I open the door to the hub, nod in greeting to the few stragglers completing their work for the day, and head to the back of the building. The soldier guarding the corridor leading to the offices says hello and steps to the side, allowing me to breeze past. I wring my hands, listening to my steps echo around me. The closer I get to the office at the end of the hallway, the more erratic the butterflies in my stomach become.

I reach Kyron's door and my palm itches to turn the knob and throw it open, but I lift my fist instead.

"You're not supposed to be here until tomorrow."

I spin around and find Leif leaning against his office doorway with his hands in his pockets. "Ulric came for me this afternoon," I say, walking toward him.

Leif hums and nods while dragging his gaze over my uniform; the drab attire a vast contrast to the finery awaiting my return to the palace. "Are you sure you want to do this, Elle? There is no turning back once you step foot on Stigian soil."

"I know, but this mission is more important than it was when I set out to put it in motion. I won't turn my back on the soldiers risking their lives to prove the armor will work, and I won't squander the chance to save my father. Once Esmeray knows we're a formidable opponent, she will never let her guard down again."

"You're right," he says with a smirk.

"I know I am."

"He's not in there, by the way. Every night he takes off just before sunset, and we don't see him until early the next morning."

I glance back at Kyron's door. "Oh. Do you know where he goes?"

"He used to ride into the nearest town and spend his nights there when things piled up on him here. I heard he was quite the stallion, according to the ladies who work in the local tavern. But he stopped frequenting the establishments a couple of months ago. The best any of us can guess, he's camping out in the woods at night."

A lump catches in my throat, and I struggle to swallow it down. Those nights when I saw him riding out of camp, was he heading for a tavern or to lose himself in the rainbow of colors painting the night sky? It shouldn't matter. We hadn't confessed our feelings for one another, and even now, I wouldn't shackle him to me. Something deep inside me tells me I don't have to worry either way. Kyron has spent his nights watching the Aurora.

Two months ago was when the dynamic between Kyron and I changed. I stopped seeing him as a threat to my people, and he agreed to train me. We became allies, friends, and something more. I've yet to put my finger on it. Our attraction is stronger than merely being lovers and deeper than friendship. Our relationship may transcend my understanding, but it will not stop me from studying every detail of us no matter how complicated we get. One day, I will master the ins and outs of me and Kyron.

"Ulric said Kyron has been extra brooding the past week," I say.

Leif shrugs. "I know that's how I feel when I'm away from the person I ache to be physically close to."

"Wel," I say with a smile.

"Yeah, Wel." Leif takes my hand, saying, "Not that you need it, but I'm giving you my blessing to find your happiness. I see the spark in your eyes when you're with him. He brings out a side of you I've never seen before. It's all right to follow your heart."

I bite my bottom lip, holding back the swell of emotion inside me. "I want you to do the same."

"I think I found the greatest source of my happiness." He leans in and we kiss each other on the cheek. "Now I want you to do the same."

I throw my arms around his neck and bury my face in his chest. No one has loved and supported me the way Leif has. He has proven continuously that his motives are purely run by his desire for both of us to be happy. And there is no cost too great to obtain that joy.

I walk out of the hub and turn my face to the night sky. Smoke and laughter lace the crisp air, reminding me of the freedom I found in this place. This is where I learned to be bold and demand the things I wanted most. The men and women here taught me to lead and fight. And one person opened my eyes to the things I thought were impossible.

Something glows in the corner of my eye, and I turn to the treetops in the north. Teal and lime waning lights kiss the top branches of the pines, and my feet move of their own accord. I rush to the stables, saddle the first horse I see, and set off for the river.

My hair breaks free of its tie and whips around my face as the horse gallops toward the forest. My heart drums against my chest, anticipating what lies ahead. Where I'm headed is more than a destination. It's where my soul finds rest, and my heart fills to the point of bursting. I could be riding in any direction and the journey could be short or long. My destination isn't found on a map, but day by day, the directions are carved into the very fiber of my being. I will never forget this route; it is as vital as home.

The trees swallow the horse and me, and we weave through the maze of bark and stone until the bank of the river comes into view. The horse races upstream, and I giggle with excitement when I spot Samson grazing on a thick patch of grass. I pull the horse to a stop and dismount. After tying the animal to a tree, I stroke Samson's neck, whispering hello. I step around the steed, and my breath hitches.

A bed of blankets rests upon the flat rocks, and Kyron sits on top with his arms draped over his knees. His boots rest to the side and his jacket and tunic hang from the branch of a tree. Droplets of water glisten on his skin, and his wet hair drips down his naked torso, soaking into his trousers. The colors dancing in the sky reflect in every drop, setting him alight like an ethereal creature. There is no word which does him justice, he is unlike any being I've ever laid eyes on. But if I have to describe him, I'll settle for beautiful.

