“A bit of fun?” Decimus’s gaze pierces through me. “Is that why you’ve failed to attend every royal event he’s been at since last Solstice?”
“I’ve been busy training for these games,” I shoot back before I have time to consider his words.
Decimus shakes his head. “Try to get some rest, brother.”
I wave my hand in the air as I make for the east villa.
Something strange vibrates in my blood. Why haven’t I attended any of the royal events this year? It wasn’t to avoid Farron. There was always something pressing at home. More training to be done. Goats to brush. Parties to attend. Important things.
Maybe it was because I was so afraid of burning up inside again.
But if I don’t care, why does it feel like I can’t move fast enough?
I stop in front of the sandstone towers of the villa. I don’t want to waste time talking to the guards or introducing myself to any Autumn nobility who could still be awake, so I walk beneath the balcony of the coral suite. A curling line of ivy runs down the side of the building, which I scale. Much easier than his last room, which stuck out over the sea.
I hop onto the balcony and pass through the sheer curtains.
Vibrant tapestries adorn the white columns and pale stone walls. Against the far wall is a large four-poster bed with a canopy of gauzy fabric that sways in time with the balmy night breeze.
The candles are dim, and it takes a moment for my eyes to make sense of the room. Then I see him.
Something unclenches in my ribcage.
Farron is sprawled on the bed, with one leg hanging out of the covers and his auburn hair forming a messy halo around hisface. His eyes are closed, and his chest rises and falls in an even cadence. There’s an open book in his hand.
A small smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. The idiot probably fell asleep reading.
I didn’t mean to avoid him for an entire year. It was just that I didn’t know what to do when I saw him again.
Fuck, I still don’t know what to do. How am I supposed to act after everything that happened last year? After he nuzzled into my neck when we finished fucking? After staying up all night talking and watching the stars? After knowing he smells like fresh apples and cinnamon with kisses just as sweet?
Nothing about last Solstice had been normal. There were so many firsts I showed him.
And it’s been an entire year since I’ve seen him.
A knot forms in my stomach. Look at me. Finding him the exact moment he’s within reach.
He’s lying before me like some sort of dream. Slowly, I pad close to the bed, then bend a knee and lean over. I don’t know if I want to wake him or watch him.
All I know is I must get closer.
Carefully, I brush a line of hair away from his brow.
He jerks, golden eyes shooting open, and hits me in the face with his book.
16
Farron
Adeep grumble sounds in the air, and a man falls off the bed, clutching his nose. Blood runs out from between his fingers.
“Dayton?”
“Fuck,” he groans, lowering his bloody hands. “Did you hit me with a fucking brick?”
“It was the entire poetic work of Tarragon Wrinklelake,” I say, looking down at the large tome. “So, yes, in a sense.”
“Do you often assault people in your bedroom?”
