He just smells. The muskiness of the Void has masked his sandalwood scent.
Deven tilts my chin, and his lips take mine. His touch sparks an instant reaction. My hand rakes through his hair, and his fingers knead my hips. We stand in one place until our kisses seek out more contact.
We walk, our bodies locked together at several pressure points, to my bed. He leans me back onto the covers, his weight sturdy. Small silk pillows crowd around us. Deven lobs them off one by one. Once we have more room, his lips explore. My fingertips trace the curves of his back and clutch him close.
His cheek drops against mine, and he slides his fingers through my hair, the silk sheets wrapping about our legs. His deep, calm voice resonates in my ear. “Someday you need to explain to me why you have so many pillows.”
I chuckle more than I normally would. Nights when he has a sense of humor are seldom. These moments have been our temporary haven. I loathe disrupting his rare peace, but dawn looms. I smooth down his beard. “Would you like me to fetch your brother?”
“Not tonight.”
He has not asked for his family in many days. I assume he does not want them to see him this way. He is thinner and sallower than even yesterday. “Are you hungry?”
“Yes.” He nuzzles the tender spot beneath my chin. I dare not shut my eyes or I will lose my ability to think.
I fetch the tray on the bedside table. He wipes his hands clean on the napery and eats the aromatic rice. He does not have access to food or water in the under realm. I have tried to send rations and a lantern, but they disappear once he leaves. Nor can I enter the labyrinth of shadows with him.
“How are you?” he asks.
Deven does not need to hear about my mundane days. “I’m well. Ashwin and I are still searching every book in the city. We’ll find something soon.” None of us know whether our research will lead to a solution, yet I have faith. “We’ll find a way to release you.”
“You cannot be certain.” Deven sets the unfinished plate aside. He must fill up, but his appetite has been decreasing. “We have to accept our fate.”
At my lowest moments, I have almost succumbed to the same despondency. All day long I pray for the gods to free Deven. His inner light is dimming, like the reflection of the moon compared to the glory of the sun. I sit on his lap and pull his wooden arms around me. “Fate is ours to decide.”
“You cannot feel what I feel.” His tormented gaze climbs to mine. “My coming here is a risk. Someone has been following me.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen anyone, but I’ve felt them.”
I rest my forehead against his. “Ashwin and I are getting closer. We’ll get you out of there. Promise me you’ll keep coming.” I could not bear for him to disappear.
“For you,” Deven says, his muscles relaxing around me.
Outside, the heavens have lightened. Sunrise will soon reach the golden domes of the palace and sleepy Vanhi. Deven clings to me, dreading the same burden of time. I tuck into him and shut my eyes so hard they ache.
Please, Anu. Let him stay.