Chapter 15

CHAPTER15

“Remind me why you insist on my attendance.” I stared at Thalia in the mirror where she was still fussing with my hair.

“Because.” She grinned as she wrapped a piece of hair around her finger. “Tonight is the Twin Blood Moon Festival. It is the one night of the year when the twin moons will be at their fullest. It is a day of luck and honor, and it symbolizes the prosperity for the year to come.” She grabbed a small pot of rouge from her bag that lay on my desk before bringing it to my face. “Evren celebrates with the kingdom every year.”

“And what does that have to do with me? Let Evren go out and frolic, and do what he must, but I want to stay here and read.” I tapped my finger against the book she had given me, the one about our Starblessed history. Most of what I had read so far was nothing more than things I had already known, but I wasn’t even a fourth of the way through. I had just started a section that spoke of Starblessed amplifying their magic with nature.

I was far more interested in it than standing before Evren and falling for his every word.

Because that was what I had been doing. I hadn’t seen him since yesterday in the courtyard, and his damned words replayed over and over in my head.

“You have plenty of time to read later. I suppose you could stay in and attend the queen’s annual dinner.” I scrunched my nose, and she laughed as she pressed some rouge against my cheeks before picking up a pot of red cream and dipping her finger inside. She slid it across my lips, and I held perfectly still as she did so. “I’m certain you’ll enjoy tonight’s festivities.”

She moved out of the way, and I stared at myself in the mirror. She had lined my eyes with coal and my lips were a sharp contrast that matched the color of blood. The same color as the dress she had brought that hung near my bed.

“You’ll stay with me the whole time?” I stood and moved toward the dress. I lifted the light skirt in my hands and looked upon it. It was much finer than anything I had ever worn back home, finer than anything I had ever worn until I arrived at Gavril’s side.

A chill ran over my skin, and I tried not to allow myself to think of him. My gaze fell to my wrist, but I quickly pulled it away to look at my friend.

She was dressed similarly, with her dark, curly hair framing her face beautifully, and her dress fell behind her in the lightest shade of blue.

It was odd to watch how graceful she seemed in the gown because I had never seen her in anything other than trousers and a shirt.

“Yes.” She chuckled at my question. “I promise I won’t leave you alone so you aren’t tempted to sneak off into the dark with your mate.”

I swatted her arm, but she chuckled harder.

“That is not going to happen.” I slipped my shirt over my head as she pulled my dress from where it hung and held it out to me. I stepped inside, the silky fabric gliding against my skin, and I turned away from her as she began to lace up the bodice.

“You’re right. It’ll probably be the other way around. Evren’s going to want to tear this dress off you as soon as he sees you.”

I scoffed at her before moving to the mirror and fussing with the small earrings she had given me. I stared at my reflection, and I hardly recognized the girl looking back at me.

The red dress dipped low between my breasts and the sheer sleeves covered my arms all the way down to my wrists. The slit in the gown came up to my hip and left my left leg on full display.

But it was the back that had me doing a double take. It was so unlike anything I had ever worn in the fae kingdom because the star marks on my back were completely covered by the fabric.

This wasn’t a dress to display me as a Starblessed. If anything, it displayed me as Evren’s mate.

It was odd. I looked so unlike myself, but at the same time, I felt more me than I ever had before. Stronger. More sure. I had no idea how I could feel that way when I felt so confused at the same time. It was as if I was discovering who I was, but still so unsure about who I wanted to be.

But even that was a lie.

I wanted to be Evren’s mate. I wanted to tell him yes when he joked about taking his hand, but there was another part of me that was still so fearful. Even though I had felt more at home in the Blood kingdom than I had ever felt anywhere else, I was scared to let that feeling be real.

I looked in the mirror, and I watched Thalia as she fussed with the strap of her shoe around her ankle. For the first time in my life, I felt like I had found home in a friend, and that almost made me more fearful than Evren did.

Thalia had become my best friend, and I feared the heart break of losing her.

“Okay. Come on.” Thalia headed in my direction and grabbed my hand in hers. She pulled me toward the door as a smile lit up her face. “We’re going to miss all the fun.”

I smiled and tried to push down my intrusive thoughts because her joy was contagious.

She pulled me along with her, not stopping until we pushed outside the castle doors. I took a deep breath as I stared up into the sky and saw the twin moons shining at their fullest. Back home this day had been a bad omen. It was a day when stories were told of the vampyres and what they were capable of. It was a day when we were warned of the dangers that lurked just outside the edge of our town.

But I felt none of that fear here.

Instead, people were bustling around the palace and through the streets. Flowers were tied together and hung from posts and through the trees. A small boy ran past me, his laughter filling the air.

“This way.” Thalia nodded forward, and I followed her through the small courtyard at the front of the castle and toward the streets.

More laughter rang out as my feet hit the cobblestone, and Thalia stopped at the closest vendor and handed him a coin. The man handed her two small bunches of wildflowers, and she passed one to me before thanking him.

“It’s customary.” She held up the flowers as we walked. “To lay a flower on the doorstep of anyone you wish prosperity for the year.” She dropped a flower at the first shop we passed. “Evren drops a flower on every doorstep in the kingdom.”

