“I didn’t mean to complain.” Wide-eyed, my focus remained on the riverbed. The winged geysers curved forward, crashing back into the bed. “I was just pointing out how long it would take.”

He brushed dirt from my cheeks. “But not any longer.”

“No,” I whispered. “Not any longer.”

Fresh, white-tipped water covered the ground now, flowing down the deeper grooves in the earth as it rushed toward the riverbank, lapping against the sides.

Crolee shifted closer, his head tracking the spouts. Ehthawn reared, lifting his head to the sky. The low trilling sound came once more.

“Am I seeing things, or does the water look like it—?”

The air all around us charged. The essence in me pulsed as the draken lowered themselves until they were almost on their bellies. Energy built and built, constricting—

Ash spun toward his horse and ran his fingers along the silver cuff on his upper arm. “Odin, return to me.”

The horse’s form rippled as I stepped back. Odin turned to smoke, crossing the distance between us and returning to the cuff.

Ash’s hand found mine as a jet of water erupted again, this time behind us. All of us looked at the other side of the road. Fountains of water gushed into the air like moving, winged pillars. They arced, slamming into the riverbed.

“What the…?” Ash hauled me against his chest.

Tiny silvery lights appeared in the empty air before us, then over the riverbanks, the road, and then everywhere. I sucked in a startled breath. It looked like the stars had descended to the land, and in a way, they had.

“It’s the essence,” Ash rasped, shuddering. “It’s the eather of the realms—of the air and the land.”

The lights flickered, becoming gold. Pure, Primal energy flashed from all the stars above and around us, casting the entire Court—the entire realm of Iliseeum—in bright, golden light streaked with silver.

The eather hummed inside me as the very realm itself seemed to hold its breath.

Then it exhaled. Energy rolled out in every direction, the force of it more powerful than any wind I’d felt. Ash dug in, his arms tightening around me as he slid back a foot or so. The pressure even moved the draken as the ground began to tremble once more.

As the eather rippled out, kissing the land in its golden-silver glow, the dull grayness of what was left of the Rot vanished.

“Oh my gods,” I whispered. “Ash.”

“I see it.” His eyes were luminous pools in the gold-and-silver glow of the realm.

Along the road, blades of grass broke free of the top layers of soil and spread out, reaching the river and beyond. Fragile stems sprouted, stretching upward as leaves unfurled, and red buds formed.

“Poppies,” Ash breathed.

They grew along the road in clumps as the twisted trees shook out their gnarled limbs and straightened. Deep, violet leaves burst forth, filling the once-bare branches.

The glow of eather began to fade, and the energy left the air. Night fell once more. Starlight returned, and none of us moved as we stood there, listening to the hum of rushing water and the wind shaking the leaves.

My gaze fell on the poppies. They opened, slowly revealing their crimson petals to the stars.

“I hope the poppies are in a good mood,” I said. “And don’t poison us.”

Ash didn’t answer.

Heart thumping, I tore my gaze from the flowers.

Ash was staring at me with eyes wide and full of swirling streaks of eather, lips parted enough that I could see the tips of his fangs.

I touched his chest. “Ash?”

His throat worked on a swallow. “How are you feeling?”

“Normal. Fine.” I searched his features. He looked a little pale. “How are you feeling?”

He shook his head silently as he lowered himself to one knee before me, my hand still held in his.

A jolt ran through me. This wasn’t the first time he’d done this. I’d never forget how, upon learning that I carried the true embers of the Primal of Life, he’d knelt before me. It still shocked me.

Crolee rocked back then, lifting his head to the night sky. His call echoed Ehthawn’s—one I heard in my bones and understood as Ash’s lashes lifted. Molten silver eyes pierced the night.

“Awed,” he rasped. “I’m in fucking awe of you.” He bowed his head, pressing his lips to my palm and the golden swirl of our marriage imprint. A faint tremble radiated from his hand to mine. “My Queen.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I woke to find myself half-sprawled across Ash’s chest and feeling…strange.

And nauseous.

I lifted my head, glancing toward the balcony doors. The world outside still carried the darkness of night. Gods, I couldn’t have slept that long after returning to our chambers.

I started to lay back down when the inside of my mouth filled with saliva, forcing me to quickly swallow. My eyes widened at the acidic taste in my mouth.

Oh, gods, I wouldn’t vomit on Ash as he slept. Or anytime.

Carefully, I eased out of his lax embrace, not wanting to wake him.

I failed.

Before my foot even hit the floor, Ash stirred. “Liessa…”

“It’s okay,” I assured him, wincing at the churning in my stomach. “I’m just getting something to drink and going to the bathing chamber. I’ll be right back.”

“Hurry.”

I smiled despite the nausea and quickly rose. Padding barefoot across the floor, I stopped at the small table and poured myself a glass of water. Taking a few quick sips, I glanced at the bed and made my way to the bathing chamber. Ash remained on his back, one arm curved against the pillow beside him and the other hand resting on the blanket gathered at his lean hips. Despite feeling queasy, heat pooled low in my core. As weird as it sounded, there was something decadently sensual about a sleeping man. I’d never noticed before.

Gods, I wanted to rip that blanket aside and straddle him.

A sleepy growl rumbled from Ash’s chest, causing tight, fine shivers to race down my spine.

“Liessa,” he murmured, his voice thick with sleep and… I inhaled deeply, catching the scent of his arousal. “I can taste your slickness on my tongue.”

My lips parted at the sharp pang of desire his words elicited.

The deep growl came again. “You should come back to bed now.”

I was half-tempted to do just that, but until I was sure I wouldn’t throw up, I figured it would be a bad idea. “I’ll be right back.”

His snarl of disapproval brought another smile to my face as I tore my gaze from him and entered the chamber. I drank as much water as I could, erasing the taste in my mouth before placing the glass on the vanity. Luckily, as I took care of personal needs, the nausea subsided. I felt completely normal.

Actually, that wasn’t entirely true. I still felt strange. My skin prickled on and off. I figured it must have something to do with me using the essence earlier to restore the river.

I picked up the glass of water, drinking what was left—

I gasped, nearly dropping the glass as Ash appeared behind me in the mirror. He wordlessly reached around me, plucked the glass from my grasp, and placed it on the vanity. “Did you just shadowstep from the bed to the bathing chamber?”

“Maybe,” he said, burying his face in the crook of my neck as he folded an arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest. His right hand rested on my belly, just above my navel. Even in the dim light of the bathing chamber, the contrast between my paler skin and his rich tones was stark. “I grew impatient.”

He’d also grown hard.

My skin flushed at the feel of his thick length against my back. “I wasn’t gone that long.”

“We will have to disagree on that,” he said, and I saw his hand sliding down in the reflection. I widened my stance, giving that wandering hand of his permission.