Chapter 66

Staring at the closed door of her and Elys's room, Dessa tried to get herself to open it, but all she could do was clutch the strap of her bag as it hung on her shoulder. She could hear him inside, rustling through his things, murmuring to himself...and then finally cursing so loudly it had her looking up and down the hallway to see if anyone heard.

Finally, Dessa pushed open the door just as Elys cursed loudly again as he ripped his bloodied tunic over his head, throwing it across the room with such force it had her jumping.

"I never would have thought I'd hear words like that coming out of the Seer of Ikreus Elys's mouth," she said to him, repeating the first words he'd said to her when he came home.

He obviously hadn't heard her come in as he spun around, eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here? This is our room, Elys. Cleo has enough sense in her to realize we're not just best friends anymore."

"I don't think you should..."

Before he even finished that sentence, she pointed a finger at him, immediately shutting him up. "Don't you dare say what you're about to, Seer. Because after what happened, after almost losing you forever, don't you dare think you're ever leaving my side. Thank the Mother I finally came into my healing magic now and my parents won't have to worry about you like I know they always do. But they're still going to worry. I'm going to worry more than they will...because you're an idiot. But you're my idiot and I love you and I need you and I don't ever want you to do something like that again, do you hear me? And now...now, I'm going to go take a shower because I need one. You need one, too, so you're getting in after me. Got it?"

Elys didn't say a word, didn't even move an inch as she threw her bag down on the bed, yanked off her jacket and boots, and stomped toward the bathing room door.

She didn't want to have him in her head, not when she finally caught sight of the brand new scar he had on his chest, one that had a silvery glint to it against the dark tan of his skin. Not when all she could hear were the echoes of his screams when she and Adeena finally broke him out of his time ward. She didn't want him to see her biting the inside of her lip so hard to keep from crying that she tasted blood.

But when she heard him let out a soft whimper just as she was about to slam the door behind her, Dessa turned to see him sitting down at the end of the bed, hunched over with his head in his hands.

Just as quietly as she'd come in, she walked back over to him, gently touching his shoulder as he leaned back, tears lining his eyes. Her heart twisted in her chest to see him like this, to feel his fear and panic even though he was safe, to feel the fiery anger that still coursed through him at the revelation of who and what Fin really was and his inability to see it through visions before.

Dessa ran her fingers through his hair, then gently brushed away his tears as he leaned into her. Arms wrapped around her waist, Elys buried his face against her stomach. She held him just as tight as she leaned her cheek against the top of his head, knowing he wasn't the only one who needed to just be held but she was, too.

Several minutes passed before Elys finally pulled back only slightly, looking up at her with bloodshot eyes. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her.

Leaning down, she pressed a kiss to his forehead. "It's all right. I know what happened must have rattled you just as much if not more than it did me...but there's something else, isn't there?"

He nodded against her stomach and didn't say a word. She couldn't even get an idea of what was going on in that head of his through their bond.

"Elys..."

"I still can't see him," he finally said quietly. "I can't see that future I showed you of us."

Dessa's brows knit together. "But the only reason you couldn't was because of what happened when you put that time ward around yourself."

"I don't know."

There was something else, something more that he wasn't telling her, didn't want to tell her.

"You're keeping something from me, Seer."

As soon as she spoke the words, he let his guard down just a moment, long enough for her to see the fears he'd always had. Taking his face in her hands, she practically forced him to look up at her, staring into those mismatched blue eyes. He tried to look away and couldn't.

"Why do you still think you're not worthy of having everything you do?" she demanded in a whisper. "That you're not worthy of having me as your mate?"

"I don't know," he mumbled pitifully. "I just...I've always questioned it, even when I was little. Lyv and Jai came into my life and gave me everything I ever wanted when I was five...and then they gave me you a few years later. The Seer has always lived a short life of servitude and hardship, but by whose hand was I dealt this life I've been given? What did I do to deserve to have our family and their love? To have you by my side forever? I will be the first Seer ever in existence to live a full life, but I still wish everyone before me could have had it to. But why me?"

Dessa hated that he always seemed to be questioning everything, no matter how many visions he had of his, of their future. She couldn't give him the exact answer since she didn't know it herself, not the exact one, that is. She could give him the one she thought, though.

"Why wouldn't you be worthy of it all, Elys?" she whispered to him, wiping away his tears with her thumbs as she cradled his face. "Coming into your Seer magic at such an incredibly young age, losing your parents and your life to the ones who owned and controlled you...I know you've told me everything, but I still can't imagine what you went through. My mother saved you and healed you, but it was both she and my father who treated you like their own. They still do and forever will. Gods, I have everything to thank them. Because they gave me the best gift a girl could ever ask for – you. My best friend, the one who will be forever by my side, my mate who I can't wait to spend my life with. So don't you dare think you're not worthy of it all. You were the one to forever change the fate of the Seer of Ikreus, your own and every other one that comes after, though that won't be for a very, very long time. You're broken the vicious cycle of the Seer never getting to be their own person or have a life of their own. You did that...and now you get to live out your life the way you want it."

