Threads of Fate

Chapter 76 ~ A Life to Begin

    They arrived in Arcan days later, just at the break of dawn, exactly as when they'd first left. The sun had washed the courtyard in soft pink light, and Tissaia tipped her head back to bask in it. Already, the morning was warm and promised a bright day. It lifted her spirits and eased the ache in her chest, though even that had been less prominent since they left Drenusha's Library.

    Her sleep had been peaceful during the nights, with no nightmares of her parents to plague her, and even though she'd dreamed of Talarion and Kaius, she hadn't been crippled by grief upon waking. Instead, it was like a gentle assurance that even though they were gone, she still carried them in her memories and in her heart, and she would see them in her dreams for now, until they were someday reunited.

    But she had a life to live before then. A life that she'd been fighting for over many centuries, and a life her brother had ensured she received before leaving her. A life that Kaius had seen glimpses of. The corners of her lips tilted into a smile as she thought of the vision Talarion had told her about.

    Even the memory of Azael's prophecy no longer dampened it. Because no matter what the future held, she would first have the life she deserved. She would have time with her mate, and their son when he was born. She already had his name picked out and tucked away for when the time came.

    A shorter version of her brother's as she had promised. Azael remained unaware of that promise, but he would live with it. After all, she would be the one carrying and giving birth to the child, so she would argue that it was going to be wiser for him to let her have her way in things of that regard.

    "Are you happy to be back?" Azael asked with a chuckle as they rode up to the stables. A young boy came to hold the reins of his horse while he dismounted, and Azael helped her down next.

    "I am," Tissaia replied. "Although that's not entirely why I'm smiling."

    Azael's gaze swept across her face and lingered on her upturned lips. Tenderness filled his features and sent flutters through her stomach, which only deepened when he leaned down to kiss her. "I'm glad to see you smiling again, my Love," he murmured.

    "How can I not smile, Darling?" She threaded her fingers through his hair and ruffled it. "It's not every day I see the Crown Prince riding through his city with a terrible case of bedhead."

    Azael rolled his eyes and swatted her hand away. "Yes, well, that was your doing, you know." His voice lowered and her stomach flutters changed to warmth. "I told you not to tangle it, but you were so adamant it was all you had to hold onto last night. You know, by the riverbank, and you just couldn't keep your hands to yourself."

    Tissaia scoffed at that. "And who dragged me there in the first place?" She made to give him a playful shove, but Azael caught her wrist.

    "I did," he answered with a smirk, "but only after you put your hand in my pants. And I thought I was doing you a courtesy. After all, we could've just fucked right there in the middle of camp. I'm sure the Cahirim wouldn't have minded. Most of them are used to fucking in thin-walled cabins. And you know, Gaelen does find you very beautiful."

    Tissaia scoffed again, but couldn't hide the furious blush that gripped her face. "All right, fine. You win this one." Azael laughed and she couldn't help but pull him down for another kiss.

    She lingered by his ear when she broke away to whisper, "But tonight, why don't you fuck me on a bed for once like a proper Prince would? A clean, soft, massively oversized bed." She drew back and laughed at his expression. "Then again, it's been so long since I've been in such a bed that I might just fall asleep."