Page 60 of All the Chaos of Constellations
She couldn’t stop the smile, so bright her cheeks ached. “That’s rather bold.”
His chest rumbled. “So is marrying someone you’ve never met.”
Then his sleepy voice was in her mind, tickling the bond between them.“Rest now, Novalise. You’re safe with me.”
Comfortable silence filled the sliver of space between them. Eventually, Asher’s heartbeat slowed alongside her own. His breathing grew even and deep, the rise and fall of his chest slowly luring her to sleep.
Novalise closed her eyes, but before she succumbed to the world of dreams, she whispered two words through the bond, wondering if he would ever hear them.
“Choose me.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Choose me.
Novalise’s words echoed in Asher’s mind. She’d sent him the soft, simple plea through their bond, thinking he was asleep. But he’d heard them clearly, and an uncomfortable sensation squeezed in his chest.
Even now as he disentangled himself from her sleeping form, there was another twinge in his heart. This one was deeper. Stronger.
Not love but…something.
Affection? Endearment? It was a strange sentiment he couldn’t quite place.
He pressed a kiss to her forehead, and she snuggled further into the plush rug, the edges still singed from her explosive magic.
He was definitely going to ask her about that whenever she woke up.
Asher stood and tugged on his pants. He waved his hand over Novalise, glamouring a gray blanket to cover her, then flicked his wrist toward the hearth, stoking the fire to ensure she stayed warm.
Absently, he rubbed his chest.
Turning away from her, he walked over to sit at his desk. Everything was exactly as he left it—opened books filled with runes and scribbled notes, stacks of sifted papers—all in its proper place before he abandoned his work to go find Novalise in the gardens. He lowered himself into his chair, put his spectacles back on, then ran one hand through his rumpled hair.
Valuable time had already been lost, even if it was incredibly worth it, but now he had to get back to work. He had only days left to find thisvirdis lepatitefor the shadow prince. Reading runes was one thing, deciphering them was something else altogether. They were an archaic language, written in the old tongue, and their translations weren’t always clear.
He didn’t know how much time had passed. It could’ve been hours or possibly even minutes, they all blurred together. The moon was still high when Novalise stirred from her sleep.
“Ash?”
His heart stuttered, clenching.
He’d always hated that nickname, but when it fell from her lips, it was like a lullaby.
Asher glanced over at her, and all the air was siphoned from his lungs. She was sitting up, the fire behind her caressing her pale skin in a warm, fiery glow. The blanket had fallen to her waist, but her hair tumbled around her, so he caught glimpses of her flesh beneath the lavender strands. She stood, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
He glamoured her a soft black shirt, one of his own, that skimmed the middle of her thighs. She looked down, and when she met his gaze again, her smile set his heart racing.
“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.
She was so far from the truth. He could’ve slept next to her for days.
“I only have nine days left to locate this gemstone.” Asher leaned back in the chair. The muscles along his shoulders were tense, pulled tight from the strain of exhaustion. He rolled his neck, stretching out his legs, and crossing one ankle over the other.
Novalise walked over to him. In his shirt, he’d never seen anything more tempting in his life. Already his cock pulsed, wanting her again.
Suddenly, the tips of her fingers grazed the skin of his back, following the scars marring his flesh. “What happened here?”
Concern weighed down her every word.
