Page 54 of Once Upon a Crown
I softened against him, allowing myself to forget about the past few days. This was what I needed. Cai and I did have our moments, but when it mattered most, we knew we could trust each other, be there for each other, and in some ways even healeach other. The two of us had enough pain to last us a lifetime, but when we were together, the walls that we surrounded ourselves with, for protection, shattered entirely. I could let myself go when I was with him.
I wrapped my legs around him, my fingers digging into his back as I pulled his mouth back to mine. His hand was splayed out over my ribcage, while soft sighs escaped me.
“Say it again.” He said it so softly that I almost couldn’t hear him. Cai’s eyes were dark with need. It took me a moment to realise what he’d meant.
“I love you.”
He groaned and undid the waistband of my robe, exposing me. I bit my lip as he trailed kisses from my collarbone to my navel.
“Again.”
His mouth moved lower still. My heart pounded.
“I love you.” My voice sounded ragged, caught somewhere between anguish and desperation.
Soon, I was gasping his name, my fingers buried in his hair, and the feel of it all was too much. I clutched the pillow, arching against him as I trembled in his arms. All I could think about was that I didn’t want this to be over.
Cai moved back up and captured my cries with his mouth. His fingers dug into my thigh as he wrapped my leg around him.
“I love you, Elara.” And I knew he did, with all his heart. Because I did too. I’d never really had anything in my life worth dying for... until now.
He moved painstakingly slowly at first and then deeper with more urgency. I felt like I could hardly breathe. Our fingers intertwined as he pressed my hand into the mattress above my head. Cai never stopped kissing me. I’d forgotten about Aries and about the Myrgonite objects. About war and councilmeetings and diaries and death. None of it mattered as long as I was in his arms, with his hands and his mouth on me.
I could die like this for all I cared.
* * *
Levernia was a big city, with a large market square and many houses, stacked onto one another. The cobblestone streets were decked in a thin layer of snow, disturbed by the tracks of people and horses.
I looked up at the tavern in front of us. It was secluded, hidden in a small alley away from the main streets.
Cai had been less than eager when I told him my idea of tracking down Uncle Arthur’s old clan members and trying to convince them to fight on our side. After the rebellion, I tried to make sure everyone was safe and well looked after, but the people had split up and moved away. Some lived in the bigger cities, while others chose the serenity of the forest and living off the land.
I’d told Cai that they hadn’t given me any kind of trouble thus far, and while there was the odd case of a carriage being robbed on a road somewhere, it wasn’t anything like during Magnus’s and Lance’s rule.
I feared inviting them to the palace, for many reasons, so I settled for dressing in some plain clothes and going undercover. It took Rhen some time to find Donald and Murtag, both of whom were masters of the clan. Rhen had been spending most of his free time going through the diary but had yet to find anything of value.
According to him, Donald spent most of his early evenings at this little tavern.
I tied my horse to the post and made sure the hood of my cloak was secure. Not that anyone was likely to recognise me anyway.
Cai and Rhen followed, dressed in similar attire. The only way I could convince them of my plan was if they tagged along, and after the toll my recent disappearance had had on them both, I didn’t have the heart to go rogue.
The wood creaked under my boots as I stepped into the tavern. A young barmaid leaned over the bar at the far end. She had a round face, tendrils of curly hair falling in front of her eyes, and a large stain of some kind on her apron. The rest of the room contained a few small tables and a fireplace in one of the corners.
I made my way to the bar while Cai and Rhen took a seat at one of the empty tables, close enough to jump in should any kind of danger befall me. I wasn’t too worried, though. No one here had any idea who I was, and I patted my dress to make sure Cai’s dagger was still in the pocket. Should anyone dare to come too close to me, they would regret it.
I hopped onto one of the wooden bar chairs and popped a coin onto the counter. Without even looking at me, the barmaid shoved the coin into her pocket and placed a pint of ale down in front of me. I supposed I couldn’t expect much in terms of service from a place like this.
I slowly sipped the ale, not particularly enjoying the taste, while I scanned the room. Nobody looked familiar, though I could tell not all of the customers were of the same class of society. Some were clearly down to their very last coin while others looked more like merchants in need of a quiet evening. And some looked all too eager to drown their sorrows until they passed out somewhere.
It wouldn’t have seemed like such a bad idea had I not detested the taste of this stuff.
The door to the tavern opened and I looked over my shoulder.
Donald looked exactly as I remembered him, tall and scrawny but not to be messed with. He was a serious dangerwith a dagger. Behind him were Murtag and Brosby. They didn’t notice me staring at them at first, but as Donald made his way towards a table, our gazes met, and recognition settled on his face. He said something to the other two that I couldn’t hear, presumably that he was going to get a drink, and made his way over to the bar.
I turned back, looking down at the cup in front of me.
