Page 55 of Shadows of the Crown

He drives into me at an astonishing pace, and I wonder more than once why the fuck I haven’t allowed him inside of me before. He grinds his pelvis into my clit, and I cannot hold back anymore. My core squeezes as his mouth latches to mine, inhaling my moans like they’re the only oxygen left in this realm. After the waves of pleasure recede, I’m coherent enough to kiss him back. I suck on his tongue, savoring everything I won’t allow myself to have again.

I press his slick skin further into mine, nausea sweeping through me at the thought of this being over…I can’t get enough. Though Iremember he did insist on two orgasms, so I must keep going, right?

I chuckle to myself—this is certainly the only time I will listen to anything he orders me to do.

I hook my foot behind his knee, and use the leverage to push him to the side and roll us over so that I’m straddling his hips. I keep us connected the entire time, his arm sliding from my other leg to give me back control. I roll my abdomen to ride him the moment I sit up, my head falling back when his cock thrusts perfectly along my front wall. He lifts to level his face with mine, resting his forehead against my own and sliding his hands around my back to meld our bodies together.

This feels way too intimate—something I would never do with other men. But the minimal light catching his eyes highlights his expression, keeping me from changing our position again.

“How interesting…” I purr, taking my turn to kiss up the side of his neck. “The heir to the ruthless Eldorian throne enjoys being fucked slow.” I sink back onto him in a way that matches my words. Brushing my lips over his, I smile against him. “And soft.” I follow this with an unhurried roll of my hips, causing him to groan—the sound is pure ecstasy. As much as I’ll love to tease him about this, I cannot deny how nice it is. I’m so used to using sex just to get off, but I’m not even thinking about my own pleasure at the moment. I’m enjoying his far too much, and I’d have no problem staying here for hours just to drink in the sounds he’s making with every one of my movements.

I will never confess such thoughts aloud, though.

“Fuck you, angel,” he retorts with a smile, pressing his lips to mine fully, and I wrap my arms around his neck to hold his head as I shift us to lie back on the bed again.

“Oh, no, Caspian. I’m fuckingyou.” My eyes nearly roll back from this angle, but I manage to keep myself aware enough to hold control. “And you are loving every damned second of it.” I feel his cock twitch inside of me—he’s close. I angle my hips to push him deeper, leaning forward to touch my lips against the outer skin of his ear.

“Come for me, prince,” I whisper demandingly. He does. His length jerks, and the warmth crashing into my inner walls sends me over the edge once more. His eyes seem to glow brighter in the minimal light before mine roll back as I shove my face into the side of his neck.

This is so sensual. So intimate. But, by the Angel is it the best sex I’ve ever fucking had.

He nods. “I completely agree.” Did I just say that out loud? I spring up, biting my cheek; he’s likely too dazed to remember that little slip.

But just to be sure…

I grind my hips a few more times, prolonging his pleasure before his hands grab at me to stop the movement. I laugh,running a hand down my sweat-coated abdomen. Heat radiates from him as he breathes heavily. His moonlit eyes meet mine—we study each other for a moment before he grabs my hair to pull me down into another deep kiss, meeting me halfway. He tastes of wine and satiety, my selfish mouth consuming every drop it can before breaking our contact.

I wince as I lift from him and fall to my back, covering my chest with both hands. The bedding rustles as the prince shifts, my skin flushing when Ifeelhis stare.

This is the part where I usually dress and leave before the other person forces me into an awkward exchange of words. But as my heart slows and breathing settles, I strangely wish for more...

No—I cannot allow him to dig under my skin any longer. This is already much further than I should have gone with him. My foolish, desire-saturated body blurred my resolve and now I’ve made my plans significantly more difficult for myself.

My stomach drops.

I would prefer anything to this. I would set foot inside the Aether realm and face every obstacle just to fight the Angel. Because battling things that exist beyond any form of human comprehension? Simple. But this—confronting feelings that Caspian has planted so deeply inside me that I can feel them in my bones? Impossible.

The prince groans, snapping me from my pitiful internal rambling. “You’re not going to let me stay, are you?”

The comforting shadows hide my smile. “Absolutely not.” He curses, rolling next to me before resting his head on a palm.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t feel this connection,” he implores, my chest tightening at his soft tone.

I turn my head to find the eyes that peer down at me. “I don’t feel this connection, Caspian.” The words taste like acid on my tongue, but he chuckles and shakes his head.

“I’ll get you to admit it one of these days…”

I jerk up to stand, backing toward the bathroom. “But that’s what makes this so fun,” I tease, attempting to coax him back to our playful banter. “You thinking there will ever be more to this than what we just did.” I pause in the doorway, raising a brow in his direction, though I doubt he can see it.

“Whatever you say, angel,” he mocks as he rises to grab his clothes that are strewn over the floor.

A finger taps against my thigh. “Goodbye, prince.” I shut the door more forcefully than intended, turning the shower on immediately. I don’t hear him leave, but a familiar solitary atmosphere spreads through the room after a few minutes, forcing me to swallow around the object lodged in my throat as I focus on washing him from my skin.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Ariella

I've never been so blurred in my resolve. Knowing what I want, how I need to prepare for it, and executing a routine that will get me there is easy. Kill the king. That was the only goal I've had for two decades. But the moment I arrived at the castle? It shifted into killing the prince. And now? My head feels…off.

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