Page 73 of Winds of Darkness
She breathed deep and wished she was still lost to her dreams.
Chapter 11
Briar
He stared out at the sea, the waves rolling to shore in a rhythm that had soothed him all his life. His hands were in his pockets, and his sleeveless tunic was still warm, even with the stars standing watch while the sun slumbered. Water brushed his bare feet as it ebbed and flowed, and he toyed with the element as he waited.
He’d spent the entirety of the afternoon and evening with Ashtine, and he hadn’t lied to her. Hehadthought about what it would be like to steal moments with her, but he’d also thought of all the reasons why they couldn’t have that. Their Courts would never stand for it. The other Royals would never agree to such a power pairing. Not to mention the gods who forbid such a thing since the First gods and goddesses emerged from the Chaos.
And still he did not care when he definitely should.
A faint breeze had him smiling, and he didn’t bother looking behind him when he said, “I knew you would come tonight.”
“This will break laws of old,” Ashtine said, coming to stand beside him.
“It does not have to.”
She looked up at him, and he finally turned to face her. In the moonlight, her sky-blue eyes appeared almost silver. Her hair flowed on winds of her own making, and her silvery gown was light-weight and sleeveless. She’d dressed for his Court tonight.
“How can it not break laws of old?” she asked. “Our power is immense. It is why we carry our titles, and while the old laws are not officially our laws, they—”
“I think we simply take the trials as they come,” Briar interrupted. “I know you have reservations, Ashtine, and I will not try and sway you if it is not something you want.”
“But you know itissomething I desire,” she insisted. “You should be telling me all the reasons we should stop this. Both of our Seconds tell us this is ill-advised.”
She was both right and wrong. While he didn’t know what Ermir had said to her, Sawyer hadn’t once told Briar not to pursue this. He had only cautioned him, telling him to think of the implications. And tonight, when they’d returned from the Fire Court, he’d only told him again that if this moves forward, they should be upfront with everyone rather than keep it a secret. Despite that, secrecy was their only option if they wanted time to learn about each other without the involvement of the rest of the Courts. Maybe it would be short-lived in the end and the commotion would be pointless.
That was what he told himself as he said, “We do not know what the future holds, Ashtine. We will go mad trying to figure it out.”
“You speak of the winds?” she asked, stepping closer.
“I speak of life and fate and the days ahead,” he answered. “I speak knowing we have centuries ahead of us, and we deserve happiness and something for ourselves, despite our titles and responsibilities.”
“Weareour titles and responsibilities. You cannot deny that simply by speaking it,” she argued.
“Then we keep this for ourselves.”
“You will be content with stolen moments and secret meetings?” she asked.
“I will steal whatever time I can from fate if it means being with you,” Briar replied, taking her hand in his and bringing her fingertips to his lips. “I will never regret a moment of it.”
She was silent for so long, Briar thought she was going to deny him. He’d let her go, of course. If she did not want to risk it, he understood. He would move on at some point, but he’d always spend his days wondering what it would have been like.Thathe would regret. Never knowing, but feeling in his soul he had missed out on something that even the gods would envy.
“I do not know how to navigate something like this,” she finally said.
“Neither do I,” he answered, tugging her closer.
Ashtine shook her head. “No. I mean, I … This is a social situation I am unfamiliar with.”
He tried to hide his smile, but couldn’t as he reached to tuck her hair behind her ear. “My dearest Ashtine, this is anything but a social situation.”
“Oh,” she murmured. “In that case, I do not understand what this is at all.”
“Neither do I,” he repeated. “We will discover it together, I suppose.”
It was a moment before she nodded. “That sounds like something I would enjoy.”
Brushing his thumb along her cheek, he asked, “Have you slept tonight?”
