Just as I was enjoying the tingling, rushing sensations that were flooding my body, an image started to flicker into my mind. At first it was gray and fuzzy, like looking through an unfocused telescope, but then it started to clear, and I could see Ruby, softly smiling at me.
This is different.
When I’d shared images with Ruby during a mind-meld before, they’d been accidental, our subconscious flittering along the bond we shared, but this time it felt like she was purposefully projecting the image toward me.
The image of Ruby laughed, and the picture shifted, showing me more; Ruby standing in the room that we were physically in, with the same fire and damp blanket. The only difference was that her vision was far cozier and inviting than the reality was.
Hey. Her voice drifted through my head.
Hi, I replied mentally. Can you hear me?
Yeah, I can hear you. Impressive, huh?
That’s one thing to call it…
Are you weirded out? she asked, her smile faltering.
No, absolutely not—I’m just a bit blown away.
Her smile returned, and she knelt down in front of me.
It’s an experiment, she whispered.
I like it.
Gently, half afraid of breaking our bond, I leaned forward and kissed her. I knew that it was only our shared imagination, but I could feel the answering pressure of her lips, their warm moisture, the taste of her mouth, the smell of her hair that brushed against my face.
I can feel it, she exhaled, looking up at me in fragile surprise.
Me too.
I grabbed her more insistently this time, knowing that she was solid, whole. It was all real, amazingly real. Our kiss deepened, and a shudder ran through Ruby’s body. Her hands curved up around my neck, and we fell backward onto the blanket, our bodies entwined.
Ash, she whispered, I want tonight to be ours.
I groaned, digging my hand in her hair, twisting its thick length in my hand, tugging her head backward, placing kisses down her neck and chest till I reached the top of her shirt. Her breaths shuddered, pulling me toward her as I undressed her, her fingers working just as urgently as mine to remove the clothing that separated us.
My heart was pounding, my throat tight as I looked down at Ruby’s body in the firelight.
I’ve never done this before, I admitted.
Me neither.
Will you tell me to stop if it…
She nodded, her blue eyes large, meeting mine with openness and willingness.
I trust you, Ash.
They were the words I needed to hear.
I buried myself in her arms, pulling her to me tightly. I made love to her with every bone and muscle in my body on fire.
The night burnt itself on my mind for eternity: the soft moans that escaped her lips, the muted glow of our skin, golden hair entangled in my fingers, and always her blue eyes—endless pools that I drowned in time and time again.
I love you, she whispered, just before the dawn rose.
Stay here, I pleaded as I felt our bond starting to weaken. I tried to hold onto it, sending all the energy I had toward her.
I don’t think I can.
She brushed her finger along my temple, her eyes sad and wistful. It was coming to an end. The bond broke. Ruby lay next to me, both of us fully clothed on the cold floor of the palace, the fire dead in the hearth.
“Ruby?” I croaked.
“That was…amazing.” She sighed, curling up toward me, a small smile on her lips. I laughed, running my palm across my forehead, grateful that my body still ached, that I could still feel the rushing after-effects of what we’d just shared.
“Yeah.” I grinned up at the ceiling. “It really was.”
Tejus
I woke just before dawn. The sky was an inky blue, the tear in it masked momentarily by the darkness. I left Hazel sleeping on the floor of the room for a few moments longer while I went off in search of Ash. We needed to leave to find the Impartial Ministers as soon as we could; with Queen Trina on the loose, we couldn’t afford any further delays.
Closing the door quietly behind me, I entered the empty hallway. The light was dim—only two torches had been found in working order yesterday, and they flickered ineffectually in the gloom. I located the stairway, hoping that Ash would already be up and ready. Two guards waited by the main door at the bottom of the stairs, nodding in greeting at my approach.
“King Ashbik?” I asked.
“The kitchen,” one replied.
I made my way there, finding Ash standing in front of the collapsed wall, looking out into the shadows of the garden.
“My apologies about Queen Trina,” I said, coming to stand by his side. He glanced over at me, nodding.
“I suppose it was only a matter of time.”
“That was the idea – to speak to her before she was rescued,” I muttered, uncomfortable with the idea of justifying my actions to Ash. It would take some getting used to.