Map of Ember and Moonlight

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

The fire had turned to embers when morning came, but Amory was warm against the woman who lay beside him, curled up under the fur covers.

Finally getting to be with her...the act of making love to her completely shattered him and made him see just what he'd been missing. He'd held her all through the night, even as they lay spent after the second time. He loved that they were able to talk and joke with each other, and even that they were able to talk about more serious things.

But when the topic of him leaving the following day came up, he saw her bottom lip start to tremble. He kissed her slowly and made love to her again, trying to get those thoughts out of both their heads, even if it was only for a little while.

Mother above, he didn't know how he was going to leave her.

So, for now, he was just going to hold her, run his fingers through her hair, touch her as he wanted to for so long now.

Lyv stirred against him when his fingers traced over the place along her ribs he'd learned was a ticklish spot for her.

"You had better stop that," she murmured against his neck.

Amory smiled. "How long have you been awake?"

"Long enough," she answered, her voice thick with sleep. She leaned her head back against the pillow and slowly smiled, to his surprise, shyly. "Good morning."

"Good morning," he told her, curling her hair around his finger.

Shifting, she leaned against him again, her arms crossed over his chest, and looked up at him. "Is there any kind of magic we could use to rewind time to last night and not have it be today?"

"You have no idea how much I would love to do that."

They lay in silence after Lyv sighed her discontent and looked toward the hearth, sparking the fire once more with the magic she could control. And no matter how much he wanted to just stay there with her all day, they knew they were running on a short amount of time left.

When her stomach started rumbling, she gave him a sheepish grin as he chuckled, hunger finally forcing them from the bed. Amory got up and stretched his arms above his head, a satisfied soreness easing into every muscle. But before he could reach for his pants, Lyv grabbed his hand. Not to pull him back down beside her, but rather to hold. He looked at her, hair tangled and curled across the pillows, naked body still snuggled into the furs, and he couldn't help but lean down to kiss her.

"Let me go get my clothes from downstairs," he said against her lips. "I will bring breakfast up, too. And you, my princess...you can stay here looking beautiful, but at least start the water for a bath."

She smiled when he leaned back. "Do you want to see if the two of us can fit in the tub?"

"Of course," he grinned roguishly at her. "Breakfast isn't the only thing I'm hungry for."

But no matter how much they wanted time to stop or reverse so they could have more together, it didn't stop the Ayverian ship from appearing on the horizon at noon. Right on time.

Lyv was inside, getting her things since she would be leaving just after he did. She'd been quiet after the bath where he'd lost all senses and she had him moaning her name. He even tried to get her to talk as he helped lace up her leather corset over her clean tunic, but she didn't say anything. She just took her piece of toast after he finished and started grabbing up her things.

Reaching for the spyglass on the railing, Amory lifted it to his eye. A small boat was coming toward the shore. Before he even focused on who was sitting in the front, he knew exactly who it was when he saw her golden hair, twisted up in a bun on the top of her head.

He was ready, though. Ready to take on whatever returning to Dalcaine would bring him.

Amory stepped onto the dock just as the boat pulled up beside it. The males she'd brought with her stayed put, tying the boat to the posts, while she stood and hoisted herself in front of him.

"Camilla," he greeted with a nod to the general of Dalcaine's forces.

The Fae female he'd known and been friends with for years sized him up, her eyes scanning him up and down before doing it again. "You look...different."

"And you look just as beautiful as always."

Camilla narrowed her eyes...before a smile stretched across her face and she rushed forward to wrap him in a hug.

"It has been too long," she told him, holding him tightly.

"How is everyone?"

"Fine, of course. Always waiting for word from you, which we haven't gotten in a while now."

She changed the next second, though. She stiffened, though, sniffing at the air around him, and pulled back with wide eyes. "You cannot be serious. What happened to no attachments? This is definitely an attachment."

Amory only nodded. "Do you want to meet her?"

"She's here. And you're leaving her?"

Footsteps sounded on the boathouse porch behind them. Both Amory and Camilla looked back to see Lyv standing there, her dark braid over one shoulder and a flush in her cheeks from their morning escapades...and looking more like royalty than she ever had before.

"The youngest Escarrali princess," Camilla murmured as Lyv made her way down the dock. "You have tied yourself to this land irrevocably, haven't you? But my one question is...does she know?"