My chest ached and I wanted to roll my eyes at how damn endearing she made him sound. “Are you trying to make me like him?” We passed another door, and this time, I stopped and laid one of my flowers on the stoop.

“You already like him.” She shook her head as she rolled her eyes. “I’m just trying to prove to you that there is nothing wrong with that fact.”

“Maybe I don’t like him at all. Maybe I just find him insanely attractive.”

“Who’s insanely attractive?” Evren asked, and I almost dropped all of my flowers as I spun to face him.

“Sorin.” The name fell from my lips, and Sorin grinned next to him.

“The feeling is mutual, Adara. I’ve already told you what would happen if you weren’t Evren’s mate.” His smile dropped from his lips as Evren’s hand slammed across his chest. “Shit. I was just joking around.”

But Evren was no longer looking at him. He was too busy staring at me.

“Princess, you look…” He shook his head softly as if he couldn’t complete his sentence.

“What?” I asked softly, and he took a step closer to me, closing the space between us.

He wore his normal black, but his clothes were freshly pressed and molded to his skin. He wore a small pin against his chest. A dagger with a serpent coiling around it almost protectively.

He stepped even closer, and I pulled my gaze away from the pin to look up at him.

“You look absolutely stunning, princess.” He lifted his hand and ran his finger over my hair that fell against my shoulder. “Like a fucking dream.”

My marks stirred along with my magic, and I tried to swallow down the emotion that flooded me with his words. “What’s this?” I ran my finger along his pin, and my magic quivered at the contact.

“That’s the crest of the Blood kingdom. The crest of my mother.” His voice was soft as he spoke to me.

“I don’t trust your mother.”

He chuckled and his hand trailed over my shoulder. “I would find you foolish if you did so blindly.”

“Yet you do?”

“I am much like my mother.” He looked to the side when someone called his name and nodded in their direction. “Every decision she makes is one for her people.”

“She sent her men to attack you.” My blood boiled as I said it, and I knew that regardless of why she made the decisions she did, I would never forgive her for that.

“She sent her men to save you.”

I shook my head, and Evren took my hand in his. I smiled at a few people that were passing by, and each of them looked so in awe of their prince.

“Come on.” He pulled me after him, and even though I tried to pull my hand from his, he refused to let go.

Sorin and Thalia were just ahead of us, and Thalia was still laying flowers upon every doorstep she walked by. I watched the people of Evren’s kingdom as we passed. Each one of them was dressed in their best, and they nodded or bowed their heads in Evren’s direction as we passed.

“Your people really love you.”

He looked back at me, and an odd look passed over his face. “I’m not too sure of that, but I try to always treat them with respect and honor.”

I cocked my head and studied him. “You’re so different.”

“What do you mean?” He chuckled and his hand tightened against mine.

“Prince Evren.” I waved my other hand toward him just as he said a soft hello to an older woman as we passed. “And the Evren that I know. They are two completely different people.”

Evren stopped and tugged my hand forward until I had no choice but to slam into his chest.

“What are you…”

He lifted his other hand and ran his thumb just below my bottom lip. “I can’t see this color on your lips and not imagine what they would look like wrapped around my cock.”

“Evren!” I hissed his name and looked around to make sure no one else could hear him.

“The prince you see with his kingdom and the one you know are the same.” His thumb moved softly against my skin, and my mouth fell open as I watched him. “You can’t fathom the amount of control it takes for me to stand here and wish people a Happy Twin Blood Moon when all I really want to do is rip this fucking dress from your skin and worship every damn inch of you.”

I gasped and started to pull away, but his fist hooked under my chin.

“You cannot comprehend the agony I feel to watch my mate and not have a clue as to what’s going through that beautiful head of yours.”

“You.” The word passed my lips before I could stop them.

“Princess,” he growled just as Thalia and Sorin joined us.

“They’ve got a game of silvers going on at The Olde Vine. Come on. Adara and I against you two.” Thalia rubbed her hands together, and I pulled my face away from Evren’s grip.

“I don’t know what silvers is.”

“Even better.” Sorin laughed. “That means that Evren and I are definitely going to win.”

I lifted my dress in my hand and followed them toward the small pub. Evren smiled as he motioned me forward, and I could hardly control the flutter in my stomach.

The Olde Vine looked so different from the last time we were here. Candles were scattered over the bar and throughout the tables. Little flowers hung from the ceiling and scattered across the floor.

“Here you go.” Evren pulled a silver coin from his pocket and held it out to me.

“What am I supposed to do with this?” I flipped it over in my fingers.

Evren moved around me and pressed his chest to my back. “That glass right there.” He pointed to the mug in the middle of the table. “You have to bounce your silver at least once before you hit it into the mug.”

“If I get it in the mug, I win?”

“If you get it in, you get a point.” He chuckled softly.

“And if I miss?’“

“If you miss… you owe me a kiss,” he whispered against my shoulder.

“That isn’t true.”

“I don’t make the rules, princess.” He moved around me and stood at my side. “I just follow them.”

“Sorin is on your team too. I could simply kiss him for every time I miss.”