The crunching of the leaves under my feet draws his attention, and he follows every step I take toward him. Once, I would have shied away from his intense gaze. Now, I relish in it. How can I not when I capture his undivided attention the way the sun holds the pants in its pull? He studies my fingers as they peel away my jacket and remove my boots, and his body tilts toward mine when I sit at his side.

"What are you doing here?" he asks.

Pulling my thighs to my chest, I rest my cheek on my knees and look up at him. "I was tired of being away from you."

My words are true. It doesn't matter that Ulric summoned me early. I was tired of the miles that separated us. I missed the sound of his voice and meeting his gaze. My days are boring without him, and my nights dark and lonely. My world is dull without him in it.

I brush the back of my hand down Kyron's arm, and his skin responds with goosebumps. He grips my fingers and brings them to his lips, placing a kiss on each knuckle. Turning my wrist to reach my thumb, I stop him and slide the pad against his soft lips. His tongue flicks against the tip and a wave of desire heats between my legs.

"Kyron," I whisper.

"I didn't go a second without thinking about you. You were in every task—the sting of training, the brutality of battles, you even haunted my dreams. I was displaced without you, but now I'm home."

He presses my palm to his cheek and his eyelids flutter shut. The wet ends of his hair trickle down my fingers as they tangle with the strands. This man who wears a tough exterior is soft, his hair, his skin, his heart. He will bleed for those he loves, give every last drop if he must. I know now I fall within those privileged few, and I'd sacrifice the same for him.

I lift my head and stretch my neck, pulling him closer. Kyron sighs when our lips touch, and he tenderly kisses me. The warmth of his gift curls around me, luring me closer. I raise to my knees and position my body between his legs. His hands run up my spine, taking my tunic with them. The night breeze caresses my skin, coaxing me to surrender. With the utmost reluctance, I part our lips and pull the light fabric over my head. As Kyron runs his palms over my ribcage, I work free the clasp of my flimsy lace undergarment and toss it toward the rest of my clothes.

His fingertips skim my collarbones, the swell of my breasts, and the valley between. He caresses me like my skin is something delicate and lovely, like it will crumble under his touch. His thumb traces a faint scar at my side, and his voice is thick with emotion when he says, "Even your imperfections are extraordinary. Every inch of you is beautiful, Raelle."

His mouth trails down the side of my neck, and his words resonate in my head. I tip my face to the watercolors sweeping across the star speckled sky and bask in the feel of his tongue lapping at my collarbone, and his hands running along my spine. His touch is soft, confident, and heated. It surges through me, and every inch of my skin burns for more.

My thighs shake as I crawl into his lap and wrap my legs around his hips. When our skin meets, I moan and press my lips to the soft skin under his ear. "I want to give you all of me, and I want to take all of you, Kyron."

He draws back, searching my face with eyes that rage with a storm of emotion and blaze with an all-consuming adoration. There is no hiding; everything he feels for me is on full display, and I want to possess it all. Never have I felt as sure about something as I do about this moment; this is where I belong.

"Let me have you," I say, fisting his hair, meeting his emotions with the fierce hurricane of my own. My dedication is a destructive wind crashing into anyone who stands between us. And my desire is the rain I willingly drown in.

Kyron drops his mouth to where my heart beats and adorns it with lingering kisses. He removes my hand from his hair and presses it to his chest. It fiercely pounds against his ribcage with a rhythmic drumming which matches mine. "I'm yours. No matter what happens, remember I will always be only yours, Raelle."

"And I'm yours," I vow.

My world tilts as Kyron clenches my thighs and turns us. My back sinks into the blankets. He hovers over me, and his lips find mine while the evidence of his desire presses to where I ache for him the most. My hands slide between us and work free the laces of his pants until I can glide my palms inside, feeling the smooth, firm length of him.

Breaking our kiss, Kyron places his lips on the peak of my breast. I arch my back, eager for each stroke of his tongue. He doesn't disappoint, lapping at my skin like he is savoring every taste. His hand joins his mouth, pinching my nipple before switching his efforts to the other. With quickened breaths, I tangle my fingers in his hair, holding him to me. Every cell in my body is on the brink of exploding, shattering into a million glorious pieces. I crave my destruction, beg for it. I want him to break me, then gather all I am and piece me together again just so he can repeat the process. I give myself over to him, body and soul.

Kyron kisses between my breasts and slides his tongue down my stomach. His fingers work to release my trousers, and he eases the leather down my thighs, discovering there are no other barriers keeping him from me. Kissing each of my hipbones, he frees me of the last of my clothes, leaving me vulnerable to him and the stars above.

He soaks me in, his eyes heavy with lust. Ever so slowly he eases my thighs apart, and hisses, "Fuck."

