Page 67 of Essence of the Throne

“Asleep already.” He pours two glasses of wine. “Said something about never riding a horse again as long as he lives.”

I accept the glass he offers, our fingers brushing. “He’s been unusually quiet since we arrived.”

Caspian pauses a moment to think about that, humming before he tears the bread in half, passing me a piece. “Try it. The baker said it’s their specialty.”

The bread is still warm, perfectly crusty on the outside and soft within. I close my eyes, savoring the taste. When I open them again, Caspian is watching me with an intensity that makes my skin tingle. It’s almost discomforting—being perceived for more than just my hair. My reputation.

“What?” I breathe, suddenly self-conscious.

He gives a small shake of his head. “Nothing. Just…I like seeing you like this.”

“Like what?”

“Relaxed. Real.” He advances on me, setting down his wine. “You let your guard down sometimes, when we’re alone. It’s beautiful.”

I should step back. Should remind him that whatever this is between us is just physical and can’t last forever. Instead, I find myself drawing closer, unable to help the need to be attached to him.

“Caspian…” His name is a whisper on my lips before he’s kissing me, gentle at first, then with increasing urgency.

I press against him, wine forgotten as my free hand finds its way into the prince’s hair. He tastes like bread and berries and something uniquely him that I can never quite define.

“Stay,” I breathe against his mouth before I can stop myself. “Tonight. Stay with me.” He would have slept on the floor, ever the gentleman, but I no longer want him anywhere away from me during the night.

His answer is to kiss me harder, smiling into my mouth as he walks us backward until my legs hit the bed. We fall together, a tangle of limbs and half-removed clothing. I manage to set my wine down before shifting my entire focus to the man holding me as if I’m his savior.

Later, much later, we lie facing each other in the darkness. The moon displays the shadows across his face, highlighting the sharp angles of his jaw and cheekbones.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks, his voice low and soft as he traces patterns along my bare spine, causing me to shiver every few minutes. His touch feels so fucking nice.

I consider lying, but the more time I spend with him, the lower my desire is to do so. “Everything. Nothing.” I sigh. “How complicated this all is. How I just want it to be over.”

He tugs my naked body against his, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “We’ll figure it out, angel.” My ear rests above his heart, and my mind settles. It's so easy with him.

I want to believe him. Want to trust that there’s a way through this labyrinth we’ve found ourselves in. But as I drift off to sleep in his arms, I can’t shake the truth that we’re running out of time.

Chapter Twenty

Caspian

Idon’t bother hiding my irritation as we stride through Meridian’s streets toward Bastian’s estate. The sun is too bright for the morning atmosphere, and its heat relentlessly beats down on my exposed skin. The humid air clings to my lungs like a second layer, though I don’t find myself hating it as usual.

Meridian always pulls me into a strange state of nostalgia. I spent years visiting this city with my father, shadowing his dealings with merchants and dockmasters who traded in goods and favors. I hated every minute of it back then—suffocating under his expectations while pretending not to notice the disguised threats behind each handshake.

Every few steps, my gaze drifts to Ariella, who walks with infuriating grace despite the heat. She isn’t even sweating—I frown and focus on the quiet path ahead, drawing in steady breaths. Everything around us is peaceful, something I never experience when visiting Meridian.

“Are we certain this is necessary?” I mutter, mostly to myself. Gavriel grunts in agreement behind me. Bastian is a fucking bastard, and I want nothing more than to stay far away from my cousin. Especially after he put his odious hands on Ariella.

Though I was beyond enraged, the night ended as one of the best in my life. Not because Ariella allowed me to experience what it felt like to have her heat wrapped around me—fuck, the sounds she makes are the ones I wish to listen to as death takes me.

But it wasn’t the sex. It was the connection…something that, to this day, I cannot explain. It was as if an ancient being settled in the depths of my chest—the same thing that now aches each time I’m near her and drains the life from me when she’s away.

I’ve tried to understand it, piecing together fragments of old stories and rumors about things that tie people in ways no one can fully explain. Yet, even with all my digging, I’m no closer to an answer. What I do know is that it’s not one-sided—I’ve seen it in the way she watches me when she thinks I’m not paying attention, felt it in her touch as if the same pull is unraveling her from the inside out.

“No one’s forcing you to come,” Ariella replies without looking back. “I’m sure there are plenty of noble ladies who’d love to entertain you both instead. Perhaps Jessenia is also visiting.” She doesn’t sound bothered, but the light tapping against her thigh tells me otherwise.

I smirk, sliding an arm around her shoulders, and to my surprise, she doesn’t threaten me. Progress. “Jealous, angel?”

She scoffs but doesn’t respond, which only serves to widen my smile. Even after everything, she still tries to maintain distance between us. As if we haven’t shared more than just a bed these past weeks. I lean down and press a light kiss to her temple, mydick twitching when her full body shudders. The things she does to me.

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