There was a flash in Evren’s eyes, and his teeth clenched together as a low growl escaped. “If you’d like to see me kill my best friend and captain, sure.” His hand trailed over mine, his fingers casually touching my own. “But I think Sorin has his hands full with Thalia.”

I looked across the table, and he was right. The two of them were arguing about something, and I couldn’t stop my small snort of laughter.

“Where’s Jorah?”

“You just looking for anyone else to kiss besides me?” He grinned, but it didn’t fully meet his eyes.

“That’s not what I meant.” I had been so relieved that Evren was home, so confused, that I hadn’t even thought of anything else. Anyone else.

Evren nodded once as if he understood. “He and a few of my men are closely watching the border. He should be back in a couple days.”

“So how does this friendship work exactly.” I waved my hand toward Sorin as I slid the piece of silver from one hand to the other.

“Sorin has been my best friend since we were children.” Evren nodded in his direction. “He is the captain of my army and my most trusted. He would give his life for me, and I would do the same.”

“And Jorah?”

“Jorah came into my life a lot later than Sorin, but he has stood at my side since I met him. The three of us have been inseparable for many years.”

“Why did you take Jorah with you to the fae kingdom instead of Sorin?”

“Because I needed him here.” His gaze slid to Sorin where he was tucking one of Thalia’s curls behind her ear. She quickly swatted his hand away. “I knew that if something happened to me, if I didn’t return, that Sorin’s hands were the ones I would want my kingdom to fall into.”

“But your mother?”

“My mother rules because she was born to do so. Not because of her want. Our kingdom loves her, but she would rather live in a small home in the hills and never have to be in the palace again.”

My heart raced at his words because they were the last thing I expected. I thought Queen Veda to be ruthless and cunning. But what he was saying was the opposite.

“I don’t understand.” I shook my head.

He leaned in closer and pressed his mouth to my ear. “Let’s talk about this later. I’m eager to watch you lose.”

I could feel a blush creeping up my chest. “And what if you lose?”

“Then I’ll owe you a kiss for each one I miss.” He lifted his hand and gently wrapped it around the back of my neck. “And you’ll get to choose exactly where I pay my price. Here.” He ran his finger over the side of my neck. “Or here.” He lifted his other hand and ran his thumb along my bottom lip. “Or I can bury myself between your thighs and pay my price with my tongue.”

“Are you two ready?”

My gaze slammed into Thalia’s, and I knew that I had to be as red as the flowers that hung around the bar.

“We’re ready.” Evren didn’t miss a beat, and I knew this was exactly what he wanted. To throw me completely off guard, to make me think of nothing but my want for him.

“Ladies first.” He nodded in my direction, and my fingers shook around my piece of silver as I stepped up to the table. I stared at the mug in the middle of the large wooden table and took a deep breath. Evren was still at my back, still a force I couldn’t ignore, and he was all I could think about as I let the silver slip through my fingers and bounce against the table. It hit once, then twice before careening in the direction of the mug. On the last hop, it hit the rim of the mug before slowly falling down against the table.

“Oh my gods. That was so close.” Thalia clapped her hands, and Evren simply grinned at me.

“My turn.” Evren grabbed his silver coin and moved in front of me to line himself up. He hardly thought of the task before he launched the coin down the table. It bounced once before it landed perfectly in the mug, and he turned back toward me with a wide grin on his face. I couldn’t stop myself from returning it.

“Lucky shot, prince.” I crossed my arms as Thalia grabbed her coin and launched it toward the mug just as Evren moved around me.

“Did I forget to mention that I was skilled at this?” He chuckled as he faced me. “Sorin and I used to play this game as often as we could to get away from our studies.”

“So you made me place a bad bet already knowing the outcome.” I cocked an eyebrow at him. “That’s not very princely of you.”

“I never said I played fair, princess. Especially not when it comes to you.” Thalia’s coin landed in the mug, but I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than him. “I’ll play as dirty as a need to.”

Sorin threw his coin, and it barely made it in. Sorin rubbed his hand along the back of his neck as he released a deep breath, and Thalia laughed.

Evren held another coin in my direction. “Your turn, princess.” He was staring at my mouth, and I couldn’t bring myself to care about the stupid game. I couldn’t think of anything other than the way he was looking at me, and what it would feel like to have his fingers pull this dress from my skin.

“Stop trying to distract my teammate.” Thalia slammed her hands down on the table. “Do not make me separate you two.”

Evren held his hands up in defense as he laughed. “I’m not doing anything.” He smiled at Thalia, his charm in full force, but she simply rolled her eyes.

Before he could turn back to look at me, I focused on the mug and tossed the coin on the table with more force than last time. It hit the table once with a loud thud before bouncing and landing straight in the mug.

Thalia’s mouth dropped open, and I squealed so loudly I was sure that I scared some of the patrons. But it didn’t matter, Thalia came toward me, and the two of us slapped hands in celebration.

I turned back to Evren, and he was watching me with a smile on his handsome face.

I held up a finger. “So far, you only get one.” He laughed and looked toward the mug. “The game is still young, princess. The first team to make it to ten wins.”

I cross my arms and grinned to him. “And right now, we’re tied.”

He moved closer to me even though it was his turn to go. “Would you like to sweeten the bet?” he whispered against my ear.

