Page 152 of Thorns & Fire
‘King Leiko will no doubt offer his own hand,’ Thea said with disgust.
‘I suspect so as well,’ Kipp agreed with a grim nod.‘But I want to propose an alternative...’
Wren was rigid in her chair, her heart pounding against her ribs, her grip on Torj’s hand tightening.‘Go on.’
It was the first time Kipp had looked uncomfortable, and he grimaced as he glanced between Wren and her Bear Slayer.‘Prince Zavier.’
‘What?’Wren blurted.
Kipp gave her an apologetic look.‘You’re friends.He’s already taken back a working kingdom.Although Naarva was a fallen kingdom before, its absence from the last war means it’s in better shape than the rest in terms of its infrastructure...’
Wren shook her head.‘Zavier would never agree to this.’
‘He already has,’ Kipp said.‘Were he not currently in the infirmary, he’d tell you himself.The advantage here is that he knows you and Torj—’
Torj stiffened beside Wren, but Kipp forged on.
‘Zavier has agreed to marry in name only.You can lead separate lives.A marriage of alliance in the truest sense.He doesn’t have much in the way of gold or defence forces, but the union of two royal families will carry a lot of weight with the people.’
‘I can’t believe we’re talking about this,’ Thea muttered, her head falling into her hands.
Nor could Wren.She had known it wouldn’t be easy.She had known she would have to sacrifice part of herself.Her place at Drevenor.Her dream of becoming a Master Alchemist.She had given those up in the name of the greater good.But this?
‘I need to speak to Torj alone,’ she heard herself say.
The others didn’t need telling twice.Thea, Wilder, and Kipp all hurried to their feet, the door clicking closed behind them.
Wren rose, turning the lock before she faced the Bear Slayer.‘Look at me,’ she said softly.
When Torj’s eyes met hers, Wren’s resolve nearly fractured, for the deep-sea blue that locked on her was full of understanding, full of determination.
‘I meant what I said before,’ he told her.‘I’m with you no matter what, Embers.With you ’til the very end.’
‘Even through this?’Wren’s voice broke.
Torj’s words were raw as he stood, closing the gap between them and taking her in his arms.‘Through anything.’
‘This wasn’t the future I imagined for us,’ she whispered.
‘Nor I...I wanted you to be free,’ he murmured.‘But if it’s the price of peace in the midrealms...’
‘Then we have to pay it,’ Wren finished for him.
Torj swept his thumb along her jaw and tilted her chin to his.‘I love you.’
‘I love you too.’
Wren didn’t know who moved first, but suddenly she was wrapped around Torj, her mouth fused to his in a searing kiss.
He carried her to the ladder against the shelf and slid her onto a rung to free his hands.His touch was a brand on her skin, and she memorized every brush of his fingertips, every imprint of him upon her, every sound that broke from his lips.She kissed him as though he were the answer to every question she’d ever had, trailing her hands over the hard planes of his body, committing every rippling muscle to memory.
Torj’s belt buckle clicked open, and Wren tugged the laces of his leathers apart.‘I need you.’
His teeth dragged down the column of her throat, his fists bunching her skirts at her hips.‘I’m yours,’ he growled against her skin.
With fumbling, shaking hands, Wren reached between them.She pulled her undergarments to the side and fitted him to her entrance, tears burning at the corners of her eyes.Tears she refused to shed when she had her soul-bonded here and now.
‘Prove it, Bear Slayer.Fuck me like I’m yours.Fuck me so I feel you for days.’
