Page 94 of Unravelled
“Every single part of you,” he murmured. “I want your your mind, your heart, every scar, every guarded corner. " He pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder. His fingers slid into her hair, slow, reverent.
"I want your strength, your softness, your rage, your silence. I want the way you move, the way you dream, the way you doubt. There’s not a single part of you I don’t want to know, to hold, to fight for. ”
His forehead pressed to hers, his voice lowering, raw and trembling. “I want to stand beside you. In every storm. In every battle. I want you to look at me and know I’m yours, because you chose me. Because I choose you.”
Mira closed her eyes. The warmth of Ren’s words lingered on her skin, but underneath, a thread pulled taut through her chest. Mira felt the pull of him, the ache, the beauty of it, a promise wrapped in longing, in forgiveness and in devotion. Tharion’s face flickered in her mind, Solid. Steady. His presence had been a shield. A constant. Their bond forged in quiet loyalty and shaped by hardship, not fire. What she and Tharion had was different than this. It was duty.
Her chest tightened. Grief and guilt pricked at the edges of this moment like a cold wind slipping through warm water. She wanted to hold it all at once, who she had chosen, and who she had not yet let go.
"I..." The word caught in her throat.
For a heartbeat, silence stretched between them. The only sound was the slow ripple of water and the faint crackle from the hearth. Ren’s fingers brushed gently alongher jaw. His eyes searched hers, not for proof, not for permission, but for truth. Then he nodded, just once before a genuine smile filled his face.
“You don’t have to say anything, Mira,” he said, voice thick but sure. “Just being with you is enough for me.” His forehead touched hers again. It felt like devotion. Adoration. Love. “I’ll wait,” he murmured. “However long it takes.”
Mira let herself breathe into the quiet between them. Ren lingered there with her, their foreheads pressed together, breath shared in the hush. His arms tightened around her, not with urgency, but with care. And then, slowly, deliberately, he shifted.
“Come on,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple.
The water lapped gently around them as he moved keeping one arm secure around her waist. Mira let herself be guided, her limbs loose, pliant from heat and emotion. He helped her step from the bath, the cool air kissing her damp skin. Ren reached for a thick towel first, wrapping it around her shoulders before grabbing one for himself. He dried her slowly, his hands moving with patient gentleness. Sweeping over her arms, down her back, across the lines of her shoulders. Mira watched him in the low light, his hair black with water, his skin glistening beneath the soft sheen of hearth light. Once she was dry, he paused, and toweled off quickly.
When he met her eyes again, there was no pressure, only a warmth that settled deep. They walked back into the main chamber, bare feet soft against the stone. Ren pulled back the covers of the bed and climbed in first, his arm outstretched in silent invitation.
Mira slipped in beside him, nestling into the space that had been waiting for her. He pulled her close without a word, her head resting back against his chest, their legs tangling beneath the blankets. His heartbeat thudded steady beneath her cheek. One of his hands moved lazily through her hair, fingers trailing.
The scent of him surrounded her, wood-smoke and warmth, like the memory of a fire long after it had burned low. It clung to her skin, to the sheets, to the air between them, grounding her more deeply than anything else could have.
Mira breathed him in, the scent wrapping around her like a blanket, settling into the hollow places where worry used to live. It was steady. Familiar. Him. Ren shifted just slightly, his hold tightening for a heartbeat before relaxing again, as if even in sleep, he didn’t want to let her go.
And wrapped in the scent of wood-smoke, cradled by the quiet strength of his embrace, Mira finally let herself drift into sleep.
26
Sunlight streamed through the windows, spilling across the bed in ribbons of light. The dawn was soft and unhurried, the world holding its breath in the hush that followed the storm of the night before. Ren’s fingers traced slow, aimless patterns along Mira’s bare back, his touch warm, grounding, a quiet invitation back to the waking world.
She stirred beneath the sheets, the coolness of linen kissing her skin as her eyes fluttered open. A sleepy smile pulled at the corners of her mouth before her gaze found his. He was already watching her, his head propped against one hand, dark hair tousled, eyes soft and still heavy with sleep.
“Good morning,” he murmured.
Mira’s smile widened, and she stretched languidly, the movement drawing a content sigh from her lips. He leaned in, brushing a kiss across her shoulder. But even as they lay wrapped in warmth and shared stillness, a flicker of concern crept into his features. He exhaled, slow and reluctant.
“Last night…” Ren’s hand slid from her back to rest against her waist, fingers flexing gently, as if the act of touching her helped settle the words.
“He saw us, Mira. At the height of it. You and me. Together. In front of the entire court.”
Her smile faded. “Asric.”
Ren gave a small nod, jaw tight.
“He saw. And he’ll use it. Maybe not today. Maybe not openly. But that man doesn’t forget things like that.That’s was the game last night. Collect enough secrets, enough leverage.”
Mira pushed herself up slightly, propped on one elbow, the sheet clinging to her skin. Her pulse beat harder in her throat. Her stomach twisted, fear flickering low in her gut, but it wasn’t fear of what he might do to her. It was fear of what he might try to do to Ren as the Regent.
Her voice was soft, but firm. “You don’t have to protect me from this. We face it together. I won’t be the weakness someone uses against you.”
The fear hadn’t vanished. It still sat there, coiled and waiting. She had spent too long being protected, being sheltered behind the choices of others. Not this time. She wouldn’t be hidden. She wouldn’t be a pawn in someone else’s game. Not even for him. Ren’s gaze searched hers, his fingers brushing a strand of damp hair from her cheek.
“You were never a weakness.” he said quietly,