“How so?” I swallowed deeply as the smell of him overwhelmed me.

“If I win, I get your hand, and you take my last name.” My gaze slammed into his, but he was being serious. He was saying it so calmly as if we weren’t betting our future on a game of silvers.

“And if I win?”

“Whatever you want. If you win, I promise to give you whatever it is you want.”

“Even my freedom?”

His throat moved as he swallowed hard, and his gaze searched mine. I expected him to take it back, to tell me we weren’t going to do this on a game, but he surprised me once again.

“If that’s what you choose.” He nodded. “You don’t have to decide now, but I’ll give you whatever it is you choose.” He held out his hand, and I stared at it. “Do we have a deal?”

I slid my hand into his before I could talk myself out of it, and his tightened around mine.

“Deal.” I felt his magic zap through me. Not just his, ours. Our magic combined, solidifying the wager I had just placed, and Evren’s gaze darkened as if he found pleasure in my magic touching his.

“All right, princess. Let’s play.” He took his silver coin and threw it against the table. It bounced once before once again landing perfectly in his mug, and I cursed under my breath.

Thalia shot a look in my direction before her gaze slid to Evren. Did she know? Was she more than aware of how foolish I was when it came to her prince?

Evren barely paid me a bit of attention for the rest of the game, his focus solely on winning, and mine was on my anxiety as I watched Sorin flip his coin in the air. The score was nine to eight, and I had been the only one to miss my shot the entire game.

“It was fun playing with you ladies.” Sorin laughed before catching his coin back in his hand. “But you all should practice before going up against us again.”

“Just go.” Thalia crossed her arms, and Sorin chuckled before launching the coin toward the mug. It bounced once, twice, a third time before making its way toward the mug. My magic flared inside of me as if it knew the deal I had just made. The foolish, reckless deal.

I stared at the mug and the only thing that could run through my mind was please don’t make it.

The coin hit the lip of the mug before slowly rolling across the edge, and I felt like everyone in the entire pub was silent as we watched it. It rolled and rolled until it paused, standing on the edge with perfect balance, before slowly falling over and landing on the table.

Silence rang out through the pub before Sorin destroyed it.

“That’s shit!” He looked between the three of us. “Which one of you used your magic to make sure I didn’t make it?”

Thalia laughed. “You can’t just admit that sometimes you aren’t very good at things?”

Sorin’s gaze swung in my direction, and I held up my hands. “You saw me training with Thalia. I do not have that kind of control of my magic.”

I felt a hand caress down my spine, my mark sparking to life, and I turned in Evren’s direction. But he wasn’t touching me, it was his magic.

“We haven’t lost yet.” Evren ran his hand over his jaw. “Let Adara have her turn.”

His gaze slid toward mine, and I could see it hiding there. The lie he had just told. It was his magic that stopped that coin. It was his magic that took away their win and refused to take away my choice.

I watched him as he smiled at me softly, and he was so unlike his brother in that moment. His brother who would take anything from me that he had deemed his own.

But Evren didn’t want that.

Evren wanted me to choose him because I wanted to. Of course, I was a part of the plan to save his kingdom, but this was more than that.

I guess we had been since the moment we met.

I lined myself back up with shaking hands as I grasped the coin. I had no idea what I was doing. No idea what I wanted, but I still lifted the coin and threw it toward the mug.

It hit the table and bounced four times before making its way toward the mug. I held my breath as I watched it land on the other coins that the mug held.

“We’re tied.” Evren smiled and rolled his coin through his fingers. “Which means this is for the winning point.”

“It is.” I pressed my hands against the table and leaned back against it. “If you make it, you win. If you don’t, then our fate will be in Thalia’s hands.”

“It seems that’s the way our fate always goes, isn’t it? Left in the hands of others.” He ran his hand over his jaw as he stared down at my mouth.

“I hate that. Don’t you?” I cocked my head and studied him.

“Despise it.”

“Yet we do nothing to change it.” I crossed my arms, and Evren’s gaze fell to my breasts.

“Haven’t we?” He leaned forward and pressed a hand to the table on either side of me. He leaned forward, his mouth close to mine. “You are here with me instead of with my brother which fate promised you.”

“I was never meant for your brother,” I answered, and Evren’s breath rushed out of him. “A promise between mothers is not fate.”

“No.” He shook his head. “It’s not.”

Evren stared at me for a few long moments, and his gaze fluttering over my face until it lingered on my lips. For a moment, I thought that he would push forward and kiss me. Right here in front of all these people, but he seemed to catch himself at the last moment before he pulled away and stood to his full height.

He held the coin between his fingers, and he stared down at it before looking toward the mug. He hadn’t missed a single shot all night, and I knew that he wouldn’t miss this one. His coin would land in that glass mug, and my fate would be sealed even more so than it already was. My fate would laugh at me for making such a foolish deal, a deal I couldn’t back out of.

Evren lifted his arm, ready to throw, and I still hadn’t moved from my spot at the table. I watched him as he looked over at me, and there was so much hesitation in his eyes. So much doubt. And he didn’t take his eyes off me as he flung the coin from his hand, not once looking to the table. I didn’t turn around to look, I didn’t need to. I just stared ahead at my mate and my soon-to-be husband.

