“What if we do all this, and all I can muster is a snowflake?” I give them both a wry smile.
“You could at least try for a flurry.” His expression is tentative, but for the first time in eons, I see it. A path back to us, how we once were. Or perhaps something better.
Better because of Rosalina.
It will be a long, hard road, but there are no two people I’d rather walk it with.
“I can wait outside—or in the privy if you want me close,” Caspian says.
Casting a look at Rosalina, I can see plainly she feels the same. I grab Caspian’s chin. “You’re staying.”
“And not because Kel wants you close when the bargain takes me over,” Rosalina says.
“Well,” I say, “notjustbecause of that.”
Then I kiss him.
His lips are warm against mine. He makes a startled noise.
That sound undoes me.
My hand on his chin shifts, thumb brushing against his jawline, a silent reassurance. This isn’t just a kiss—it’s a promise. One that says I trust him. Even if I can’t say it entirely with words yet.
When I finally pull back, the air between us is charged, the weight of unspoken words heavy. Caspian’s breath comes in quick, shallow bursts, and his eyes search mine as if trying to make sense of what just happened. I don’t speak. I let the moment linger, let him feel the truth in what I’ve done. Because words will never be enough for this.
I pull Rosalina next to us. I look into her gaze, then Caspian’s. “Today, I will bind my soul to yours, Rosalina, complete our matebond, and give my heart, in all its broken pieces, to both ofyou.”
Rosalina gazes up at me, her voice as gentle as the touch of her hand on my chest. “Keldarion, my wonderful Prince of Winter, you don’t have to be perfect to be loved. We see you—every part of you—and we’re not letting go.” Rosalina meets my gaze, her brown eyes shimmering. Her nightdress flows around her, the light pink fabric catching faint golden glimmers from the sun. She looks like a rose blooming in the frost, fragile and fierce all at once.
Caspian was right before. I thought I’d never love anyone like I had him, but there is so much more now. So much more we can discover together.
I draw her into a kiss, reveling at how perfectly her soft body molds against mine. My arms wrap around her, and I carry her to the large bed. Rosalina reaches back and grasps Caspian’s sleeve, pulling him along with us.
We fall in a tumble to the sheets, becoming a tangle of limbs. I grasp Rosalina’s hair and pull her mouth to mine as Caspian’s nimble fingers work the laces of my tunic. He drops his lips to the hollow of my throat and takes in a deep breath, sighing, as if he’s getting high on the scent of me.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Rosalina gasps when I allow her a moment of air. There’s the most devastating smile on her face.
Caspian rakes a hungry gaze over her. “You’re always wearing such beautiful things, Flower. And I’m always so desperate to get you out of them.”
Rosalina stretches her arms up, her gorgeous brown curls a halo around her head.
Caspian smiles as he looks at her; it’s so carefree, it makes him look younger, a version of a boy who didn’t grow up in the torment of the Below.
“I cannot wait to watch him make love to you, Flower.”
Tugging Caspian by his shirt, I ensure he’s looking at me as I drop my gaze to his lilac eyes. “I want to make love to both of you.”
Caspian swallows slowly, throat bobbing. “Gods, Kel. You’re going to end me saying such things. Do you have any idea how impossibly handsome you are? I will simply perish.”
“Not with our Golden Rose to keep you well.” I flick his nose, then turn to our mate. “That is, if it’s alright with you.”
Rosalina only giggles, a huge smile on her face. “Kel, I’ve waited this long for you. I can wait a little longer. Especially if you put on a show for me.”
“Oh, Princess,” Caspian purrs, crawling over top of Rosalina. “I fully intend for you to be part of this show. Because if Kel’s fucking me, I am most certainly going to be inside you.”
Then he licks from her jaw to her ear, and my glorious Rose turns as red as the flower she was named for.
71
