Chapter 76 THE CALM BEFORE THE STROM III

Chapter 76 THE CALM BEFORE THE STROM III
HAVEN

" I'm sorry, Auren.” I don't know when those words leave my lips, but they do and I regret it the instant it happens.

Fuck, he wasn't supposed to hear that!

He raises his other hands to my face and gently swipes the tears away with his thumb. " Why are you crying, Little Flame? I don't know what you're thinking you're about to do, but you are not doing it. I will chain you to my side if that's the only way to keep you by my side.”

I choke on a sob and he releases my neck, rubbing his thumb gently against the pulse point of my neck. My heartbeat accelerates as more tears fall from my eyes. " But how, Auren!” I whisper in a broken voice. " Isolde wants me. She won't stop until she gets what she wants.”

Things would have been much better if we were fighting someone we can see. Things would have been much better if our opponent was Eurolys alone. But that's not the case. The person we're fighting against is someone we can't even see, someone locked in the depths of Euron, a dark portal no one can reach and return alive. From there she keeps pulling the strings and putting things together and destroying the realm as she pleases.

Someone has to stop her before she finally destroys the whole continent and no one is left. Unfortunately, that someone has to be me.

" We'll find a way to stop her, baby. You don't have to sacrifice yourself for that,” he says, but the tremor in his voice tells me that he doesn't believe that as much as he wants me to. He knows that but denial has always been a strong disease.

I don't say anything else, mostly because I don't have the energy to keep up this discussion, and an argument that will lead us nowhere. Rather, I rise to my tip toes and seal my lips over his. He doesn't hesitate, and instantly opens up for me, using my ponytail to tilt my head back for further access.

I wrap my hands around his neck and moan into his lips, letting the sweet feeling of euphoria pull me in and make me forget everything that's waiting for me ahead, even if it's just for a moment.

\~~~

“Yay!" I squeal, clapping like a three year old who's just been showed a magic trick. “Do it again!"

“For the last time, Haven I don't get why you insist I do this when it's something you can very well do on your own," he says, annoyance lacing the edge of his tone. " This is the very last time I'm doing this.”

I giggle and shrug, as I snuggle further into the blanket he provided for me. It's not quite evening yet, but the whether is somehow cold.

After my emotional outburst hours ago, we had rounds and rounds of mindless sex on the cool forest floor, surrounded by trees. Our clothes are somewhere nearby and I'm wrapped in this blanket, while he's in nothing but his slacks. I don't know exactly what's wrong with me, but just staring at him part the water with his hands is so hot, I'm seconds away from cumming all over myself.

Damn pregnancy hormones for making me this insatiable.

“You do know that as the fae princess, you can do more than this right?” He says coming to settle beside me on the grass. " You don't have to make me do it for you. If you're so desperate to see magic then do the magic.”

I shrug and stare at him through my lashes. " I knowwwww. It just looks hotter when you do it. Like a sexy water god, parting the seas so he can pass through.”

" Is that so?”

I nod. " Besides, I got my full fae transmission not too long ago. I'm going to have to get mother to teach me how to use them properly.”

“You'll be leaving for Vaeleria next week,” he says like I wasn't present when he made his battle plan and strategically excluded me from it. “I'm preparing the men for in case Eurolys attacks again and I don't want you anywhere near there."

“How sure are you that he's going to attack?" I ask.

“I'm not," he says simply. “But Tyren thinks he will anytime soon. Besides, even if he doesn't, there's an army of undead roaming around the borders. I'll make sure not even one of them are left standing.”’

I don't say anything else. I just snuggle closer to him and he opens his hands and lets me settle in his embrace. The peaceful serenity of the not so quiet forest washes over us and I let out a small smile at the peace that could have been ours, had people like Isolde not appeared.

I have to learn how to fully control my powers as soon as possible. I step into Euron next month but till then, I'll need to protect myself and my baby in case of any danger.

“Do you think Isolde could leave Euron on her own?” The thought leaves my lips before it fully leaves my head.

I can't see him, but I can tell Auren does something similar to shaking his head. “Euron is a prison made to seal you in for good. Eurolys could get out because there had already been a crack in the veil due to my powers weakening. He was a second prisoner added, so he could easily get out after the crack widened. But Isolde can't."

"Oh!” I mutter. " Then why does she seem to want me so badly?”

His grip tightens around me and he pulls me closer to him. " Because, little flame, you can destroy the seal completely as much as you can fix it.” He must see the surprised look on my face because he chuckles and continues. "Euron was made from the Ethereal Essence, meant to hold the most evil of beings. No one can tear it apart or completely shut it apart from one who has the power. That's why your mother had to help seal it that night.”

" That means Eurolys can destroy it, right? He has a fraction of the Ethereal Essence.”

" No. He just has but the already harnessed version your mother gave him. He can weaken the seal, but cannot completely destroy it.”

" Auren, Haven, can you both hear me?” Lyra’s voice sounds in my head like she's in it. I glance up at Auren and by his expression, he heard it too. The voice comes again. “Auren, Haven!"

“Lyra?" I call out.

She heaves a sigh of relief that washes through me. " You both need to come as soon as possible. There's an Undead attack in the capital.”