Page 62 of Crown of Light and Ashes
Nesilhan
HIS PERSONAL LIBRARY is smaller than I expected—intimate, with a fire crackling in the ornate hearth and towering bookshelves lining the dark wood-paneled walls. Ancient tomes bound in leather and metal crowd the shelves, their spines glinting with arcane symbols that seem to shift in the firelight. He moves to stand before the flames, their dancing light casting his chiseled features in stark relief, highlighting the predatory grace that never fully leaves him.
I drink in the sight of him—the way his dark hair falls across his forehead, the sharp line of his jaw, the broad shoulders that fill out his black shirt with devastating effect. My heart pounds erratically, desire and defiance warring within me as I finally acknowledge what I've been fighting since our wedding night.
"What truth would you have from me,hatun?" he asks, his voice deceptively casual, though I can sense the tension in his shoulders through our bond.
I square my shoulders, meeting his dark gaze directly. "Who is Isil?"
His entire body goes rigid, every shadow in the room freezing mid-movement. Through our bond, I'm hit with a wave of raw emotion—anger, guilt, and such profound despair that it makes my light magic waver and dim. For once, he's not hiding his feelings from me, and the depth of his pain is staggering.
"Ask something else," he says, his voice rough with barely contained emotion.
"That's the truth I want." I take a step closer, drawn by his vulnerability despite myself. “You said her name when…” I can’t finish the sentence.
"No." The word falls between us like a tombstone, final and immutable. "That is one truth you will never know."
I expected resistance, but the absolute finality in his tone catches me off guard. Through our bond, I feel him desperately trying to slam walls around that memory, but traces of his raw emotion still leak through—anger, guilt, and profound despair he can't quite contain. Whoever Isil was, she meant everything to him.
"You promised one truth of my choosing," I say, moving closer until I can feel the heat radiating from his body. "Are your promises so easily broken?"
"There are some truths that remain mine alone," he replies, his voice dangerously soft. Shadows begin to stir around him again, responding to his agitation. "Choose another question or forfeit your claim."
A sudden, reckless idea occurs to me. "Very well," I say, myvoice dropping to match his threatening tone. "If that's how you want to play this game..."
I turn as if to leave, then pause with my hand on the ornate door handle. "But know this, you will never touch me again. Not until you honor our agreement."
His laugh is dark and rich with promise, sending shivers down my spine. "Is that so?"
He approaches with predatory grace, shadows dancing around him like living things. His demeanor becomes even more predatory, the subtle restraint he'd shown moments before evaporating completely.
"You seem to be operating under the delusion that you have a choice in the matter," he continues, stalking closer with each word.
I hold my ground despite the heat building low in my belly. I won't give in so easily this time. "I always have a choice."
"Do you?" He stops mere inches from me, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. He's so tall that he towers over me, and I can't help but admire his stunning features. He's really a beautiful man, and I hate admitting it. "Your mind might reject me,hatun, but your body..." His hand rises to hover near my cheek, not quite touching. "Your body tells a different story."
"You're mistaken," I manage, though my voice betrays me with a slight tremor. When he's this close, I can't think straight; my thoughts start to race, and my heart does somersaults in my chest.
His smile widens, predatory and knowing. "Am I?" Without warning, his shadows flick out, brushing across my collarbone with gossamer lightness. I can't suppress the shiver that runs through me at the contact, and he can sense everything. "Your pulse says otherwise."
"This proves nothing," I insist, fighting the traitorous response of my own body. Why am I attracted to a monster?
"No?" He circles me slowly, shadows trailing in his wake, and I hold my breath. "Then you won't mind if I demonstrate exactly how much power I have over you."
Before I can react, shadows wrap around my wrists, yanking myarms above my head and holding me immobile. I struggle against the restraints, light magic flaring at my fingertips, but the shadows simply absorb it, growing stronger with each pulse of power. His darkness feeds on my light, turning my own magic against me.
"Let me go," I demand.
"Not yet," he murmurs, his breath warm against my ear, sending another shudder through me. "Not until you admit the truth that burns between us."
"What truth?" I hiss, twisting against the shadowy bonds.
His hand finally makes contact, cupping my cheek with unexpected gentleness. "That you want me as much as I want you. That this hatred between us has become something else entirely."
"Never," I whisper, though my body arches toward him of its own volition.
"Liar," he accuses softly. He traces a line from my jaw to my collarbone with one finger, leaving fire in its wake. "Your mind fights, but your body surrenders. I wonder which will win tonight?"
