Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Ashfall Cliff welcomed me home.
Windchimes sang in the blossom trees and the scent of honeysuckle clung to humidity. The rooflines of pavilions, corridors, and the Whispering Dragon wall slumbered beneath a crisp, clear night full of stars.
Spinning around, drinking in my home, I—
“There you are.”
Her.
My heart.
My everything.
Everything calmed.
Everything was exactly as it should be.
Rook smiled only a few paces away. Whole and radiant—glowing like an iceberg lit by the sun. Her silver gown puddled around her feet like mercury, a gorgeous smile tipping up her lips.
She opened her arms to me, welcoming me home. “I’ve been waiting for you. What took you so long?”
A broken, grateful sound tore free.
Crossing the distance in two strides, I crushed her against me and buried my face in her neck. Relief. Such overwhelming relief.
“You’re here.” My voice shook with gratitude. “I survived the ascension. I-I brought you back. Things are going to be better now, you’ll see.”
Her arms wrapped tight around me, her hands stroking my back. “I believe you. Everything will be wonderful.”
Kissing my way along her jaw to her lips, I captured her mouth and groaned. Her scent of icy sugar and sweetest honey consumed my senses.
Her tongue teased my bottom lip, licking me with affection.
Lust exploded, followed by desperation.
“I need you, Rook.”
She giggled as I scooped her off her feet, holding her like my bride. The weight of her in my arms. The chill of her frosted skin. The feel of her heart thundering against mine.
She was real.
I’d achieved the impossible and brought her back to me. “I told you I would never let you die.”
Her eyes softened with adoration. “That’s because you’re the most stubborn fool I’ve ever met.”
“Your fool.” I kissed her again, carrying her through Ashfall Cliff to my courtyard. Carp splashed in their ponds, moonlight dappled the flowers, and absolute peace reigned over everything.
All the staff were asleep in their beds, giving us privacy to kiss like the fools we were and stumble to bed.
Only after we’d spent a week (or five) reconnecting and recovering, would I throw the biggest banquet Ashfall Cliff had ever seen. I’d invite everyone: Dillon, Whisper, Uncle Wen, Auntie Mei, and all the villagers. We’d celebrate the end of Brimstone, the completion of my revenge, and the beginning of our real life together.
Kicking open the door to my courtyard, I stepped over the raised threshold and braced against blood stains and carnage. But...Auntie Mei must’ve been hard at work because everything was exactly how it should be. The gnarled tree cast a shadow over the stone pavers, the table and chairs were righted. No evidence of men invading or bullets being fired.
Another wave of absolute gratitude filled me.
I was so lucky.
Unbelievably lucky.
Climbing the steps, my foot smacked open the doors to my pavilion. Rook drove me mad, pressing the softest kisses on my throat as I carried her straight to bed.
The moment I laid her down, her clothes vanished with a flash of mist—just like they did in the dreamscape.
“Hi,” she murmured.
She was gorgeous and naked and...a flicker of unease tightened my chest.
“I want you, Lucien.” She bit her bottom lip like a seductress. “I’ve missed you so much.”
The unease vanished as quickly as it came.
It was natural not to trust something so sublime.
After all, I’d spent my entire life waiting for disaster.
But she was here.
We were finally safe.
Everything’s perfect, you’ll see.
With a hungry growl, I fell on her, claiming her mouth in a deep, devouring kiss as my hands roamed over her cool skin. She arched into me, her fingers tangling in my hair, pulling me closer.
She moaned in impatience and I reached for the power that was now mine to rule.
I trusted that we’d ascended enough where a single, silent command wished my clothes away.
They vanished instantly.
I settled between her thighs, hard and aching.
I claimed her in one smooth, possessive thrust.
Rook cried out as her tight, icy heat surrounded me like always. Familiar. Wonderful. Mine.
Any doubt that this was too good to be true vanished as I rocked into her slow and deep.
This was real.
She was mine.
And I was never letting her go again.
Chapter Thirty-Six
“I’M SO LUCKY.” ROOK SPUN IN PLACE, causing a swirl of fallen leaves to loop around her anklets like autumn-coloured jewellery.
My heart skipped a beat at how beautiful she was.
How fucking lucky I was that we’d spent a month of lazy lovemaking and no one had bothered us.
It seemed as though Auntie Mei and Uncle Wen had decided to give us a honeymoon period, moving all the staff to the village and giving us Ashfall Cliff to use however we wished.
We’d christened almost every spot.
We’d made love in the gardens and courtyards. We’d slept under the stars and returned to the waterfall below. We’d truly existed in paradise, and everything was amazing.
The cleaver in my hand stopped chopping as I struggled to take my eyes off her. Her gown of choice today was as rich as midnight, setting off her pale glowing skin and ink-perfect hair.