Page 186 of House Ignis

His groans deepened as I moved against him, water spilling over the edge of the tub.

Every thought of the Veyari, Jax, and those crimson eyes began to blur beneath the overwhelming presence of him.

My palms pressed flat against his chest, feeling the hard muscle beneath, feeling him everywhere.

He was my anchor; he was the only thing that felt real.

"Asher,"

I lost myself in him, letting the darkness and steaming water swallow every secret I was carrying.

But as the bond stretched between us, something else rose above the fear. Something I couldn't keep buried anymore.

I leaned forward until my forehead rested against his.

“Asher,” I whispered. “I love you.”

He stilled instantly. His hands stopped their frantic roaming, his fingers tensing against my skin. The steam seemed to freeze in the air. He pulled back just enough to look me in the eye, his silver gaze searching mine with a raw, soul-shattering vulnerability I'd never seen before.

The silence lasted only a heartbeat, but it felt like an eternity.

Then, his hand moved to the back of my neck, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw as he pulled me into a kiss that tasted like a vow.

"Gods, Ava," he rasped against my lips, his voice breaking. "I love you. I have loved you since the moment you set my world on fire."

The bond didn't just hum; it exploded.

A wave of pure, unadulterated devotion crashed through me, erasing the last of my doubts.

He pulled me tighter, his forehead leaning back against mine, our breaths mingling in the mist.

"I'm yours," he whispered, a promise that felt more permanent than any throne or betrothal. "In the light and the dark. Always."

I let out a shaky breath and kissed him again. For that one stolen moment, there was no journal. No crimson eyes. No Veyari hiding beyond the trees.

There was only Asher.

And the three words I'd finally stopped being afraid to say.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Morning didn't arrive gently; it arrived with Asher between my thighs.

I woke to the sensation of him trailing slow, wet stripes up my inner thigh, his breath ghosting over my skin in the quiet dimness of the room.

For a few blissful minutes, the images of red-rimmed eyes and Jax's jagged handwriting disappeared.

There was no journal, no Veyari, no looming war—just the rhythmic focus of his mouth and the way my fingers tangled in his dark hair as I arched off the sheets.

By the time he climbed over me, his silver eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

He looked revitalized, while I felt the crushing weight of my secrets settling back onto my chest like lead.

He lingered there, his gaze searching mine, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw with a precision that made me wonder if he could feel the lies humming under my skin.

"You look burdened, firecracker," he murmured against my lips, his voice a gravelly rumble. "Still thinking about that 'boundling' in the woods?"

"Just tired," I lied, the word tasting like ash.