Page 170 of Sands of Atonement

I loved how my heart skipped every time he slid his beautiful dark eyes my way. Or how my stomach flipped when he smiled at me.

I loved it.

My heart stopped for a moment.

Oh my God. I loved⁠—

“Fuck,” Ezra breathed in my ear, but he didn’t stop.

And because he didn’t, an explosion from within vibrated through, and I felt my soul leave my body and curl itself with his. He thrust his hips faster. The shudders his body released told me he was with me.

Ezra remained inside me as he braced his arms around my head. I opened my eyes, meeting his, and I knew nothing was ever going to be the same between us. I was completely and utterly his.

And he was mine.

After a moment of staring at each other and our breathing slowed, he kissed my lips and removed himself from me. He cleaned me with a linen and wrapped me in one of his wool blankets. He held me in front of his legs on the bed, and I leaned my back into his arms and chest, feeling more physically relaxed than I ever had.

Ezra placed his fingers below my chin and tilted my head to meet his eyes.

The words he spoke held no kindness, only promises.

“You can try to run as fast as you can, hide and emerge in different countries, but nothing is going to take you away from me again. Not your brother, not mine, and not the Atrove. And if you do, there is nothing your God or this world will be able to do to hold the wrath I’ll unleash, Eshe. You are mine now.”

Chapter 43

Ezra

Eshe lay naked in my arms, warm and relaxed and fucking beautiful.

I kissed her bare shoulder, and she wriggled closer to me. This is what life was about. These moments. Everything fell into place with her.

I claimed her last night, just as I had dreamed repeatedly for years, and it finally came true. Interesting how I could envision something that was nearly impossible, but made it into a reality despite how much we had fought against it. I let out a soft, quiet chuckle against her skin.

With control that was beginning to be hard to find within me, I unraveled my body with Eshe’s. If I stayed any longer, I couldn’t trust that I wouldn’t take her again, and she needed the rest.

I lifted my black pants over my hips, tying the leather straps in the front. Leaving my weapons behind, I brought my robe over my shoulders and its hood over my head. I leaned forward over Eshe’s unconscious body and brushed my lips on her forehead.

“I’ll be back,” I murmured.

I hadn’t felt this fucking great in… forever. And I didn’t think I could ever come back from this high.

Yeah, I thought to myself, Eshe is so fucked.

The promise—more like a threat—I made to her last night only made her lean further into my arms with a smile on her face. I was pleasantly surprised by her reaction and didn’t hesitate to show it by pressing her against my hard length. She had gasped through her full lower lip.

I shook my head and walked out to take care of any unfinished business. Ensure there were no loose ends walking around my domain. I was planning on leaving with Eshe tomorrow, and today was the only day to ensure my orders had taken place.

After speaking to Lazerak and finalizing the next upcoming training for more Atrovians, we went over the new laws that would be changed. Our votes came up to ninety-eight percent, and that was because the people who would have voted against it had died in the battle. The two percent kept their loyalty to me despite their vote.

The rest of the day quickly went by as each man lined up to swear their fealty to me as their only leader to the Atrove. Lazerak and I went over regions of the neighboring countries and divided the Atrovians accordingly. Hopefully, they build a better life in the community and for themselves. We named and assigned leaders to each division. I assigned Solomon to Norrah’s father’s region and instructed him to send word if he spotted her there. He was to follow her name wherever the winds had taken her.

Before the day ended, I said my goodbyes to Lazerak and Silas, letting them know of my upcoming whereabouts. I packed two bags full of food for the journey before I went to my chamber.

The moment I entered, her eyes were already locked on mine, sitting stiffly on my chair at the desk. My breath nearly evaporated from my lungs.

A woman. A powerful woman whom men one day would bow their heads in respect as an equal.

“Are you going to come here, or am I going to have to drag you here myself?”