As the silvery column of light disappeared, elation flowed through her and she threw herself into Lerik’s embrace. “I did it. I really did it.” “I had no doubts you would, Astiria. As I’ve said before, you are a fighter. My fighter.” She grabbed his tunic pulling him down for a searing kiss, which smoldered and turned into something more tender and infinitely more precious. She’d reached level ten and was now a fully sanctioned adult by the terms of Verrath. She wasn’t about to waste time making her first adult decision. “I want you, Lerik,” she whispered against his lips. His dark chocolate eyes opened, and his searing gaze captured hers. “Are you sure?” “For once in my life, Lerik, I’m absolutely sure. I want you…only you….” He swallowed her last word inside his mouth as his lips captured hers, and he crushed her body against his. The heat from his skin burned through her, and she slipped her hands beneath his tunic, tracing the muscular planes of his chest. He growled deep inside his throat and picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder like he had the first day they’d met. Only this time, she laughed, a sense of freedom flowing through her like heady wine.