Elys was still staring up at her, his hands pressed against the small of her back, chin leaned against her stomach. "With you."

Dessa nodded in answer. "With me...and the family we have with us now and back at home...and the one we'll create together in the future."

He swallowed hard, closing his eyes as he sucked in a breath, and the next time he opened them, they were completely white.

She knew what he was seeing then...because he allowed her to see and experience it, too.

Flashes of their home in Ayveri, of their family.

Then another of her in a beautiful white dress and him in a navy blue doublet, standing face to face with their hands clasped between them, a priest standing behind them as he had them repeat vows to each other.

Then years going by in another flash – a beautiful home of their own just outside the city, space for Eria and the other dragons when they came.

Dessa standing on the balcony of an empty room, Elys's arms around her waist, hands pressed against the growing bump of her stomach.

And finally, the same vision he'd shown her the night before, the one of him on that very same balcony holding their son.

By the time Elys's eyes went back to their mismatched blue, Dessa was already in tears.

"We're going to be all right," Elys told her, voice cracking with emotion.

"We are," she nodded, wiping her face with the back of her hands. "We'll just have to get through these next few months, maybe even a year or two, and figure out what Fin's after."

"I told you I never liked that guy."

"And I'll be the first to say you were right about him."

But even Elys heard the slight hitch in her voice, knowing she was still grieving for the friend she thought she had only for him to betray her.

"We're figure everything out. Together," he told her. "But let's rest for a little while, especially after what's just happened."

"We still have some training up to do with my magic. Isn't that the whole reason we came here?"

"And you might have to bring that grimoire out sooner than I know you wanted."

"Do I have to?"

"I think you do."

"Can we at least put it off for a little while?"

"Of course, Dessa Jai."

Dessa gave him a small smile before finally leaning down to kiss him softly, then stepped back and turned to head into the bathing room. She was taking off her clothes the whole way, needing to get out of the sweat and blood covered fabric and leather and under the hot spray of water as soon as she could.

The hot water loosened every tight muscle as she hung her head, watching the swirl of red-tinged water go down the drain. It wasn't her blood, of course, but Elys's. Something she hoped she'd never have to experience again.

Because she almost lost him. Probably would have if she didn't finally have her healing magic, which seemed to be just as strong as her mother's.

She scrubbed every inch of herself until her skin was tingling, then lathered her hair with rose-smelling soap before standing directly under the spray of water to rinse off. As soon as she wiped both hands over her face, the water still hitting her back, she looked up just as Elys opened the glass shower door and stepped in with her.

Even though her face was already bright red from the heat, her face flamed even more when she got a good look at him. She'd seen all of him the night before, knew what every part of him felt and tasted like, every spot that had him laughing or letting out a throaty moan. But what had her instantly thinking about what happened just an hour before was the dried blood that still streaked across his torso.

"You don't mind, do you?" Elys asked, raising a brow as he brazenly looked her up and down.

He might have heard her gulp as she shook her head. "Definitely not."

They switched places so Elys was directly under the water, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back, soaking his hair and running down his body. He stood there without moving, just taking deep, even breaths as Dessa watched him.

Before her eyes dropped to the swirl of bloody water going down the drain, so much more than what had been on her.

Without even giving him notice, she stepped closer, reach over to the ledge where the soaps were, lathered some on a cloth, and started wiping off whatever already hadn't with the water. He didn't say anything as he watched her run the cloth down his arms, all over his chest, down his legs, and then made him turn around to get his back. She made sure every part of him was clean, but she was going through the motions without really thinking about it.

Because she'd finally gotten a closer look at those two brand new scars on his chest and back, the ones she wished weren't there and yet she could do nothing about it. Not only did they need to scrub their bodies clean, but she also wished she could wipe away the memory of what happened to him. She had a feeling when she finally went to sleep that night, that's all her dreams would be of.

"Hey," Elys whispered to her then, lifting her chin with a finger to force her a look at him. "Don't."

Of course, he would know where her mind had wandered off to.

"I'm the reason you have those scars, though," Dessa mumbled as she looked back at the one on his chest. She reached up, tracing the silver line with her fingertip. "The last thing you need is even more."

"I don't care about scars, Des."

"I do, though."

"I care more about the fact that I will be forever thankful for you since you're the one who was able to heal me. They'll just be a reminder of it, but I don't want you freezing every time you see them."

"I won't."

"You sure about that?"

"Maybe?"

Elys snorted as he reached for the soap to lather it in his hands before running his fingers through his hair. But even as he did, Dessa reached up to yank his hands away and take over, her face finally breaking out into a smile as he groaned and closed his eyes as she scrubbed his scalp.

"You're worse than Eria when I scratch that spot just below her jaw," she teased.

He opened one eye to look at her, more than likely about to give her some smartass comment, but he immediately squeezed it shut again.

"Shit, that stings! Why'd you have to get soap in my eye, huh?"

