“Like you’re trying, with all these?” He gestures to the table of sweets. “You’re going to make yourself miserable for what? Do you even know if you can trust Wrenley? She’s still Kairyn’s acolyte.”
“And you’re the son of the Queen of the Below.”
He grits his teeth but says nothing more.
“Besides,” I say, “I have to make this right.”
“Getting to know the little bird chirping in Dayton’s ear isn’t going to put Castletree back together.”
I dig my fingernails into my palms. “I’m supposed to protect Castletree, not destroy it.”
Caspian crosses to me and places a finger under my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “What are yousupposedto do? Being her daughter doesn’t burden you with some responsibility. You didn’t sign up for this. Just because you have magic doesn’t mean you have to use it. You could leave.”
I shake my head and turn away from him. “Like you did?”
“You’re upset with me.”
“Why didn’t you come for me?” I whirl to him, and fresh tears spill over my cheeks. “I was Kairyn’s prisoner for months and you didn’t come for me.”
Pain flickers across his features, and he grits his teeth. Then he grabs me around the waist. “Itried. Believeme when I tell you I tried.”
Breath surges out of my throat as he moves us across the room, pressing me against the stone wall. He dips his head, soft hair brushing against my cheek. “I tore myself apart trying to get you back. I wish I had done more. I wish mine and Kel’s plans had worked faster.”
Slowly, I thread my fingers through his hair, and the small sound he makes has my stomach flipping. “Every sunrise, I wouldwhisper the names of everyone I wished to see again, Kel, Farron, Ezryn.” My voice hitches. “Dayton, my friends here, my father, and … and you, Caspian.”
He looks up at me, eyes like a star-swept sky. “You shouldn’t be saying my name like that, Flower.”
“Were you and Keldarion looking for metogether?” I ask.
“Give us the right motivation and anything is possible.” He leans closer to me, lips an inch from mine.
I suck in a tight breath as I feel his hand curve up the side of my waist. “Are you intending to stay at Castletree?”
“I’ll have to return to the Below shortly, but with Kel, Dayton, and Farron giving their magic to the tree, I can lessen my hold on the thorns a tad. It makes it easier to stay on the surface. Perhaps I’ll even have a few days here to keep an eye on things,” he purrs.
“Where will you be sleeping?” I ask as his teeth lightly graze my collarbone before resting on my neck. “Keldarion’s room?”
Then his lips are brushing mine as he speaks. A not-quite kiss. “What use does a wolf have for a big bed?”
That not-quite kiss isn’t enough for me. Not now. Not after everything we’ve lost these last few months. I put my hand on the back of his neck and pull him toward me.
Our lips meet, and my body seems to sing at the connection. At first, he stiffens at my touch, then melts into me, a low growl resonating through his chest. His kiss is everything I remember: glittering starlight and the dark spaces between. My fingers tangle in his soft hair, and he tugs me closer in response.
Is this how Kel felt when Caspian kissed him all those years ago? Lost in starlight and shadow? But that’s not quite right. Because despite the rush of blood in my head, the dizzy sensation that threatens to overtake me as his kiss deepens, I don’t feel lost.
In his arms, I am found.
I pull my mouth away just enough for a breath. I know what the others would say. I shouldn’t play these dangerous games with Caspian. Neither should Kel. “Tomorrow, my touch will keep him fae all night,” I manage. “So, I’m sure it’ll be you on the floor.”
Caspian licks from the corner of my lips to my ear. “Why don’t I join you both and find out how big the bed really is?”
CHAPTER 23
Rosalina
Everything is finally ready. Everything is ready and normal. Because it’s totally normal to have a sleepover with your two best friends, and the girl who is now mated to a man you’re trying hard to forget you’re in love with, all while on a three-day break from trying to save a realm from the tyrannical younger brother of your mate.
I look around my bedroom in the Spring Wing. The only thing left to do is enjoy the present. Or at least try to. After working all afternoon to make everything perfect, it’s almost time for the festivities to begin. I amsonot doing this just because I feel guilty, like the arrogant, stupid, perfect-haired Prince of Thorns suggested.
