“Always.” He becomes a blur, disappearing into thin air. “I always need you.”
Suddenly, he’s beside me, casually standing on a sturdy horizontal branch.
Still looking at me like that.
My heart melts all over again. I’m a complete and utter mess.
“What are you doing, standing in the sun like that? Come here.” I can’t move my arms right now. I should probably try that thing again—moving the tree with my thoughts—but I haven’t gotten the hang of it yet.
I don’t dare risk it.
And besides, Corvan’s here now.
He traipses down the branch until he’s pressed against me, one arm curving around my waist. He leans in, his lips so close to my ear. I can feel his warm breath against my cheek. “I’m so happy to see you,” he murmurs. “I’ve been to hell and back, and nothing soothes my fractious soul more than finding you here. Now look what you’ve done. I told you you were powerful, Finley. You got that from your mother.”
“My mother?” My heart pummels. “Did you…？”
“I certainly did. And she’s everything we hoped she would be. And more.” He grins, mischievously flashing his fangs. “I’m going to have to be on my best behavior now, because my future mother-in-law is a force of nature to be reckoned with.”
“You spoke with her?”
“Indeed. I found her in Deignar Castle. She’s free now. Nobody will ever be able to exploit her again.” He leans in and kisses me; sweetly, slowly. “She’s suffered immensely, but she doesn’t hold it against us. Aralya might be fearsome, but she’s also wise—as a dryad should be. She’s going to take care of a few things, and then she’ll need some time to regain her strength. She’s going to come visit us in the spring.”
“Oh.” My relief is tempered with disappointment. Part of me was hoping I’d get to meet her sooner.
“I’d imagine she wants to be at her best before she reunites with her one and only daughter. Patience, my love. There’s no urgency to it. She knows you’re with me, after all. When she pays us a visit, I’m sure your reunion is going to be everything you wished for. ”
He tightens his embrace, pulling me into his arms. He’s warm and strong and wonderfully familiar.
His body presses against mine. The tree yields slightly, offering me into his embrace—but not giving me up completely.
Corvan takes a deep breath. He’s trembling.
I can sense the palpable ache of his thirst.
And yet, he’s being so restrained.
The emptiness in me melts away, replaced with a warm, fuzzy feeling.
Of course, there’s the heat of arousal, too.
I want him more than anything. I want him to satisfy me. And I also feel the urge to satiate him.
“Corvan…” I tilt my head, baring my neck. “I think my power is out of control again. I need you to do something about that.”
When his magic feeds on mine, my soul becomes calm.
“As you wish, my lady.” He rains kisses down my cheek; along my jaw, against my neck, pressing his devious lips to my wildly beating pulse. “Just look at you, Finley. You’re the most glorious thing I’ve ever beheld. My sweet, brave love. If it weren’t for you… I don’t know what I would have done. Goddess, you give me life.”
“I don’t know what I would have done either,” I whisper, heat unfurling in my core. I want him so badly. I want the sharp, exquisite pain of his bite. I want all of him. “If I hadn’t met you, I wouldn’t have…”
I wouldn’t have been able to keep it all together.
When I started to change, Corvan didn’t see me any differently. He didn’t become threatened by me or try to stop me.
He simply accepted me, flaws and all.
And he’s held me, every step of the way.
I can hardly believe that this man—beautiful, patient, fearsome—is all mine.
“It’s all right, Finley,” he rumbles, caressing my jawline with the pad of his thumb. “Everything is well. And you’re perfectly fine.”
His fangs pierce my skin. His bite is more like a caress.
I swoon.
And his roving thumb dances between my lips. I close my eyes and bite on him gently. Lips parted, a soft groan escapes me.
If I was aroused before, I’m on fire now.
He takes from me.
He takes, and brings the wild magic in me to heel. The branches and vines slowly unfurl, releasing me, but I don’t fall.
I’m in his arms.
And he’s kissing me; holding me.
Knowing me.
I let go, but I don’t fall.
Corvan’s here. He’ll never let me fall, and I’ll never let him become lost.
High up in the canopy, in the dancing morning light, we discover each other again.
Everything is in perfect balance, and the world belongs to us now.
EPILOGUE
Finley
In Tyron, it felt like the winter would last forever.
But then the trees sprouted tiny leaf buds, and the snows became lighter and lighter until they were no more, and the ponds and streams started to thaw.
And then all of a sudden, the world just decided to burst into bloom.
All around Tyron Castle, there grow trees that exist only in this part of the empire.
Now they bloom in hues of pink and red, decorating the forest with brilliant color. I don’t know what they’re called, but I can smell their sweet, heady fragrance from afar, and sometimes I catch a burst of gloriously frenetic energy from them.
Suddenly, the air is abuzz with insects.
For someone like me, the springtime is intoxicating. The plants and trees hum with the euphoria of new life, and I can feel it. Like a drug, it affects me too, at times making me giddy.
It doesn’t help that my husband-to-be is here, and he finds a way to spend every spare moment with me—when he isn’t dealing with the responsibility of holding the empire together.
After his father died and his half-brother, Ansar, disappeared in rather mysterious circumstances—along with Rhaegar and Leticia Talavarra—Corvan returned to Lukiria and made his presence known to the world.
At first, there was shock and disbelief amongst the citizens. People were afraid of him. His changed looks were the subject of wild rumors. They said he’d returned from the dead; that he’d turned into a demon, that the Goddess Hecoa herself had cursed him. Some of the fiercest hatred and opposition came from members of the nobility, who used all their influence and power to spread lies that Corvan was a madman who’d changed his body with arcane magic.
But none of them knew what to make of the gigantic tree that had suddenly appeared in the center of the Imperial Palace, towering above the buildings.
I soon discovered I could bend that tree to my will—like pretty much all trees I encountered. My full powers had finally been unlocked.
I’m still learning how to control them. They’re tied to my emotions, which can be dangerous. If I get too angry or too afraid, the trees can grow unpredictable and harm anyone in the vicinity—even innocent bystanders.
So I must be careful until I know how to control them better.
If only my mother would hurry up and pay me a visit. If there’s anyone that can teach me how to use these damn abilities, it would be her.