Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

The celebration showed no signs of stopping by the time Dyna and Cassiel were called away to finally perform their vows. She was brought to her chambers first, so her ladies could help her change into a nightgown. It was a lacy thing with thin straps. Beautifully designed but hardly modest. It left her back bare, falling low on her spine, the front accentuating her chest. The floor length mirror displayed the shadows outlining her curves. Not much was hidden in the low light.

She clutched her trembling hands together.

Lucenna adjusted the jeweled headpiece that held back Dyna’s hair. “I was a little scared, too, the first time. But when it’s with someone you love, there is no reason to be.”

“I don’t think I’m afraid,” she said faintly. “It merely feels like standing on the edge of a cliff again, and searching for the courage to jump.”

“Again?”

Dyna laughed weakly. “I have fallen off my fair share of cliffs.”

This was different though. They would be painting on each other’s bodies. Her heartrate fluttered wildly to picture it. To have Cassiel’s warm hands touching her without constraints. And what it would lead to.

Nothing can interrupt what must happen tonight, King Yoel had said.

She was expected to lie with her husband. And Dyna wanted to, but the idea of sex being an expectation, of anyone having a say in what she did with her body, took away the elation that should be there. Instead, it made her tense and nervous and frustrated.

“It’s time,” Kahna said, a lantern in her hand.

She swallowed.

In the drawing room, she pressed on carved leaf in the decorative molding and a section of the wall popped open like a door. It led to a dark hidden corridor that only held bland stone.

“That’s been here the whole time?” Dyna asked.

“Not many know about them, Your Highness. Prince Cassiel gathered you may prefer discretion.”

Her thoughts stalled with the sudden change in address. “Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Not that she wanted to go inside of the dark space, but she also didn’t want to trudge through the castle halls in her nightgown either.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.

The thought of seeing him however, eased her tension and Dyna took a deep breath.

Lucenna entered the dark hall and scouted the space. At her confirmation that it was safe, Dyna went in after the stewardess. The lantern’s light bobbed with their silent walk, though Dyna’s necklace radiated bright enough to illuminate the space. She was brought to what turned out to be another door flush against the wall. Kahna pressed on some part of the moldings, and the door opened. It brought her into the drawing room of Cassiel’s chambers.

Lucenna gave her an encouraging smile. “Would you like me to wait in the corridor in case…?”

“N-no. That’s all right.”

“Then I will return to the festivities with Zev and Rawn. A swarm of Valkyrie are standing guard outside the main door and on the roof. At a respectable distance, of course. Well, enjoy.” With a last wink, Lucenna closed the hidden door.

It vanished into the wall as if it was never there.

Cassiel was in the other room and she felt him become aware of her presence. A tremble trickled through her chest, and Dyna closed her eyes, searching for valor. After another breath, she slowly pushed open the door and entered the bedroom.

Cassiel glanced up where he stood by the bedside table and immediately fell still. His grip on the bowl he held tightened. His mouth parted and she felt more than saw his gaze rove over her slowly, dropping to her bare feet, over her the nightgown, and back to her face.

“Elyōn…azor li,” he said under his breath.

The heated whisper sounded like a prayer that begged for help, and it sent a rush of heat to her face.

Cassiel’s black trousers ended at his calves, and he’d rolled his unbuttoned white tunic to his elbows. Her eyes traveled from his broad shoulders to his chiseled chest and kept gown down, taking in the lines of his sculpted abdomen.

Putting the bowl down on the table, Cassiel’s bare feet leisurely made their way across the room to her. She watched him come, her heart thrumming with something that felt like panic.

He stopped.

“Dynalya.” Her name on fell softly between them. Cassiel searched her eyes, perhaps gauging her reaction to him, before taking the last step. His hand lifted hers and he pressed his lips to her fingers. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t wish to do.”

“But—”

“No one will decide the makings of our marriage bed. The only permission I require is yours.”

