Ileus leaned over her and said in a voice so sexy that it touched the nest of butterflies with large wings in her stomach, "Don't you care about me?"

Anastasia's eyes widened slightly as his spicy, woodsy scent surrounded her. She inhaled his scent and her eyes became heavy lidded. She brought her hand to touch his cheek. "I care a lot about you."

"Do you?"

She nodded.

He inched forward. "Ana, I want to thank you."

She felt happy. "If you are talking about how I saved you from the Yardrak, then it is nothing. I did what I had to, what I wanted to."

His breath fanned her cheeks.

"You would have done the same for me," she said under his mesmerizing effect. She fell under his spell.

"I would have," he replied. His finger came to her lips and he brushed them. "You are very brave Ana," he said and picked up a strand of her hair. "When I first saw you in Vilinski, I thought you were such a coward to let those things happen to you. I thought that you were a weak child of brave parents. But slowly I came to know how badly trapped you were."

She tilted her head on the pillow and asked, "And now what do you think of me Ileus? I hope you are not pitying me. Because if you are sympathizing with me, then I will just walk away-from all of it." Even though her problems were no longer a secret, she had never asked for anyone's pity. She suffered silently because she knew that no one in Vilinski would go against Aed Ruad after what he did to Iskra. She didn't reach out to anyone for the fear that they would become the next target of her cousin. She let that feeling simmer as rage that continued to build in her. It built to the extent that she took the leap. She wondered if it was a leap of faith.

His warm honey eyes became liquid. "Now... I think you can take over the world, and I am too much of a fuckup to keep you to myself."

Warmth surged through her heart. He believed in her. Did he recognize her potential? She gazed at him as if baring her soul. "Do you think I am that capable?" Her hand went back to his cheek and she began brushing her thumb softly, fondly.

"You are capable of a lot more than what you already are Ana, and I hope you get what you've been wishing for." He brushed his knuckles over her forehead.

A lump formed in her throat. He had so much confidence in her. She was tired with the way people treated her, with the way her magic was suppressed but now... now she felt relaxed... with those words that rolled out of his tongue. They had so much assurance and conviction. She believed she could help her kingdom, free her parents, and find Iona... She raised her other hand to cup his cheeks. He closed his eyes and leaned in her palm as if he was being branded by her touch. "You have been so encouraging to me, Ileus, always taking my side and protecting me. When you gave my dagger to me you gave me a chance to be confident in my skill." She pushed the lump down. Thank you for showing me my worth."

"Then stay Ana. Together we will achieve your goal," he said in a deep voice. "Whatever it is. I won't even ask you what it is and blindly follow you..."

She smiled with her eyes. "I can't put you in any more problems. But that doesn't mean that I don't trust you. I just want to do this myself. I have to do this myself..."

His breath became ragged. "Anastasia, you will miss me," his voice was raw as if he was going to miss her more. "Besides, you will need someone to guide you in the Lore."

Damn, he was so convincing. But how could she embroil him in her quest. This was the last time she was going to be with him and she wanted to commit him to her memory... forever. "Sleep here beside me, Ileus," her tone sensuous as hell.

He gasped. "Do you know what is going to happen if I sleep with you in this room? This is the privacy I have been craving for to be with you. I want to do those wicked things that I told I will do with you. My need to be inside you is so maddening that I want to forget where I start and where you end. One thing would lead to another and before you and I know, things might just... spill out of control." His Adam's apple bobbed. "Do you want that to happen?"

She blinked in a yes.

"Fuck!" he said, pulling away from her when he realized that she wanted this as badly as he wanted. He stabbed his fingers through his hair as he gazed hard at her. "My need to be inside you is far greater than my need to exist Ana. Are you really sure you want this?" He felt his limbs shaking.

She reached out her hands for him. She didn't want to regret things in her life and this was one thing she would regret if she didn't do. "Come here," she said. Anastasia didn't want this to do with anyone else in her life other than him. She looked in between his eyes. Was he hesitating? She held her breath. Was he reconsidering his words? She had trusted her life with him. She had escaped with him. To find a new life. To find life. "Come..."

Ileus unbuttoned her shirt with shaky hands and leaned over her. He parted the shirt and let it slide to her sides. She wasn't wearing anything beneath. His gaze roamed over hernaked body as he took in every contour, every scar until his eyes settled on the thatch of hair in between her thighs.