Page 40 of Silver & Smoke
Torj pressed a gentle kiss to her lips before tidying the dresser while Wren righted her clothes, her cheeks stained pink. She looked so beautiful, so full of life and fire that it almost hurt. Hewashurting, Torj realized. At the thought that all of this was temporary, that they may never get the tomorrows that went hand in hand with a soul bond. With the poison coursing through him and the mid-realms, there was no promise of anything other than the now, and all the while they had to pretend they meant nothing to one another.
As the afterglow faded, sadness continued to weigh him down. He hated that this brief pocket of time together was a mere interlude. He wanted more for her, forthem. But life had dictated otherwise, and the injustice of it hit him like a club.
As though sensing his melancholy, Wren flung something at him – the torn scrap of lace.
She grinned. ‘You owe me another pair of undergarments, by the way...’
Torj caught it against his chest and felt the still-damp fabric between his fingers, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. ‘Is that so?’
‘Yes,’ Wren replied.
Torj’s cock was hardening again beneath her heated stare, her eyes trailing over his chest, his abdomen and the V above his hips.
He pocketed the lace, flashing her a devious grin of his own. ‘Then I’ll be keeping these,’ he told her as he slipped from her room.
CHAPTER 21
Wren
‘The “assassin’s teapot”, also known as “the Ladies’ Luncheon”, has been one of the most innovative creations to emerge from the alchemy workshops of Thezmarr since the repurposing of dried iruseed’
– A History of Thezmarr
WREN WOKE BEFOREdawn, alone but sated, with a pleasant soreness between her legs. She hated that the bed was empty beside her, but she was grateful for the brief time they’d stolen for themselves the night before. She had needed her soul-bonded, and he’d come for her, no matter the cost.
The potential consequences of their actions made her stomach squirm as she readied herself for the day. But she trusted Torj with her life, and so she cast her worries aside, at least for the time being.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and a familiar voice called out, ‘It’s me.’
Wren pulled Dessa inside and into a tight hug. ‘I’m so sorry I haven’t seen you until now—’
Dessa waved her off. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. I brought food.’ She held out a piece of bread slathered in honey. ‘Thought you might need something sweet.’
Wren closed the door behind them and took a bite, almost moaning. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. ‘Thank you.’
She studied her friend for a moment, awash with gratitude at her ongoing support. They had come a long way since they’d been tasked with finding antidotes to poison in the Evermere Forest. Wren had thought Dessa too chipper then, too bright against her own darkness, but Dessa had endured. She had as much backbone as any of them, and to see what she had seen and still have a gentle heart and a smile on her face? That was more than admirable.
‘I’m sorry about Drevenor,’ Wren told her. ‘I’m sorry you never got to finish your opus, to help your father...’
Dessa gave a sad smile. ‘Master Nyella approved my designs before the attack. It was going to work.’
Wren felt as though she’d been punched in the gut. ‘I’m so sorry.’
‘It’s not your fault, Wren. I sent my designs home. There’s an inventor there. He’s no alchemist, but he’ll do his best. If he has no luck, he has promised to hold on to the designs until I can return.’
‘And your father?’
‘He has good days and bad – more bad than good lately, so I’m told... But if I can bring his memory back, I want the world around him to be one he recognizes. That’s why my place is here with you, Wren. Only with you can we achieve the world I want him to remember.’
Words failed Wren then, so instead she took her friend’s hand in her own. She knew she could make no promises, that the world Dessa wished for might never exist again, if it ever had at all... but Wren would try. That was all she could offer; that was all she could do.
Dessa squeezed her hand in return. ‘Did the Bear Slayer find you last night?’
Wren’s heart seized. ‘What do you mean?’
But Dessa gave her a sly smile. ‘I was charged with occupying Lord Lucian—’
‘Oh, Dessa, I’m so sorry. I hate the idea of you being forced to spend even a minute with that bastard—’