“Oh my gods!” Thalia’s voice rang out, and I pulled my gaze away from Evren to look behind me. To look at his coin that had missed the mug and laid on the other side of it.

I swung my gaze back to meet his. “You missed.” I wasn’t sure if it was a question or an accusation, either way, a small grin graced his lips.

“Even princes make mistakes.” He shrugged simply. “I didn’t have it in me to take away your fate. So, let’s leave it up to someone else.”

I stared at him as I tried to catch my breath. As I tried to think about what he had just done. He could’ve easily won just now and had everything he had been asking for, but he chose not to.

It was his fate as much as it was mine, and he still chose not to. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell Thalia to miss. To tell her to let them win so I had no choice but to make good on the deal I had given him, but I couldn’t force myself to say it. Not before she grabbed the coin in her hand and launched it toward the mug. It bounced twice before clinging against the glass, and I heard her scream of victory ring out through the pub.

Everyone around us cheered and celebrated, and Evren grinned at me as if he was happy that we had won, but I couldn’t stop the sinking feeling in my gut. Was I not happy that we won?

“Well, it appears that you won.” Evren moved closer to me and lifted my hand in his. “But it wasn’t a total loss. You still owe me that kiss.”

“And you owe me one as well.”

“True.” He pushed forward until his thighs pressed against my knees. “Should I lay you back on this table and give you your prize now?” His hands dropped to my thighs and pressed against the fabric of my dress.

My breath caught in my throat as I thought about what he was saying. As I thought about how badly I wished the rest of this pub would just disappear so he could do exactly what he was telling me.

“Here.” Thalia shoved a glass of wine in my hand, and she couldn’t hide the grin on her face. “Whatever you did to mess Evren up, I am forever grateful in your debt. I have never been able to beat these two.”

I shook my head gently. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Don’t let her lie to you, Thalia. She did far more than even she realizes.”

Thalia looked back and forth between us, and there was a spark of mischief in her eyes as she watched us. “Come on. The moons will be at their fullest in a few minutes. We should get outside.”

Evren grabbed my hand and helped me down from the table, and he didn’t drop it even as we walked out of the pub. Sorin led the way with a defeated pout on his face, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Go ahead, Adara.” Sorin shot me a look. “You might as well celebrate because this will be the one and only time you all beat us.”

I laughed again as we pushed through the crowd, the streets had gotten busier since we entered the pub. Everyone was taking to the streets to watch the moons, and their prince stood amongst them.

He didn’t move to push his way to the front or demand an audience to notice he was there. He simply stood with his people and looked to the sky as he searched for the moons that promised prosperity.

He moved me in front of him and pressed his chest against my back. “Any moment now.” He wrapped his arms around me and held me against him.

I could feel people watching us, dissecting our every move, but I couldn’t bring myself to push him away.

“The twin blood moons are considered a bad omen in the human lands,” I whispered the tale I had been told for many years to distract myself from the way my hands trembled before me.

Evren scoffed and pushed a bit of my hair over my shoulder. “And what exactly do they think happens with the blood moons?”

“Vampyres.” I smiled up at him over my shoulder. “It is legend that any human that isn’t locked away in safety during the twin blood moons would be taken by a vampyre who is being driven mad with thirst.”

Evren chuckled as if the thought was ridiculous. “So what? You all bar up your doors and spread your salt in an effort to keep us away?” A chill ran down my spine as I simply nodded my head.

“That’s exactly what we do.” I stared up at his jaw as he searched the sky. “But I’m assuming neither would actually keep you away if you wanted in.”

He looked back down at me, and his eyes seemed darker than only a moment before. “Princess, there isn’t a single thing in this world or the next that could keep me away from you.”

I let out a breath as my magic flared inside of me and my heart raced to an erratic beat.

“There.” Evren pointed to the sky, and I pulled my attention away from him for long enough to look up at the moons. Both were perfect circles, still mostly the cream color that normally hearkened our skies, but ever so slowly the tent of blood pushed along the bottom surface.

“In the Blood Court, the double blood moons is our season of change,” Evren spoke softly against my ear as he still stared up at the sky. “They are a sign of what is to come. But the moons don’t determine our future, princess. It is up to us to make something of the prosperity they give us.”

The vampyres that surrounded us were gasping and taking in the moons. Some held their hands up toward the sky, while others simply took it in with wishful eyes.

“I want to show you something,” Evren whispered against my ear, and a tremor ran down my spine.

“Okay.” I nodded as he took my hand in his and pulled me toward him. He led me through the crowd, and almost none of them paid us any attention as we got lost among them.

He pulled me through the crowd, and I didn’t question where we were going. I simply held my hand in his and let him pull me to wherever he wanted me to go.

We broke through the line of people, and I lifted the hem of my dress with my other hand as we moved down one of the side cobblestone streets. Evren looked back at me with a smile on his face, and my stomach fluttered as I watched his joy.

“Just a little bit farther.” He continued forward until we slid around the back of the building and into the grass.

“Hold on.” I pulled my hand from his and quickly pulled my shoes from my feet. My toes sunk into the cold grass, and I let my shoes dangle from my fingers as I gathered my dress once again.