Leaning closer, his breath sweeps over my center followed by his lips. With my chest heaving, I prop myself on my elbows and look down my body. Kyron stares at me as his tongue traces the seam of my sex, opening me to him in the most delicious way.

I'm lost in every stroke, suck, and bite, his mouth sending liquid heat through me. It sizzles in my veins, awakening every cell of my body. My skin prickles with goosebumps, reacting to each lap of his tongue. He is slowly winding my need for him, working it taunt until the ache is too much, and I beg for release.

The roll of his hips draws my attention. The black leather of his pants clings to the swell of his ass, and his back muscles flex with the slight movement of his arm. I bite my lip as a fresh surge of desire sweeps over me. I can't see him touching himself, but just the thought of him pleasuring himself while he does the same to me intensifies the ache between my leg into a steady throbbing. I tilt my head back and press my pelvis against his mouth, chasing after the glorious high only he can give me.

"That's it. Let go," he says, and the band tightly twisting inside me snaps.

My fingernails dig into his shoulder, and his name flows from my lips. I move against his mouth, praying this feeling never ends. I'd happily spend the rest of my days with him between my legs. His forearm bracing my bucking hips, and his lapping tongue confesses his truth—he will consume every last drop of me.

The euphoric release slowly subsides, leaving me to catch my breath. Kyron rests his head against my stomach. He licks his lips and strokes between his legs in a pure state of satisfaction. The man knows the bliss he has given me, and his pride in doing so is clear in the slight uptilt of his mouth and the glint in his eyes.

When my heart rate slows, I brush the hair from his forehead, and he looks up at me. "Let me see all of you," I say.

Haloed in hues of coral, lime, and periwinkle, Kyron eases his pants down his hips. The leather gives way to reveal every phenomenal inch of him. He is built of hard muscles, perfect lines, and golden skin. Every inch of him is flawlessly tailored for pleasure.

"Come here," I say. It's meant to be a demand, but desperation laces my words. I need to put his spectacular body to the test.

Kyron covers my body with his, and I lace our fingers, resting them next to my face before kissing the knuckle of his thumb.

"Raelle." My name is a mixture of his need and an opportunity to change my mind. But I know what I want.

"Please be gentle," I say. It's a plea to join slowly, to make this last, to treat my heart like the fragile thing it is.

"Of course," he promises, gliding his palm over my outer thigh and the rough skin covering the Eporri.

Power surges between us, a sensual mixture of dark, warm passion. It's a heady feeling heightening our desire. The hollow place within me throbs, reminding me it is the perfect fit for Kyron. I yearn to be filled by him, to feel completely connected.

He aligns himself with my center and barely dips inside my entrance. I suck in the cool night air and his grasp on my hand tightens. With a tenderness that rivals a summer breeze caressing the petals of wildflowers, he rocks his hips. I hiss and sink my nails into his shoulders. Kyron stills, calming me with sweet, languid kisses which transform into desperate strokes of his tongue. His gift crackles against my lips like a fire, sparking a ferial demand for more of him. I move my hips under his, taking more of him inside me. Inch by inch, he sinks into me until his pelvis meet mine. He releases a long breath, and I close my eyes, savoring the way he stretches and fills me in the most delectable way.

Kyron pulls from me and eases our bodies back together. With each deep stroke, I discover sensations I've never experienced before. They are a fusion of emotion and touch, lust and love, give and take. I hook my legs over the backs of his thighs, and he moves quicker, emitting deep, breathless moans.

"Don't pull away. It's all right to let go," I say, panting against his ear and hoping to alleviate any lingering worries he may have. I've prepared for this moment, and I want to take him fully. I want him to take what he needs from me too.

Kyron presses down and grinds against the place I love to touch when I'm fantasizing about him.

"Don't stop," I beg.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

He eases his hand under my ass, angling me so each stroke is what we both need. A string of profanities and praises slips from his mouth, morphing into moans as my core spasms around him. I feel it. The pure ecstasy shatters the last layer of our defenses, obliterating it into nothingness. We are bare and vulnerable to each other—flaws and perfection, both on full display. Mind, body, and heart, I am his and he is mine.

Kyron shutters and his body goes limp, molding to mine. I run my hands over his back and through his hair, placing kisses anywhere I can reach. We cling to one another, basking in the destruction of you and me, in the aftermath there is only us.

"Kyron?"

He hums and rolls us to our sides.

I lift my chin and gaze at his handsome face. "Thank you for trusting me, for giving me more than I deserve."

"You never need to thank me. I willingly give you all I am. I'm at your mercy, and I'd have it no other way, Raelle."

His words are beautiful, but it's the way he clenches the back of my neck and holds me against his heart that tells me I'm just as precious to him as he is to me.