"I did not, you big baby!" Dessa laughed, then pushed him back under the water to help him rinse it out of his hair and face. "Lean your head back and blink a few times while the water's running over you. It'll get better in a few moments."

"Promise?"

"Just do it."

"I'm rinsing my hair myself."

"Go right ahead."

Because she had another reason to let him.

Dessa took a few steps away from him until her back hit the slick marble tiled wall, leaning against it as she stared at him. She watched as he turned his back to her and reached up, rinsing the soap from his hair, the muscles in his arms, shoulders¸ and back flexing. Of course, she saw the twin scar to the one on his chest, but she had to remind herself he was all right.

Her eyes continued their way down as she bit the inside of her lip, especially when he turned back around to face her, both eyes open and on her as a slow, wicked smile curled at the corners of his lips.

"Whatcha looking at, Des?"

She gave him a far too innocent smile. "Nothing."

"Then what's that look for?"

"Hm? What look?"

Closing that short distance between them, Elys stopped when he was just a few inches away, though she could still feel every bit of heat coming off him. She breathed in a shaky breath, eyes going from his face, down his neck, and trailing down his chest...and lower.

"I think this shower's going to take a little while longer than planned," Dessa breathed out as she reached for him.

"Definitely," he ground out as soon as his body was pressed up against hers.

"Be careful not to slip and fall."

"I'd be taking you with me...then taking you on the shower floor."

She swallowed down at curse. "I wouldn't...um, I wouldn't mind that either."

Elys dropped his lips to her neck. "Hm. But the wall first."

"Definitely the wall first."

Using the shower wall as leverage, Dessa immediately wrapped herself around him, her legs around his waist, one arm around his shoulder as the other curled into his still wet hair. He nuzzled his face against her neck again, teeth grazing along her skin right over where her pulse beat erratically before his tongue drew right up the column of her throat.

Face to face then, she leaned in to kiss him slowly, both of them with eyes open as those flashes of their future replayed.

Dessa leaned her forehead against his. "I almost lost you today."

"But you made sure you didn't," he replied. "So, thank you. Thank you for not giving up on me."

"And I never will."

"I love you," Elys whispered to her as he wrapped one arm around her waist while bracing the other against the wall just above her head.

And as she shifted her hips against his, lowering herself onto him with a breathless moan, she whispered back, "I love you, too."

***

Dessa was biting her lip again, but this time it was to keep herself from laughing as she watched Elys in the mirror as he stood behind her in the bathing room. He had four hair pins clamped between his lips as he secured her hair into a braided crown around her head. It took him longer than it would have if she'd done it herself, but he couldn't seem to stop looking at the silver weaving in and out of the dark chestnut brown. He even slapped her hand away when she tried to help.

"You look ridiculous," she finally giggled when he had two pins left between his lips.

"And you look beautiful," he mumbled around them, giving her a wink. "You used to let me help you with your hair all the time, so you're going to have to get used to it again."

"If you're going to take this long to do it, we're going to have to rethink this arrangement."

"Well, that's never going to happen."

"Sure," she snorted.

Once the last pin was in place, she had to admit he did a fairly good job. Leaning closer to the mirror, she reached up to touch his handywork, not even seeing one pin peeking out of its placement.

"Not bad," she smiled, turning around to face him before wrapping her arms around his neck and stretching up on her toes to kiss him.

Elys's hands pressed against the thin fabric of her dress at the small of her back. "Guess we're going to have to head downstairs, huh?"

"Cleo did send word that we're all supposed to have dinner together. I think we're late as it is."

One brow rose. "And who's fault is that?"

Looking over his shoulder at the bedroom doorway, her face flamed at the sight of the bed with the sheets in complete disarray and still damp in a few places since they didn't even take the time to dry off. The shower hadn't been enough for them, even though their love making had been fiery and fierce...before it was filled with laughter since Elys did slip against the slick stone floor just after her first release ripped through her. But when he carried her back into the bedroom, her arms and legs still wrapped around him as she kissed him, it turned into something slow and sweet and full of passion until they both fell over the edge together. After, she didn't want to let go of him, curled up on his chest as her eyes drifted closed as she concentrated on the brush of his fingertips up and down her spine.

"Well," Dessa said then, face still bright red as she looked back at him. "I'd blame the both of us."

Elys hummed deep in his chest as he leaned down to kiss her again before moving beside her to finish getting ready himself. She watched him carefully, still finding herself worried that she'd missed healing something, though he continuously told her he was perfect. But there was something else she'd been wanting to ask him and yet hadn't because of their preoccupation with each other.

"So," she began, leaning her hip against the counter. "Adeena."

"I know," he said to her. "She was the one female I could never see clearly and with good reason. Her magic hid her well, including from me."

"Are you able to see more than you have before? I mean, obviously the vision you've had of what happened this morning has now come to pass in reality, so..."

"She's there in what little I've seen about what's to come. There's still something that's hazy, though. I don't know what it is..."

"There's more to all this than you've told me, isn't there? I mean with our combined magic with portals and time."