Evren swallowed as he watched me, and he backed out toward the line of trees.

“Are you luring me to my death?” I laughed even as my stomach flipped. “Maybe the legends of the human lands aren’t as far-fetched as you had me believe.”

Evren chuckled as he ran his hand down his chest. “I may be luring you away, princess. But it isn’t for your death. I could’ve done that long ago if that was what I wanted from you.”

“You think so little of me?”

“The contrary, princess. I think far more of you than I ever have anyone else.” He reached his hand out toward me, and I slid mine back into his as he pulled us out of the light of the moons and into the shadows of the trees.

“Then what exactly are you luring me into the forest for?”

He didn’t answer me at first. He simply pulled me deeper into the dense trees as I tried to match him step for step. The trees were thick with moss that hung from their branches and kissed against my cheeks.

He pushed some out of the way as a small clearing came into view. “This.”

I moved past him until I could finally see what he was showing me. A small creek flowed through the trees, almost hidden beyond the rocks and moss that clung to their surface.

“This is beautiful.” I looked around before glancing back over my shoulder toward the town. “I would have never known this was here.”

“It’s one of my favorite places in the kingdom.” He leaned against a rock and kicked off his boots. “I come here often when I need to clear my head.”

He tossed his boots to the side before he pulled a small dagger from his side that I hadn’t even noticed. He laid it against his boots then started pulling the tail of his shirt from his pants.

“What are you doing?” I clung to my dress even though I couldn’t stop looking at him.

“This isn’t what I wanted to show you.” He pulled his shirt over his head and dropped it on the ground. I stared at the way the moonlight reflected against his skin, and my gaze caught on the newest scar that marred him. “We’ve got to wade through the creek to get to it.”

I lifted the skirt of my dress before looking at him like he was crazy. “I’m in a gown.”

“A beautiful fucking gown at that. One that has made me think of nothing but ripping it off you since the moment I saw you tonight.” His gaze ran over the length of me, and it felt like a caress. “I suggest you take it off easily unless you’d like me to do just that.”

I wrapped my arms around myself as he unbuttoned his trousers and started pulling them from his hips. He didn’t take his gaze off me, and all I could think about were the red lacy undergarments that Thalia had convinced me to wear under the dress. There was no way in hell I could pull this dress from my skin and let him see it.

“Take it off.” Evren nodded toward me as he kicked his trousers off his legs. He was left in nothing but a pair of white undergarments, and I took a small step back. “Princess, I wasn’t kidding. I will rip that dress off you. Don’t try to hide what’s beneath. I’ve seen every inch of your body, pressed my fingers against it, worshipped it with my tongue.”

He took a step in my direction, and I held out my hands. “Okay.” I reached behind me and slowly undid the laces of my dress with trembling fingers. I slid my arms out of the sleeves and held the bodice against my chest as I watched him watch me. It was just me and him and the twin blood moons, but somehow, I felt more exposed than ever. I took a deep breath before letting my dress pool at my feet.

“Fuck.” He ran his hand over his jaw as his gaze hungrily took me in. “This is probably a bad idea.”

“What?” I scrambled to grab my dress, but his hands quickly stopped me.

“Don’t even think about putting that dress back on.” His voice was firm and wild.

“You’re the one who just said this is a bad idea.”

“That’s because I didn’t realize that you would look like that beneath.” He motioned toward my body. “I had planned on showing some restraint with my mate tonight.” He bit down on his bottom lip. “Now the only thought running through my head is how I’m going to devour every inch of you.”

“Evren.” My voice shook along with my hands as he pulled me toward him.

“Come on. If I don’t show you now, we’ll never make it there.”

I let him pull me into the brook and the warm water lapped at my ankles. Evren chuckled as I almost slipped on a rock, and I slapped his chest just as he wrapped an arm around my middle.

“The water isn’t but a few inches deep here. It would be embarrassing for the legends of the kingdom’s prince and princess to have found their demise in the small brook behind the town.”

I laughed even as the butterflies took off in my stomach. “But I’m not their princess.”

“Not yet.” He kept walking, moving us forward, and I had to admit that the water felt good against my legs even as we inched deeper and deeper.

We were headed to the other side of the brook where boulders laid upon one another all covered in moss and trails of water. I had no idea where he was taking me. But I still allowed him to move me forward with his body against mine.

“Almost there.” He led me a few steps farther until my hand touched the boulder in front of us.

“You’re right. This boulder is a sight to behold.”

Evren chuckled and pulled me to the right. He didn’t say a word as he pushed around the boulder, and I noticed the smallest slit between two of the rocks. My heart hammered in my chest as he squeezed between them, but he didn’t let go of my hand. He pulled me after him, and I followed his steps as I pushed between the rocks until I could no longer see the light of the moons.

“I’m not sure about this,” I whispered as I pushed out from between the rocks, and the water lapping at my hips.

“Just a little farther.” Evren’s hand hadn’t left mine, and he continued to pull me through the rocks. They pushed against my stomach and chest, almost too tight to squeeze through, and I took a sharp breath once I finally cleared them and hit Evren’s chest. “This is what I wanted to show you.”

