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There was no doubt in my mind these tunnels would be put to use in the coming months, especially if Izidora chose me. Kazimir had tried and failed to win her back, and after his display over the last few days, I knew he would wage a war merely because he needed to feel like his dick was still big.
Izidora’s empath magic could have swayed the rulers of the Crystal and Day Realms to our side without bloodshed, but Kazimir and the Night Realm’s obsession with my mate would leave rivers running with blood across Északi.
The lack of a communication network across this vast continent would make surprise attacks easy for the Iron Realm, and we’d be able to wipe out entire armies before they knew we were already upon them. Once Izidora and I were installed as rulers over all of it, the Félvér, Telivér, and Fae of all races would be free to live where they wished, and with the powers of the Mages, I’d be able to seamlessly communicate with all the nobles across the realm, keeping the peace from the palace I’d built for Izidora.
Lights in the distance signaled our arrival at the first stop where we’d need to change tracks toward Vasvain. I slowed our pace until my ears echoed with the silence of the lonely mountains. Izidora’s small fingers untangled themselves from my clothes as we crawled to a stop. She shook out her hands as I lifted mine to manipulate my magic, guiding the square of earth beneath the cart to turn before rolling the cart forward and resetting the stone. Eternal flames burned around us, magically enhanced to never go out, and I allowed Izidora a few more moments to gather herself before pushing down the next set of tracks.
“How far do these tunnels go?” she asked, her eyes wandering over the rough stone tunnel and the torches that cast deep shadows around us.
“Everywhere under the Agrenak Mountains,” I replied, easing us forward and allowing her to ask the questions I knew still swirled in her beautiful brain.
My curious little sprite.
“Really? How long did it take to build them?” She tucked a lock of chestnut hair behind her ear as the wind whipped it about.
“Nearly a century.” I wrapped her up beneath my arm again and turned up the speed.
“And I’m assuming the other realms have no idea?” she shouted, her words ripped away by the roaring of the wind as we flew along the tracks.
I nodded, increasing our pace. Izidora’s white bubble lights winked out, bathing us in black before she brought them back to life, making them dance in the darkness in front of us. Those pinpricks were our only guide, and it wasn’t until more eternal flames appeared in the distance that anything other than Izidora’s light and the endless void filled the space around us. Slowing once more, we rolled to a stop in the middle of an open space. The area on either side of the tracks had been carved high and wide with enough space to fit several hundred soldiers. Off to one side, pushed against the stone, there were a few carts like the one that ferried us here, and next to them was a pile of unlit lanterns and sacks of grain.
On the opposite side, a heavy iron door waited, silent and solemn. It was as if it too knew the magnitude of this moment. After all, it had witnessed me and Drazen drag Izidora’s former captors, in chains, from these very tracks to the peak of the highest mountain in Északi.
I parked the cart on the tracks, since we’d be using it again to return to Radence, and hopped over the side, reaching my arms up to lift Izidora from it. Her nails dug into my shoulders as she balanced herself against me, and when I placed her gently on theground, she did not release me immediately. I slipped my hand in hers, giving it an encouraging squeeze as we walked toward the looming door. The smell of her fear increased with every step forward. Fear was not the only scent that filled my nostrils; excitement blended in, creating an intoxicating mix that pulled a smirk to my mouth.
I flattened my hand on the smooth metal, and with a scraping groan, it slid open, revealing the slab of stone that would carry us thousands of feet upward. We paused on the threshold, and beside me, Izidora sucked in a shuddering breath.
Turning to her once more, I leveled a serious gaze on her. “These males will not hurt you, Izidora. I will be with you the entire time. You are not alone, and you will never be alone again. It’s time to be free.”
Izidora nodded once, a firm, determined gesture. Then she braided back her hair, revealing her bright, aquamarine eyes that held so much love. She was the most exquisite female I’d ever laid eyes on, and in that moment, a fire burned in her eyes that made me proud to be her mate.
“I love you, sprite. Step into the darkness with me.”
23
Béke Day Five
When Ruslan had told me on our first day together that he would avenge me, I didn’t believe him. I had thought his words were all a ploy to manipulate me into becoming a weapon for his use, but during our time together, Ruslan had shown me over and over that when he said he would do something for me, he meant it. I wholeheartedly believed him when he said that he’d die without me and burn the whole world down if that was what I desired.
Ruslan’s love for me was the wildfire he wanted to bring out of me – all-consuming, never-ending, and filled with heat. His smoky eyes danced with black flame, and the darkest parts of him hummed just beneath the surface of his skin, ready to play.
“I love you, sprite. Step into the darkness with me.”
And for once, I let go of my light and did just that. I grasped his outstretched hand and stepped into the lift with him. “I loveyou, Ruslan. You are the dark to my light, but tonight I want to be consumed with darkness – with you.”
A tug on my arm pulled me into him, and he captured my lips in a bruising kiss as the iron door closed on us and the lift began to move. Ruslan’s power was mighty, and it never ceased to amaze me how he could use so much of it while being wrapped up in me. His teeth nipped my lower lip, and I whimpered as he drew blood. His tongue lapped it away a moment later, the metallic taste coating both our mouths as he deepened our kiss. Fire pooled between my thighs, and I forgot all about us hurtling upward as his hands gripped my ass and pulled me off the ground. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I allowed him to hold me tighter, and a hand yanked my long braid back, tilting my head up and exposing my neck.
A trail of kisses left shivers in their wake as he made his way from my jaw to my ear and down to my exposed collarbone, stopping to suck on my pulse point along the way. “When we’re finished killing them, I will fuck you senseless,” Ruslan growled at my neck, and my thighs clenched together around him at the promise in his words. I rolled my hips against the hard planes of his stomach, and his large hands lowered me so I was flush against his hardness. “You get me so fucking hard, especially when I see that spark of fire in your eyes. You are so fucking perfect for me, hand-crafted by the Goddess herself.”
The words went straight to my core, and it throbbed with need. Ruslan dragged me up and down his length, and the friction through our clothes barely eased the desperation vibrating in our bond to be closer. His forehead touched mine, and the corner of his mouth twitched up as he continued to grind against me, eliciting whimpers and a flush across my face.
“We should ride the lift like this every time,” I managed to say, and his grin widened, eyes flashing with wicked desire.
“That can be arranged,” he replied, his tone leaving no doubt that he meant it.
We slowed our ascent as we approached another iron door, and I was suddenly breathless and dizzy. Ruslan seemed to sense this, and a strong arm wrapped around my back and held me in place as he turned to open it. Trepidation clenched my stomach as the door slid open with a heavy groan. We emerged into a domed room, the center occupied by a large hearth with tables surrounding it, some laden with dishes and cookware and others with blankets and other supplies.
“We can sit here until you regain your breath. The change in altitude was fast, and the air is much thinner up here.” Ruslan carried me to a table with blankets, pulling out two chairs and placing me in one before wrapping me in the thick wool and rubbing my arms to bring some warmth into them.