The breath that had been trapped in Dyna’s lungs released in a low exhale.

He trailed his fingers down her cheek and the stiffness in shoulders melted away. “We will never do anything you are not prepared for.”

Dyna dropped her head on his chest, closing the space between them. She held onto his presence, the solidity giving her a foundation to stand on. Her relief couldn’t be hidden in the bond.

“A lot has happened so fast. I… I need a moment to breathe. Would you be disappointed if we didn’t…?”

“No,” he answered without hesitation. “We came together in an unconventional way neither of us planned, missing too many steps I should have taken.” Cassiel leaned in closer still, his nose grazing hers. “You deserve a mate who fully knows your heart until you are willing to let me know your body.”

His rich voice vibrated in her ear, sending an electrifying hum through her that turned into a sinking heat as it lowered into her stomach. Simply putting the power in her hands…it made her earlier nerves vanish as a new sensation filled her. One that heated her skin and thumbed her pulse with a new rhythm.

He trailed his hand from her shoulder to her elbow. “Your geas.”

She glanced down at where he stroked her skin free of any marks. “I had it moved.”

The path of his hand paused and she knew he was trying to guess where it was now. “Would you like to hold our vows?”

It meant he would see her bear, touch her, and make promises they would carry for the rest of their lives. For that, she was ready. Dyna swallowed and nodded.

“Shall I go first?” he asked.

She nodded again, highly aware of the course of his fingers leisurely traveling to her wrist, caressing gentle circles in her palm. Every stroke left behind tingles shooting up her arm. Their fingers wove together.

“All right,” Cassiel murmured. He walked backward, leading her to the bowl on his bedside table. It contained a black solution she assumed must be the paint and two brushes. “Where should I start, princess?”

It was odd to hear the title, as warm as it was. Like a new heavy coat she wasn’t accustomed to yet. His breath feathered down her neck as he pulled her closer. She tried not to think about how much she could feel the strength of his body against hers. But her mind was turning foggy as she admired the defined planes of his chest and torso up close. He hummed in question, and she realized she hadn’t answered him yet.

Her voice came out breathy and unsure. “Leg?”

The drift of his hand paused, and he looked down at her thighs. He seemed to be staring at something with a sudden intensity that she gasped when he lowered to the ground.

“Cassiel, you’re a prince. You must never kneel.”

His silver eyes looked up at her as if she was the beginning and end of his every thought. “I will always kneel for you.”

The ardent heat behind that affirmation made her heart skip a beat.

He motioned for her to sit on the cushioned stool next to him. His gaze slid down again to what had his focus before. He took the hem of her nightgown and slid it up her leg. She tried not to flush at the sight of the ugly scar on her knee left behind by the grindylows. But her stomach jolted when the golden chain of the garter on her upper thigh was unveiled. It had been something her lady’s maid insisted she wear.

By the way Cassiel’s eyes seemed to flame, Dyna wasn’t sure if it was a good thing.

The chains glinted as his thumb slid beneath the garter, pulling it taught. It sent little cascades of shivers down her leg. Then ever so slowly, he dragged the garter down. The feel of the fabric, the coolness of the chains, and his touch trailing after it like fire was doing odd things to her breathing. Every part of her was aware of him. The way he touched her was so gentle, like she was something easily broken, something so delicate. Cassiel’s other hand rested on the back of her leg for support. His palm was hot, almost scorching, that it sent an indescribable heat flooding through her body.

Gathering… somewhere new.

Cassiel was so close his nose grazed her leg as he seemed to inhale her scent. He was so enraptured by what he was doing. Like he was entranced. Not daring to move, Dyna’s chest rose and fell with shallow inhalations. The garter dropped to her ankle, and he gently lifted her leg to slide it off. Resting her foot on his knee, Cassiel pressed a kiss to her inner thigh, and Dyna thought she might lose her ability to breathe.

The sensation left behind an imprint.