I looked around the dark cave and gasped at the starlight that covered every surface of the ceiling. I had never seen starlight except what marked my skin. It was legend that the stars had burned out over a hundred years ago.

“How?” I moved deeper into the cave, and Evren stayed with me step for step with his chest pressed against my back.

“They’re called glowworms.” Evren pointed over my shoulder to where a strong cluster of light shined from the ceiling. “I don’t know much about them, but they’ve always been here since I first discovered this place as a child.”

“They look like stars.” I lifted my hand toward one, but I was far too short to reach them.

“They remind me of them, yes.” He moved around me and let his fingers trail through the water. “This place reminds me of you.”

“I thought you spent most of your childhood in the fae kingdom.”

“I did once I was taken from my mother.” He nodded and looked around the cave. “But I spent the first ten years of my life here.”

“And your father didn’t know about you.”

“I think he always thought he could keep me hidden.”

“What changed?”

“Queen Kaida learned of the prophecy and decided she would no longer leave fate up to chance.” He looked back toward me. “So my father went to war with my kingdom to take me back with him.”

“And he won.”

“My mother didn’t stand a chance of fighting him off. She was unprepared and too busy being a mother to let the threats of other kingdoms cloud her mind. She had let a man who she thought she once loved become harmless in her mind. It cost her dearly.”

“She lost you.”

“And her father.” Evren moved in front of me and his knees bumped against mine. “My father took both of us from her on the same day. She lost her child and became a queen. Neither of which she was ready for.”

My chest ached as I thought about the pain she must have felt that day. I couldn’t fathom the pain he must have endured.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He shook his head and lifted his wet hand to push some hair out of my face. “It was a long time ago.”

“I’m still sorry just the same.”

“You’re sorry for a man you hate?” His hand pressed against my jaw and lifted it until I was forced to look at him.

“I don’t hate you.”

“You should.” His fingers caressed my jaw and water trailed from them and down my neck. “It is selfish of me to wish that you don’t.”

“Because you need me to fulfill the prophecy?”

“Because I need you to breathe.”

“Evren.” His name was a plea on my lips, but he didn’t answer me with words. Instead, he closed the space between us and pressed his mouth against mine. There was nothing soft or subtle about it. It was pure longing, and I felt absolutely desperate for him.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, pulling me closer to him, and his hands moved to my thighs and gripped them to lift me. I moved my legs around him, my ankles crossing against his back as his fingers dug into my skin.

His hands were as rushed and harsh as his mouth, and I felt bruised. Bruised from his words that affected me far more than I should’ve allowed them to. Bruised from his kiss that dug into my soul. He was my mate, and every part of me knew it in that moment. He was my mate, and I wanted nothing more.

“I’m infatuated with you,” Evren breathed the words against my lips. “Every fucking part of you drives me mad with want.”

“Have me.” The words rushed out of me as my heart hammered in my chest. “If you want me, have me.”

Evren wasted no time. His mouth moved along my jaw before moving down my neck. He lapped at my skin with his tongue before grazing it with his teeth, and pure, unfiltered want raged through me as I tightened my legs around him.

I wanted him more than I had ever wanted anything else before. I wanted to know every detail of his body and every moment that weighed heavy on his mind. I wanted to take that from him, to give him something that only I could, and as I ground down my hips against him, that was all I could think of.

He was mine and I was his, and nothing else could matter in that moment.

Evren’s fingers dug in the top of my bra, and he jerked it down my skin before his mouth followed its path. There was nothing gentle about him, every move of his mouth was punishing, and I was desperate for more. I wanted him to mark every inch of me to prove that this was real.

He sucked my nipple into his mouth and looked up at me as I ran my fingers through his dark hair.

His gaze held no hesitancy. He wasn’t asking for permission or trying to determine what I wanted. This was him taking. He was taking exactly what he wanted, and I had never wanted anything so much in my life. I leaned into his mouth, as his teeth scraped against my nipple, and I cried out his name.

“Gods, you’re so perfect.” He peppered more kisses across my chest before he lifted me higher in the water. “I could do nothing but taste every inch of you for hours.”

I whimpered as he pressed his tongue over the fabric of my other cup and the pressure felt immensely different on my nipple.

“Evren, please.” I begged him as my fingers tugged harder in his hair.

“Tell me what you want, princess. Tell me, and I’ll give you anything.”

“Make love to me,” I said as I continued to grind against him. “I need you to fuck me.”

Evren groaned before cursing under his breath, and his hands tightened against me. He moved in the water, taking us farther into the cave, and I could do nothing but hold on to him and grind my body against him in desperation.

He lifted me and turned me until my chest pressed against the cold boulder. His fingers trailed down my spine and left chill bumps in their wake.

His hand moved around my waist, slowly tracing over every inch of skin he could find before they trailed over my hip bone and pressed against the lace of my undergarments.

“I have never wanted anyone more than I want you,” he whispered against the back of my neck. “Never thought of anyone, went crazy over anyone, you’re all I can see.”

His fingers pushed into my undergarments, and he groaned when they met my sex.

His fingers slid over my nub, and I hissed out a breath as pleasure coursed through me. He pressed his lips to my shoulder and laid a soft kiss there as his fingers pushed harder against me.

