“Taelon,” I whispered, my voice thick with joy.
He reached forward and brushed his thumb over my cheek. “I have missed you, Stranger.”
“And I you, Rebel King.”
Our bodies inclined toward each other as if we could not resist this intimate moment. Too many people were around, and we had too much at stake to be careless, but how could I care about any of that with Taelon so near?
Near enough to touch. Near enough to kiss.
“When I am not with you, it is as though a piece of my soul is missing,” he murmured, his breath tickling my cheek, my ear. “I find it unbearable.”
“Then stay here,” I tempted him. “Let Gunter deal with Heprin and all of the realm if that is what it takes. Stay with me.”
Instead of pulling away, he moved closer. His temple touched mine, the rough scrape of his jaw against the smooth line of mine. I wanted to turn and press my lips to his cheeks. To his lips. The realm and my future be damned. My self-control was held by the thinnest thread.
“You don’t mean that,” he murmured.
I bit out a frustrated growl. “No, I don’t.” I closed my hand around his wrist, the muscles and heat flexing against my palm. “I have this dreadful feeling that Heprin needs the Cavolia. Needs... you, Arrick Westnovian.” I leaned closer, inhaling deeply as if I could always keep the feel of him and the scent of him with me. “But I find this unbearable.”
“I will come straight back,” he swore, his voice thick with promise. “I will leave tonight. And return as soon as I can. And then we will...” He hesitated, and I could feel the tension coiled tightly inside him. Because what could ever happen between us? He could no more promise me a place by his side than I could him a place by mine.
I pulled back, tears stinging the corners of my eyes. “No, you were right the first time. It is better if you—” This time, the sob that cut my words off was audible. I gritted my teeth, swallowing down the flood of emotion that threatened to spill over. “Better if you go. We both know this.”
He straightened as well, but his hand reached down to take mine, hiding our entwined fingers behind the folds of my skirt. “I might know it, but I hate it as well.” He dropped his head, his gaze finding his polished boots. “Would that I could take us back to the easy days of our youth. Would that I could make it possible for you to be mine again.”
I squeezed his hand and drank in his lovely but impossible promises. “I will write to you regardless,” I told him.
He turned his head to face me again, and I knew this was goodbye for a long time. “And I to you. I will let you know of Heprin as soon as I can.”
My lips lifted in a wobbly smile. “Be safe, Rebel King. The realm needs you more than ever.”
His mouth mimicked mine—a smile full of sadness and despair. “The same is true of you, Tessa. And if you need anything, ask Finch. He is loyal to me and will protect you at any cost.”
“Let us hope it does not come to that.”
His gaze narrowed. “Let us hope I will have someone in place to replace him when it does come to that.”
“Taelon—”
He stood abruptly and lifted my hand to his lips. “We will meet again as soon as I am able, Princess. I give you my word.”
Then he was gone in a flash of Soravalian colors, his brilliant blue-and-silver suit slicing through the crowd. I watched him until I could no longer see him. Until I could no longer feel him nearby. And with each step in the opposite direction, I felt my heart crack and split, whole pieces breaking off.
I cared for Taelon more than I should. Even if it was possible for us to explore a courtship, my feelings for him were too strong, too big. I must keep the realm in mind, the dangers that threatened it, and the future I wanted to make possible. The realm, my throne, the crown... were the only things that should demand so much of my attention and thought.
Not princes.
Not courtships.
And certainly not kisses.
I moved toward the ballroom again, knowing my uncle would be looking for me by now. My guards clicked into attention all around the terrace, but I hardly noticed them from the storm of my thoughts.
A figure stepped from the shadows as I neared the glass doors. I was startled from my misery and opened my mouth to scold a guard when a sliver of moonlight alighted Caspian’s face.
ChapterEight
My mouth snapped shut as I took him in. Unlike the other princes and delegates here tonight, he wasn’t dressed in his kingdom’s colors. Instead, he wore a dress tunic in all black, styled longer than the traditional styles I was used to. His pants were looser too than the majority of male leggings. And his feet were adorned in black silk slippers with delicate gold swirls embroidered on them.