An invisible heated mark created by his mouth.

“Hold here, please,” Cassiel said softly, lifting the hem to the crease of her thigh. He brought the bowl to rest beside him and his long fingers took the brush. At the first cool touch of the paint, she jumped. It moved smoothly in his hand as he drew swirly strokes in a language she didn’t understand. He was the artist and she was the canvas. Each stroke was beautiful, coursing down her thigh, over her knee to the end of her ankle.

His gaze lifted to meet hers, and he translated the written vow in a soft murmur, From now and through the ages, I will forever be yours, until I fade among the stars.

Emotion swelled through her. She felt the vow settle on the bond, weaving through it like a new thread.

Dipping the brush in the bowl of paint again, Cassiel stood. She shivered from the cold touch of the soft, wet bristles gliding down her shoulder. There was power in his touch that kept her grounded without having to speak.

Cassiel continued painting, translating every vow for her.

On her left arm: I will have nor hold no other but you.

On her right leg: I will live each day worthy of you.

Her vision blurred.

Cassiel gently painted on the side of her throat to her collarbone. Every part of me, all that I have, and will ever gain belongs to you.

He turned up her chin, thumb brushing her lips. “Two more vows, lev sheli. Where shall I put them?”

“What does lev sheli mean?” she asked faintly.

His expression softened, and he pressed his lips to her forehead. “My heart.”

That soft confession sent tears spilling down her cheeks. A gentle swipe of his fingertip carried them away.

Cassiel was her husband. Her love.

She trusted him with her heart, her mind, and her body. There was nothing more for her to fear of tonight.

Dyna stood and lifted her nightgown over her head, bringing the silky fabric to cover her chest. Her skin pebbled in the cool air. She wore what barely counted as undergarments. Lacy white fabric that covered enough. Cassiel kept his gaze locked on her face. Wrapping her arms around herself, securing the disheveled nightgown in place, she turned around.

He was so close she felt the warmth of his body.

“You surprise me at every turn.” The hoarse sound of his voice made her stomach tighten. “But then, you always have.”

Dyna stood completely still. Then she felt the first stroke at her nape. Instead of a brush, he painted with his fingers. The impression of his touch felt different, slowly and reverent, exploring of her skin.

She followed the path of every unhurried caress, traveling down her back in winding trails.

When he reached the end of her spine, Cassiel softly blew on the wet paint to dry it, making her shiver. “Eheye lach magen kol od nishmati beapi. I will be your shield as long as I live and breathe.”

Dyna released a shallow exhale and faced him again. His silvery eyes held hers a moment before dropping to her feet. His slowly traveled from her ankles to her thighs, studying the curves and shadows. With a ragged breath, his gaze raked over her undergarments to her navel, then…up. Heat flared in his eyes. It was a look she’d seen only once before—in the Moors when he’d been drunk on desire.

He found where the geas was placed.

The elaborate design of an oak tree spanned her ribs beneath her left breast. Cassiel’s warm hand curled over it as he continued his perusal along the swells of her cleavage, across the scars on her collarbone, and finally to her face. His expression softened as he reached for her cheek, his thumb leaving a featherlight trail along her jaw.

Her heart hummed with his warmth, his strength, his breath falling on her skin. The depth of his gaze, how much adoration lived in them—it made her feel alive.

“Lay back for me,” he murmured.

Dyna glanced at the bed behind him and her blood swirled. Gods. A flushed heated her face, spreading down her neck. She sat on the edge of the bed and laid flat on her back with her feet on the floor.

Cassiel laid a sheet over her from the waist down. The dignity and care of that action swelled another ball of emotion in her chest. He placed the bowl beside her and she tracked the movement of his long fingers as they dipped inside the black paint. He leaned a little over her, seeming to contemplate where to place his final vow.

His proximity was hard to ignore, and every nerve tensed with anticipation. She jolted at the first glide of his fingertip at the top center of her torso. This time she felt it twice as intensely, the touch somehow branding her skin.