“Does anyone else know about this cave?” I tried to look behind me, but he had my body pinned with his.

“It doesn’t matter.” His teeth grazed against my shoulder. “The entire Blood army could squeeze through those rocks, and they wouldn’t be able to stop me from having you.”

His hand slid lower until he pushed a finger inside of me, and I held on to the rock in front of me as my knees trembled.

“You’re so fucking tight like this.” He groaned against my neck. “Just imagine if this was my cock. Imagine how full you’re going to feel with me inside of you.”

My stomach was tight and my heart was racing, and all I could think about was wanting more. No matter what Evren gave me, it would never be enough. I always wanted more from him.

He slowly pumped his hand in and out of me while his palm pressed firmly against my aching nub. His other hand moved up my body slowly, until he wrapped his fingers around my neck and pulled me back into him. I gasped as he turned my face to meet his and nibbled on my bottom lip.

His hand moved faster and faster, and pleasure raced through me along with something else. Something more that was digging its claws into my chest and refusing to let go.

My magic writhed inside of me, begging for his touch, and I couldn’t stop the next words that were falling from my lips, “I hated you for leaving.” I breathed against his mouth, and his breath rushed out against me. “I was so damn scared when Jorah’s report came back that Queen Kaida knew of your treason. I was so damn scared that you would never return.”

“I know.” He nodded against me, and my chest shook with every emotion that flowed through me. Evren pressed his nose against my skin and took a deep breath. “Trust me, princess. The thought of never coming back to you ate away at me. I have never been so fearful of my duty before.”

I whimpered as his hand continued to move against me, and he grazed his teeth against my shoulder.

“Why did you lose the game?” His hand was driving me crazy, and I could barely think, but I needed to know. I need to know what was going through his head.

“You know why I lost. I don’t want to be the man that you think I am. I don’t want to be anything like my brother.” His palm pressed harder against me and slowed down in speed as he pumped his fingers in harder and harder. “If you stay here, princess. If you decide to take my hand, I want you to do it with your own free will. Not because someone else promised you away or because I won a stupid fucking bet. I want you to want to stay here with me.”

I reached behind me, gripping my fingers into the hair on the back of his neck, and I held on to him as I started to fall apart. My body trembled from the work of his hands and the truth of his words. His truth both settled me and put me further on edge.

But it was his actions that scared me the most. They showed me that he was the man I thought he was before his duty forced him to betray me. He had chosen the duty to his kingdom over his mate, or at least I thought he had, but the reality was that I was far safer in Evren’s hands. I was exactly where I wanted to be even though he had taken that choice away from me.

Now he was giving it back.

“Evren,” I called out his name as my body tightened against him. I was so close to the edge, so close to falling, and I felt like I was always on this precipice with him. Just the smallest push would throw me over the edge, but I was always so scared to fall.

“Let go,” Evren murmured against my neck where he ran his tongue over my pulse point. “Be a good girl and let go.”

As soon as the words fell from his lips, I had no choice but to give him exactly what he wanted. My thighs clamped down around his hand as my body trembled, and I cried out as my pleasure rushed through me and mixed with my magic.

“That’s it.” Evren’s hand moved slowly against me, coaxing out every ounce of pleasure my body had to give. “Give me exactly what’s mine.”

He continued to kiss me. His mouth running over every inch of my skin, down my back and over my star marks, all while I came down from the pleasure that was soaring through me.

I pushed off the rock and turned toward him. I wrapped my arms around his neck before his mouth met my own. I kissed him hard, desperately, and I didn’t know what I was searching for, but my chest ached as his hands gripped my skin and searched over me. He kissed me back with just as much desperation, and the pleasure he had just given me did nothing to take the edge off my want for him.

I wanted him more.

He pulled away from me slightly before running his fingers across my face and pushing my hair out of my eyes. “We should get back to the festival.”

My heart dropped and I stared him. “What?”

He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and stared into my eyes. “This is your first Twin Blood Moon Festival, and you shouldn’t spend it hidden away in a cave with me the whole night.”

My fingers dug harder into his flesh, and I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t want to let him go. I didn’t want to leave this cave and face the world around us.

“I want more.”

Evren searched my face, and I could see the indecision in his eyes. Whether to stay with me or to go back out there with his people, and I felt pure guilt for making him choose.

“I will give you anything you ever want, princess.” He pulled me tighter to him, his arms wrapping around my back and eliminating any space between us. “I don’t want to only take pleasure from your body.” He searched my face as he said the words “I want all of you. Every moment, every breath. I want to know your heartbreaks and make sure they never happen again. I want to give you every part of me and to take every part of you in return.”

My hands trembled against him as my heart raced with his words. It was what I wanted too, and I would’ve given him that. I would’ve given him all of that and more if things had been different, but I wasn’t sure that I was cut out to be the person he wanted me to be.

He was half fae and half vampyre. He was the son of two nobles who held more power than I could even fathom, and he was choosing me.

“I… Evren, I…”

He ran his hands over my neck as he smiled. “Come on, princess. Let’s go get some wine and rejoin the festival.”

He moved to pull me from the cave, and I couldn’t stop the dread that filled me.