A Curse of Shadows - Page 83

ISLA

Asher stays silent the entire way to the conservatory, and with most of the pack still out on the run, there’s no one to see us as we move quietly through the castle.

His grip on my hand is beginning to make my fingers numb, but I don’t dare attempt to wiggle them. Not when I know he’s teetering the line between going feral or breaking down completely.

I’m not far behind him in that aspect now that the adrenaline is starting to wear off. Someone tried to kill me. Again. Worse, I have no clue why.

Estee and I came up with different scenarios earlier, but after five hundred years, I still don’t understand why someone would see me as a threat.

Jealousy makes the most sense, as my sister mentioned, but how could that kind of emotion be driving someone that insane after all this time?

Walking up the last set of steps on the east side of the castle, I know that’s not an answer I need to worry about now.

My focus returns fully to Asher. Though as we enter the glass-dome room, I do find myself uncontrollably distracted by its beauty.

The clear roof glows a soft silver under the light of the twin moons and the stars feel so close that, as they twinkle, I’m tempted to reach out and grab one.

We step down on to the inset floor. There are multiple telescopes placed throughout the room, each one pointing in a different direction. The black carpet has the silver insignia of Polaris placed at the center of the room and with the door closed behind us, the only sound I hear is the rapid beating of our two hearts.

Asher tugs me closer, holding my face with the utmost care as he stares into my eyes, his gaze shimmering with all the emotions I already sense through our bond. “You’re okay.”

I grab one of his hands and place it over my chest. “I really am. I’m sorry, Asher. It was a stupid idea to begin with, but I wasn’t?—”

His mouth crashes against mine, rendering me speechless for more than one reason. He keeps his one hand pressed over my heart and uses the other to pull me closer, covering the lower part of my back with his palm.

My fingers grip on to his white dress shirt as he devours me not only with his mouth, but his mind and the love pulsing through our bond.

He still shakes with pent-up emotions, so I do the only thing I can think of to calm him. I start to undress him, never allowing my touch to leave his body, no matter where my hands move.

He continues to kiss me, making my skin shiver even before he finally starts to push the straps of my dress down, revealing every piece of me, one slow inch at a time.

Only when we’re both stripped free of our clothes does he finally break the kiss. “I can’t lose you, Isla. Not now, not within the next five hundred years. I need the time we lost back. I need you. Nothing else matters if I don’t have you by my side and in my heart.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise him. “Until we figure this out, you can consider me an extension of yourself. I won’t leave you, not for one second.”

His forehead presses to mine and he brushes his lips over the tip of my nose. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

Asher picks me up and I wrap my legs around his waist, wiggling against his hard length as he walks us toward the lounge couch near the row of telescopes. As he lays me down, I can’t help but look up. A contentment that I don’t expect after the evening’s events settles into me.

The moonlight that comes through the glass feels as though it’s seeping into my skin, igniting a power within me that promises nothing will ever take me from this life again. Not the way I was ripped away before.

Goosebumps cover my arms and I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. The connection with Asher, the force of the moons, the thrum of my wolf’s strength, all of that combined takes away the last of my fears as I look back into Asher’s gaze. It’s as if we both feel relief from the terror of losing one another.

“We’re going to be okay,” I say, lifting my head to kiss him again.

He doesn’t respond with words. Instead, he slides a hand under my ass, lifting me up as he kisses his way down the front of my chest. His other hand covers my center, using two fingers to slip between my folds and making me gasp.

With my head and back arched, Asher nips at my skin, his teeth scraping over my nipple, detonating all my senses. I reach for him, desperate for another kiss, but he doesn’t budge.

As his fingers make my pussy ignite with desire, his mouth brings me to the point of insanity, and I don’t know where I’m supposed to keep my focus. Muscles begin to coil, my core turning into a swirling tornado of lust that suddenly explodes.

My cries echo around the room and I can barely breathe as my chest heaves. My body is on fire, only partially satisfied, even though that might have been the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever had.

When my vision becomes clear again, Asher is leaning over me, a smile finally back on his face. “Thank you. I not only needed this, but so did my wolf.”

“You never have to thank me for letting you love me,” I tell him, holding his cheeks as my thumbs stroke over his stubble. “I need this just as much as you do.”

“We’re only just getting started, love.” The deep timbre of his voice moves over my body, his words branding me with the promise of a future filled with lifetimes of joy.