Burning Key

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

A gentle touch against Adeena's cheek roused her from sleep. Calloused yet soft fingers glided along her skin, drawing along the line of her jaw, against her cheek again, and down her nose before brushing beneath her bottom lip. She hummed low in her throat, curling closer to the male she was lying against, her hand gripping the collar of his shirt as she buried her face against him.

Adeena pressed a kiss to his neck where his pulse point was, feeling it quicken as her lips brushed against his skin. "Good morning," she whispered softly, still dreaming.

"Good morning, beautiful..."

His voice had her shooting up in bed...only she wasn't in her bed at the Ayverian palace, rather lying on the soft grass of the in-between.

How did she get here? She tried to remember the details – talking with Jai and Laurel in the kitchen, easing their pain with the images of Destan she showed them, finally saying good night an hour later, and making it back to her guest room where she fell asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

Now...now, she was in the in-between. There was no reason for her to be, not since she hadn't lost control of her mind or her magic, so why...?

Adeena turned slowly, the front of her silk robe coming undone and falling open...before she quickly tied it back up as she met Destan's russet eyes, which were shining bright with amusement.

"I don't understand," Adeena whispered mostly to herself. "How did I get here? I didn't...I shouldn't have..."

That amusement grew along with Destan's smile as he sat up beside her, reaching up to curl a strand of her unruly, sleep-mussed hair around his fingers. "You're the one who always brings yourself here, though I have to say this is probably my favorite piece clothing I've seen you in."

She didn't even fight the urge to roll her eyes. "You're an impossible flirt."

"And you know you love it."

Adeena matched his smile with one of her own, moving to wrap one arm around his neck and lean her forehead against his. Reaching up with her other hand, she cradled his face, thumb brushing along his cheek.

"Hi," she whispered to him.

"Hi," Destan said back, hands wrapping around to and gripping the back of her silk robe. "I missed you. How long has it been for you? You know time and the land of light and shadows. It's certainly not the same for me as it is for you."

"It hasn't been that long, actually. Just a few weeks. We're...uh, we're in Ayveri now. Just got there yesterday."

His gaze grew distant, no doubt thinking about his childhood home. "So...you've met my family."

Adeena let out a humorless snort, pulling away from him and yet staying in his arms. "I have. We were, uh, quite the surprise for them actually. I met your parents, your brother Jai, and your twin sister Laurel, plus so many others, including the rest of my family from before. Your parents are absolutely wonderful and welcoming, but with Jai and Laurel...well, it was a little tense. Everyone was tense, actually. Not only because everyone believed me dead for all this time, but also because they learned I was the Lady in White, who they'd been hearing about for the past twenty years."

"Even I can't picture you as one of the deadliest assassins," he said with humor lacing his voice. "Not with this face."

Her smile then turned wicked. "This face is what made me so unsuspecting."

Destan's laugh then had her curling against him again, head tucked against the crook of his neck.

"How are they all?" he asked then, voice quieting with hesitation. "Tell me about them."