Page 101 of All the Chaos of Constellations
She had to get out of here before she got caught. If she was captured eavesdropping on the queen, there was no telling what sort of punishment she might suffer.
But before Novalise could flee, a large hand clamped over her mouth, and she was dragged further into the garden’s floral maze.
CHAPTERFORTY
With one arm wrapped snugly around Novalise’s waist and his other hand clamped firmly over her mouth, Asher hauled her away from the queen and her Captain of the Guard. Novalise kicked and thrashed in his arms, attempting to fight him off, rather valiantly if he admitted as much, but she was no match for his strength.
“Be still,” he commanded through their bond, and the thread binding them together quivered.
At once, she went pliant, sagging against his chest.
He carried her to the one place in the garden that was special to him, a secret place where midnight blooms wrapped in silver vines created a covered archway, safe from prying ears and eyes.
Asher released her and as soon as her bare feet touched the ground, he jerked her around to face him, grabbing her by the shoulders. “Are youtryingto get yourself killed?”
She looked so perfect, so positively serene, but the moment he opened his mouth, her pretty face instantly shuttered. “Of course not, I was?—”
“Eavesdropping on the queen?” he interjected, unable to control his temper. “Fates divine, Nova, what if you were caught?”
“I was caught,” she snapped, glaring up at him, her eyes lit with accusation.
He ran a hand through his hair, groaning. “What if you were caught by someoneotherthan me? Do you have any idea what the punishment is for that kind of crime?”
He couldn’t believe she’d been so absolutely foolish, so absurdly reckless. She was lucky he’d been the one to discover her. If he’d been a minute later, she would be taken away by royal guards and locked in the damn dungeon. The mere thought of it left him raging.
“I’m sure the queen would?—”
“Whipping, Novalise. You would have beenwhipped. And not just once, multiple times, over and over. Until your dress was in shreds and your back was a pulpy mess.” Asher squeezed his eyes shut, fought against the urge to slam his fist into the nearest stone wall. The pain would be worth it if it meant he didn’t have to think about the idea of Novalise being tortured. He opened his eyes again only to find her standing with her arms wrapped tightly around her and the sheen of tears glassing her starlit gaze. He sighed, harsh and anguished. “What’s gotten into you?”
“You!” She lurched forward, slamming her palms into his chest, pushing him with all her might. He didn’t even stagger back. “It’s you, Ash. You occupy all of my thoughts, you consume every fiber of my being.”
Novalise gave a small sniffle, blinking away the tears that threatened to fall. “And I am so sorry for the vile things I said. I never meant…I never intended to hurt you. I’ll understand if you refuse to accept my apology. I’m not even sure I can forgive myself.”
“Starlight.”
He reached for her then, cupping her face with both hands, using his thumbs to wipe away the tears that slipped out of her control. Bending down, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Tell me,” she whispered.
Asher’s heart wrenched and he eased back.
Those eyes of hers, silver with glittering flecks of a shattered rainbow, sought him. Captivated him.
“Tell me you don’t love me,” she repeated those words,hiswords, back at him.
“Novalise—”
She shook her head, refusing him. “If, after all this, you still don’t love me, then I will walk away from you right now, and you can be free to break our bond. I won’t look back, but I’ll never regret loving you.”
He pulled her in close, holding her against him. She smelled of midnight roses and dark berries wrapped in soft vanilla. Their magic reached for one another, a delicate dance down the mating bond, a rapture of stars and fire.
“Please.” She buried her face in his chest. “Just tell me.”
“I can’t,” he admitted, because his heart beat only for her. She was all he ever wanted, in this life or the next. “I have never loved another before you, and I will never love another after you. My soul chose you, and I would rather spend an eternity in the fires of hell than ever live a day without you.”
Asher slid his fingers under her chin, tilting her face up to him. “All that I am, is yours.”
He lowered his head, and her eyes fluttered closed. Her lips were less than a breath away, so close, and he would finally be able to taste her again. To savor her. To treasure her.
