Born of Flames

Chapter 48 ~ The Goddess of Resurrection

    Morana curled her fingers into Tarion's hair, clutching it tighter as she kissed him desperately, trying to ease the lingering trembles from her body. Astaroth was gone. She had destroyed him. He could never hurt them again. Finally. Finally! She had fulfilled her purpose. She had not failed. She smiled against Tarion's lips and kissed him again.

    He was the first to pull away, but before she could object, Tarion had folded his arms around her completely and was hugging her almost painfully. Morana didn't complain. She only returned the embrace, drinking in his scent despite the overwhelming coppery tang that accompanied it.

    As she did so, she was aware of his fingers combing through her hair and brushing over her shoulders as he assessed her. For what, she wasn't sure. Perhaps injuries, or maybe he was still trying to get used to the changes that had come over her.

    She hadn't seen herself yet so she wasn't sure how noticeable the change was, but she'd felt Tarion's shock when he first caught sight of her. Shock at seeing her alive, and shock at what she had become. Morana pursed her lips and hid her face against his neck, breathing deeper in an effort to calm herself.

    What she had become... She wasn't even sure what she had become. Astaroth had called her Ascended, and the gods had commanded her to rise as a...a god, but not a god like them. They had been mortals who Ascended to immortality and godhood, but because of that they could never return to the mortal world.

    Her own mortal body had been destroyed, and she had returned in this one. An immortal body. An Ascended one. So did this mean she could safely remain in the mortal world? Could she move between those two planes of existence? The first god able to do so?

    Morana let one hand fall to her forehead and massaged her temples wearily as a headache formed between them. The gods better have someone able to explain all of this to her if they didn't want her coming right back to them, this time demanding answers instead of offering apologies. She lifted her head as Tarion rested his hands on her shoulders.
   
    "Are you all right?" He whispered, his worried gaze sweeping over her again and again.

    A smile tugged at her lips when his eyes finally met hers. At least she wasn't the only one who's appearance had been altered. She rested a hand against his jaw, her thumb brushing across the arch of his cheekbone. "Your eyes are beautiful."

    His gaze widened and there was an audible hitch in his breath. "I knew Gaelen and Neeri's had changed color, but mine..." His jaw trembled slightly. "What color are they?"

    "An icy blue, just like in that old portrait I found." She glanced at the couple still standing nearby. "Like your father's."

    "I felt something when Astaroth died. I thought we'd broken every tether he had on the Ash Fae, but..." Tarion broke off and knit his brows as Morana prodded one side of his upper lip, revealing a fanged canine. "What are you doing?" He mumbled around her finger.

    "Seeing if you still had these." She pulled her hand back with a grin. "I'd have been a little sad if they were gone too. I like them." She laughed as he rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but smile too. "I'm glad your eyes changed back. It was the last part of the Ash Fae that matched Astaroth."

    "Not our fangs?"

    Morana thought for a moment. "Oriana once told me that the Ash Fae were always meant to exist and they couldn't be undone. This is what sets you apart from other Fae. But perhaps you don't need to feed as often now. Your eyes used to dictate that, and now they're back to normal, but the fangs remain. You must still need them for something."

    She barely smothered a gasp as he bent and lightly nipped at her neck. "Are you sure it's not just for this?" He teased.

    She whacked him on the shoulder. "Your parents are right there," she hissed through gritted teeth. "And mine." Morana loosened her hold on him and Tarion let his hands fall. She flashed him an apologetic look. "I don't think they can stay for long. I know after everything that we've been through..."