Page 104 of The Gilded Cage

“I’m not sure —” she started, her voice wobbling from the intense feelings still simmering within her.

“Please,” Jaren begged.

The crown prince. Begging.

“After what just happened, I need to know that you’re safe,” he said, still quietly.

He was still shaken, Kiva realized, perhaps more than she was. Because of that, she slowly nodded her agreement.

Jaren breathed a grateful sigh and kissed her forehead again, before pulling back. “I’ll get you something to change into.”

And then he was lifting her off him and onto his bed, the back of his hand stroking her cheek before he strode across the dark room to his wardrobe.

Kiva managed to pull herself somewhat together before he returned and handed over one of his clean long-sleeved shirts, after which she quickly ducked into his bathroom to rid herself of her soiled clothing.

When she stepped back into Jaren’s room, he’d changed into a pair of sleep pants — and nothing else.

Kiva’s mouth dried and she forced her eyes away from his bare chest just in time to see him still at the sight of her in his shirt, the hem of which barely skimmed her mid-thigh.

What am I doing?Kiva’s panicked mind screamed. She couldn’t do this. She definitelyshouldn’tdo this.

Preparing to offer an excuse to leave —anyexcuse — Kiva opened her mouth just as Jaren cleared his throat and said, “I want to give you something.”

Kiva snapped her mouth shut.

Instead of continuing, he angled his head and asked, “Is there a reason you’re not leaving the bathroom doorway?”

A shaky breath left Kiva but she started toward him, determined not to show how nervous she was. When she reached him, he motioned to his bed, and they both shuffled in and reclined against the headboard, side by side.

“I should have given this to you sooner,” Jaren said, turning a small box between his fingers. “I didn’t even think about it. But that was stupid of me — I should have known better.”

Bitterness filled his voice toward the end, enough that Kiva placed her hand over his, stopping his fidgeting.

He blew out a breath and opened the box, revealing a shiny amulet resting on a bed of velvet.

Kiva had seen it before. She’dwornit before. It had saved her life from the Trial by Fire, after which it had ended up in Naari’s hands, and Kiva had forgotten all about it.

At the end of a glittering chain sat the Vallentis crest, the four elemental quadrants — made of ruby, emerald, topaz, and sapphire — divided by a golden sword and an arrow, then topped with a crown.

It was beautiful, Kiva could admit, albeit grudgingly. And that beauty only grew when Jaren pressed a finger to it, his eyes focusing intently, and the gemstones began toglow.

Red, green, white, and blue, the colors grew brighter and brighter until Jaren finally removed his hand and they faded back to normal.

“What just happened?” Kiva asked, squinting at the amulet.

Jaren held it up and said, “May I?”

At the open, patient look on his face, Kiva shrugged and turned her body away from him. A moment later his hands came around her neck, the amulet dropping against her breastbone before he clasped it into place.

“This will protect you from any magical attack,” Jaren said when she was facing him again. “I’ve pushed my power into it — not just fire, like with your Ordeal, but earth, water, and air, too. If anyone tries to use magic to hurt you, it’ll act like a shield, keeping you safe.”

Kiva stared at Jaren.

“You don’t believe me,” he said, misreading her expression. He reached for her hand. “Look.”

Fire burst from his fingertips and Kiva tried to jerk away, but Jaren held firm.

“Look,”he repeated, indicating where the flames shifted from his flesh to hers. She couldn’t feel anything — no pain, no burning — just like when she’d been in the crematorium.

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