His other hand came to rest on her hip, sending electrical shocks through all the nerve endings in her body. Her eyes briefly fluttered closed at the sensation. The temperature of her body rose a few degrees with each stroke. He slowly drew on her stomach, engrossed by why he was doing. She remained frozen in place, aware of how the contact against skin awakened little fires all across her body.

But this promise felt different.

It was protective, possessive, and consuming.

His fingers inched past her navel and a riot of warm sensations sprouted in her stomach, heat sinking to startling places. Her lips parted in a shaky breath. Their eyes locked. The silver in his irises turned darker. His breathing was heavier, and a blush rushed to her face when she realized he felt her arousal.

He leaned over her with his hand bracing beside her head, caging her with his body. He was so close his breath fanned through her hair.

“Dyna…” his velvety voice said into her ear. “Everything I do, no matter how painful, will always be to protect you.”

Every word of that vow seemed to sear itself into her soul.

She could hardly form a thought to reply. Her pulse sped as his lips brushed over her shoulder, insufferably light. Every worshipful press of his mouth felt like a spell.

A flicker of magic meant to dissolve her.

As if it took great effort, Cassiel dragged himself away, and she hated the cool air left to replace him. He placed the bowl on the bedside table. By the stiffness entering his shoulders, the mood had shifted.

Did she do something wrong?

Dyna sat up as he retrieved her nightgown. Without looking at her, Cassiel slipped it back over her head and the hem settled on her waist.

A soft crinkle came from her pocket. It held the slip of scroll where she had written down her vows in the Celestial language with Noemi’s help. But they now seemed weak and trivial compared to his profound promises.

He stood and Dyna caught his hand. Her feet landed on the plush carpet as she rose. Her hand came to land on the broad stretch of muscle on his chest. There was no give to it. She glanced up, to find his dark lashes closed, casting soft shadows over the planes of his cheeks. In the dim light, she studied the alluring silhouette of his features. Heat hovered off him and she wasn’t sure if it was his contained fire or her proximity that affected him.

Cassiel.

A quiver traveled down her spine to her toes when his heavy lidded eyes met hers. They burned with the same heat inside of her now. She glanced at Cassiel’s mouth, and her lips ached for his.

She leaned in, but he stepped back and that one little movement surprisingly stung.

“We should continue before the paint dries,” he said.

“Right.” Her body cooled and all the previous heat rushed to her face. She’d gotten caught up in the moment without thinking that perhaps he wasn’t—

“No.” By Cassiel’s frown, he had caught her complex emotions flickering through the bond before she could hide them. “My sweet fate, do you realize how much power you have over me?”

Dyna was the one who felt helpless when it came to him. Like he was some sort of force that drew her in.

She fell still when he leaned over her. She stopped breathing as his nose drifted over the sensitive skin of her chest, never touching yet an electric charge followed the trail.

“Gods, your scent.” Cassiel lifted his head and his mouth hovered over hers.

She waited for his kiss, internally begged for it. But his nose faintly brushed over her cheek to her earlobe. Her breath caught as it glided down her neck to her fluttering pulse, and his tongue flicked over it. As if he couldn’t resist a taste. A soft whimper escaped her. A low rumble rolled in his throat, and it vibrated all the way to her center.

“I worship every single part of you, Dynalya. Don’t you dare think for one moment I don’t want you.”

His shield on the bond dropped and she felt it all. His nerves, his desire, his blush inducing need to touch her—everywhere.

“If I kiss you right now, I may not be able to stop.”

“Perhaps I don’t want you to stop,” Dyna breathlessly admitted.

He stared at her, his pupils swallowing the silver. The hesitation was so thick, she felt when it snapped.

“Sod it.” Cassiel grabbed her waist and hauled her to him. She barely had a moment to gasp before his mouth crashed into hers.