Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,199

as he lifted me, continuing to kiss me even though the rain was threatening to drown us.

It hadn’t been rage he’d felt. It was fear. He kissed me like I meant something, like I belonged to him. Knox held me against him, and it wasn’t a kiss of ownership. It was deeper, as if he’d feared I would die. When he finally pulled away, his hands clasped against my cheeks, holding my forehead against his.

“I thought I lost you.” He swallowed thickly, removing his cloak to place it over my shoulders. “Never do that again,” Knox warned. “I need to be inside you, Aria.” The rain dissipated, and rainbows covered the skies. Knox stared up, smirking as the men exhaled around us.

“What are you waiting on—an invitation written in crayons?” I grinned as his eyes dance with amusement. “Now,” I demanded when he hadn’t done what he’d warned he would do. Knox smirked and yanked me to the tent, and this time, he wasn’t hard, and I didn’t attack. It was slow and erotic and beautiful.

Chapter Fifty

Knox had pulled away again the moment we moved camp, not that I hadn’t needed distance. He’d gone to war on my body, and I’d met him full force. We’d gone hard, violent, and brutal on one another, and I’d loved every second of it. From the glances he slid my way, I was willing to bet he’d loved it too.

In that tent, we’d gone bare-bones against one another. We’d met full throttle with a need that had shocked and left us both horrified and breathless. Knox had imprinted himself onto my soul, and I’d done the same to him. Neither of us held back, and we hadn’t wanted the other to do so either. We’d terrified the others, and we couldn’t be bothered to care.

Hell, we’d even scared our creatures with the violence we had unleashed on one another. Ember had taken to snickering and reminding me that I’d matched her need. There were times when Lennox and Ember peeked out from within us as we’d gone slower.

Knox made love to me, slowly showing me an entirely new side to him. I’d allowed it, letting him push me over the edge while he’d taken my hands prisoner. He’d held me afterward, his fingers playing with my hair while he spoke of his home. It was an unguarded glimpse into the man who had married me.

The camp had moved, though, and with it, Knox vanished back behind his walls. He’d erected them the moment we’d stepped out of the tent, after the rain had washed the world clean. Maybe Knox thought I wouldn’t survive Karter’s magic entering me, recalling I wasn’t immortal yet. Perhaps he’d realized that I could be lost to him and had woken up to the reality that I wasn’t whole yet?

The closer we got to Norvalla, the more unsettled I became. The men, on the other hand, grew excited. Their banter changed, and the mood within the army became lighthearted and good-natured. They turned from warriors capable of mass destruction to people returning home to embrace their loved ones. It created an ache deep within my chest that caused a pang of regret, knowing I’d never feel at home again.

We crested a peak, and my breath got stuck in my lungs. A bustling city built above sea-level spread out before my eyes. Large birds flew around a tower, and I smiled at their loud shrieking noises. High mountains surrounded the city, with splashes of color so perfectly placed that tears filled my eyes, burning them as Knox beamed with pride.

Dorcha was the capital of Norvalla. Brander told me it was the home Knox had shared with Liliana and their son. He was going to open that tomb, and when he did, everything would change. His world was about to fall apart, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop it from happening, nor would I. My bloodline had dealt Knox a shitty hand. No one could argue that fact, not even me.

The war party stopped on a towering cliff, staring down at the beautiful palace that spread out as far as the eye could see. The towers stretched high into the clouds, concealing their spiraling tips from sight. To the east of the castle stood elaborate statues of women with wings, facing the crystalline-blue water, filled with actual ships that looked as if they’d stepped out of a historical romance and into the present day. Large sails billowed with