That didn’t shock me. I looked up. “Not since the Queen’s spell broke?”
“No. The night you allowed me to feed, the night you saved me was the closest I’ve been to anyone really.”
“Why me?” The question left me before I could stop myself. “God, that sounded terrible. I mean, there is no shortage ofwomen or men who’d light themselves on fire to be with you. And you and I, we are…”
“Complicated?”
My gaze searched his face. “That would be one word I’d use.”
“I don’t know, Brighton. I didn’t think this would happen, and I don’t think you came here expecting this.”
I laughed. “Yeah, no.”
The half-smile returned. “Those people you say would light themselves on fire to be with me? Most of them would because of who I am. The King.” His brows lowered as his hand stilled on my hip. “I didn’t—”
Although he didn’t finish, I thought I knew what he was going to say. “You didn’t want to be King.”
His eyes met mine, and there was something in them. A brief flash of emotion that traveled across his face but was gone before I could figure out what it was. “No, I didn’t. It was one of the reasons I hadn’t fed. When I did that, it put this into motion, and when I used the King’s sword, that was it. That was when I ascended.”
My mind traveled back to when that had happened. Caden had been different afterward. Quiet. And when Tink had seen him, what had he asked? Should I bow? Tink had sensed that the Prince had become the King.
“Why? Why do you not want to be King?”
His gaze shifted then to a place above my head, and he was quiet for a long time. “Certain traditions are…well, they are more like law. The kind that supersedes even biology. And…it was not something I wanted. Not after…”
Supersede biology? That made little sense, but the world of the fae was drastically different than that of the humans, just as it was similar. “You don’t think you deserve to be King, do you? Because of what you did while under the Queen’s control.”
Caden’s eyes shot back to mine. “There are a lot of things I don’t think I deserve because of that, but the kingdom is not one of them.”
“But—?”
“But, this?” His hand slid around to my ass. He squeezed, wringing a gasp from me. “I don’t think I deserve this either. Knowing that hasn’t stopped me.” He shifted suddenly, and I felt his hardness against my hip a moment before he rolled me onto my stomach. “And knowing what I do, it isn’t going to stop me now.”
My fingers dug into the sheets as I felt his mouth on my spine. He trailed a path of kisses down to my ass before he lifted my hips. “I’m selfish. I don’t think you realize that.”
A cry of pleasure left me as he entered me in one deep stroke that would’ve hurt if not for what we’d done before. Bracing himself on his arms, he caged me as his hips moved ruthlessly against mine, plunging in and out at a pace that was almost brutal and yet unbelievably hot. His lips pressed against my temple as he lifted a hand, working it under me. Those agile fingers found my bundle of nerves, and the combination of sensations was like a streak of lightning electrifying my blood. I rose onto my elbows, moving my hips back against him, panting as the release building in me came closer and closer to the edge.
He seemed to know when it was coming because he pulled out and rolled me onto my back again. There was only a brief rush of cool air against my heated, damp skin, and then his body was pressing down on mine, pressing into mine. I tangled myself with him, arms and legs and tongues twined, and when I came, so did he, and it was just as intense as the one before.
This time, after it was over, I somehow ended up sprawled across his chest, my muscles and bones completely gone.
If this was Caden being selfish, I had no problem with it. At all.
His fingers idly moved along my lower back, and I might’ve dozed off. I wasn’t sure. But the feeling of being…content was pure bliss.
I never wanted to move.
But I had to. And then what? Where did we go from here? Part of me was afraid to ask, but we’d just shared bodily fluids, so I needed to get over that.
“Caden?”
“Yes?” he rasped.
Keeping my cheek against his chest, I swallowed. “Where do we go from here?”
His hand stilled for a fraction of a moment. “I imagine you will continue hunting for Aric.”
That wasn’t what I had been asking about, but since he mentioned it… “Yes, I will.”
