Page 95 of Unravelled
Mira inhaled, steadying herself.
“I’m with you, Ren.” She hesitated, “Brahn and Torvyn don’t see that yet. They still think I need to be managed. I can help you.”
They lingered in the quiet after that, wrapped in a stillness. His fingers resumed their path along her spine, soft and slow. But even as they lay wrapped in warmth and shared stillness, a flicker of responsibility crept into his features. He exhaled, reluctant.
“I have to go,” he said, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “Council meeting. Early and infuriating.”
She groaned, muffling the sound against her pillows. Ren dropped his head to meet her eyes.
“Do you remember the first council meeting in the observatory?”
Her eyes opened, still fogged with sleep, but she nodded faintly. Ren smiled.
“I wasn't ready to rule,” he said with a quiet laugh, turning to face her. “Not even close.”
He paused.
“Everyone down there talked like power was owed. Inherited. But you made it feel like it was chosen, Like could choose to help."
Her voice was quiet, almost teasing. “Wasn’t it yours, anyway?”
He looked at her. “It wasn’t my blood that convinced me to take the Regency." he said, voice low. “It was you.”
The words hung there, tender and unshaken. Mira reached out, brushing a thumb along his jaw, memorizing the soft stubble, the curve of his mouth as he smiled. She adored everything about him in that moment, the sleepy husk of his voice, the way his gaze lingered on her like she was the only thing that steadied him.
He rose, finally, slowly, with the stiffness of a man who didn’t want to leave. Mira watched him dress, taking in every familiar motion, the stretch of his arms as he pulled on his shirt, the quiet hum he didn’t know he made.
When he reached the door, he turned back to her. “I’ll find you later.”
Mira stretched beneath the sheets, her bare leg sliding against the warmth he’d left behind. “Not if I can convince you to stay...”
He laughed, low and genuine.He paused, her words lingering in the air like a challenge wrapped in silk. Without a word, he crossed the room towards her, each step sure, inevitable. Mira propped herself up on one elbow, watching him with lazy delight as he reached the edge of the bed.
He leaned down, bracing one hand beside her, the other curling gently under her jaw.
“If I could stay here between your legs I would.” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper, “but I’ll remembering your tase all Navigators damned day.”
He kissed her. It wasn’t hurried, or teasing, or even entirely sweet. It was deep and slow and full of all the things he hadn’t said when he'd dressed in silence.
His thumb brushed along her cheekbone as their lips met, and the warmth of him poured into her like sunlight. When he pulled back, it was with a reluctant sigh, his forehead pressing briefly to hers.
“I'll find you as soon as I am done” he whispered, and then he was gone.
Mira lay still in the quiet hours that followed, the ghost of his touch lingering. Her mind was clear. She had made her choice and now, it was time to face the consequences.
???
Mira found Tharion in the guard barracks, his back to her, adjusting the buckles on his armor. The room smelled of steel and sweat, the sharp tang of polish clinging to the air. The sounds of clashing blades and shouted orders drifted in from the training yard, but Tharion remained focused, his movements precise, controlled.
She hesitated for half a breath before stepping forward. “Tharion.”
He turned at the sound of her voice. His eyes flickered over her, taking her in, searching, but for what, she didn’t know.
He exhaled, the tension in his posture shifting, though not disappearing. “Mira.”
A fresh bruise bloomed along his hand. Her chest tightened, the image of him hitting Brahn still sharp in her mind.
Her voice was fragile. “Are you okay?”
