Not a chance.’She squeezed his hand.‘Shall we go and join our friends?’
‘If we must,’ Torj sighed, clicking his tongue in mock frustration.‘Whose idea was this anyway?’
With warmth blooming through her chest, Wren laughed and tugged her Warsword towards the revelry.
CHAPTER 58
Torj
‘When a pair is soul bonded, it is the creation of something entirely new, like dawn born from the marriage of night and day’
– Tethers and Magical Bonds Throughout History
TORJ THOUGHT HE’Dknown happiness when Wren had told him that she loved him.But watching her beautiful face light up with joy, watching as tears of laughter streamed down her cheeks, was something else entirely.
He studied her with a sense of wonder.That this woman, who had walked through shadow and fire, who had faced her own darkest monsters, was here with a smile on her lips.
He knew Wren and Dessa were worried about Zavier, who remained sedated in the infirmary, but he was glad they were here.The women celebrated Wren’s triumph together, and that was exactly how it should be.
Torj sat beside Wren at the wooden table beneath the stars, the grass growing wet with dew around them as the night wore on.He couldn’t stop himself touching her: a fleeting squeeze of her thigh beneath the table, a brush of his leg against hers.Every graze of contact sent lightning singing through his veins.He could feelWren’s power thrumming inside him, and as the hour grew late, he was practically vibrating with need for her.
‘Something wrong, Bear Slayer?’she teased, her gaze dropping to the bulge he was adjusting in his leathers.
‘Nothing I can’t handle,’ he murmured.
‘Is it somethingIcould handle?’she asked coyly, glancing around at their drunk, distracted friends and wetting her lips.
‘You’re playing with fire, Embers...’he warned.
‘Am I?’
He sucked in a sharp breath as her hand slid into his lap beneath the table, and another as she brushed over his hard cock, squeezing him through the layers.
‘You’re forgetting how much I like to go up in flames,’ she whispered in his ear.
Desire swept through Torj like a current, and he clenched his fists so suddenly he nearly upset his drink.
