I step closer, running my fingers over the smooth wood. Perfect—sturdy and beautiful, the kind of thing that feels built to last for centuries. But more than that, it’s a statement. A promise. Castletree isn’t just a temporary refuge for anyonehere. It’s becoming a home again. And Ezryn’s bringing us all together as a family.
Dayton grins, leaning against the wall. “So, uh, who gets to sleep next to Rosie? That’s the real prize.”
“Whoever she damn wants,” Ezryn says, but there’s a smile to his words. “Once Marigold saw what I was up to, she and some of the other staff went on a mission to get the comfiest mattresses and pillows.”
I can’t hold it in anymore. I jump in place, then rush Ezryn, throwing myself in his arms. His body is slick with sweat, but I don’t care. “Thank you. This is so much more than a bed. I know that. I love it. I love you.”
“Rosalina,” Ezryn murmurs, pulling back and cupping my face. “There is nothing I would not do for you and our family.”
55
Caspian
Awarm, moist heat envelops me as my thorns thrust us into acavern. Light filters through the mouth where the storm rages outside. Briars decorate the walls and ceiling, flourishing in the humidity of the cave.
I touch the wall. Thermal pools beneath the earth heat this little haven against the side of Mount Rhuvenmark.
Kel steps out from my patch of briars. He shakes in a way that’s comically similar to his wolf, sending wet snow spraying in my direction.
“Watch it, you mutt,” I say. A blush rises to my cheeks, and I turn away from him. “Do you, uh, do you remember this place?”
Kel walks to the back of the cave and gives the briars a tug. Beneath, there’s a trunk. He flips it open, pulling out blankets, heavy furs, dry logs, flint, and a knife. “All our things are still here, over decades later,” he murmurs, then he gives a small smile. “Of course I remember. We spent the night here after I fled my wedding with Tilla.”
I hover over Kel as he lays the logs in the ashes of an old firepit and begins to build a fire. It springs to life, warm flames licking at the wood, lighting up the entire cave. Shadows playacross Kel’s face.He looks beautiful dressed in darkness, I think.Shadows love him. At least mine always have.
He sits back on his heels and dusts his hands off. I kneel beside him and say, “It killed me to attend your wedding. And when you ran out and I followed, you asked me to take you away.”
“You took me here, and I screamed at the sky, then I screamed at you.”
“I didn’t care. You were with me and not her. That was all that mattered.”
Kel moves a strand of hair out of my eyes. “You haunted my every thought. I couldn’t get you out of my mind, no matter how hard I tried.”
I lean into his touch. “You kissed me for the first time.”
“I kissed the man I’d fallen eternally in love with.”
My fingers clutch at his shirt. “Kiss me again, Kel. Kiss me like you did for the first time.”
Kel combs through my hair, tilting his head as if observing me. Then, achingly slow, he leans in, brushing his nose with mine. His lips whisper over me, each move so gentle and deliberate, my heart near rips out of my chest in my need.
“I can never kiss you like that first time, because then I had no conception of the depths of my obsession with you,” Kel breathes. “Now, I know how utterly you have consumed me.”
“Then kiss me like that. Just kiss me,” I plead.
Kel obliges. His hand grips the back of my head and squeezes hard. His mouth covers mine, commanding, possessive. I answer in kind, snatching at his shirt, scrambling into his lap. He’s not the only one utterly consumed. I run my hands along the stubble across his jaw, the point of his ear, through the knots in his wild hair. I want my skin on every piece of him denied to me for so long.
Kel starts to ease me to the ground, then jerks up. “Wait. Sit here.”
I push myself off his lap and watch with bemusement as he hurries to the trunk, pulling out a thick fur blanket. He drapes it on the floor, making sure there are no wrinkles.
“Ever the gentleman, Keldarion.”
“I know how you hate dirt.”
“Maybe I’ve changed my mind.” I drift over to the blanket, running a finger down Keldarion’s chest. “You’ve always had a way of getting me dirty.”
Kel smiles and yanks my hips until we’re flush together. I can already feel the growing passion within his pants. He seizes my lips between his teeth, and my own desire stirs.
