Chapter Forty-Six

CHAPTER

FORTY-SIX

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A FAINT YELLOW GLOW BOUNCES OFF THE LAKE AS I TURN onto the colonnade lined with columns covered in green ivy and white flowers. I escaped Braxton's watchful eye to check on my dragons before the celebration banquet. They're still warming up to me, and I imagine it'll take some time to become fully in tune with each other, but we're in a sweet, curious stage. Which means I smile whenever they drop a dead animal carcass at my feet and congratulate them on their kill.

They acknowledge me as they soar above the lake filled with hundreds of floating candles but are far too enraptured by the sky to submit to the ground. A path of candles leading to a gazebo covered in the same ivy and white flowers as the pillars catches my attention, as does the movement inside. I kick off my heels and carry them in my hands, sinking my feet into the cool grass to investigate, and my heart propels me forward when I realize who the culprit is.

"Hello, beautiful," Cayden says, only turning to face me once he's done lighting a candle, and he extends his hand to lead me up the steps, my corset tightening with every slow footfall.

"What's all this?" I ask, taking in the enchanting display of a blanket decked with pillows and a basket filled with wine and pastries spilling out. The same kind I had in Imirath and adored. A fresh, elaborate bouquet of pink peonies, sunflowers, and starsnaps that must've cost a fortune sits in the corner.

"It was supposed to be a surprise," he mumbles, and draws my attention when he clears his throat and pulls on the collar of his black doublet.

"Cayden, are you nervous?"

"I've never done this"—he gestures between us—"so I'm not sure how to go about it. I apologize if I've overwhelmed you. Do you want a drink? I think I'm going to have—"

I frame his reddened cheeks with my hands and bring his lips to mine, snaking my arms around his neck while his mind shuts off. He sighs against my lips and slowly parts them, trailing his fingers up and down my spine. I fiddle with the ends of his hair and rest my forehead against his after we pull apart.

"You're going to spoil me, aren't you?"

"Absolutely rotten," he responds.

His eyes heat when I slide my hands down his chest and trail my tongue across my lips before dropping onto the blanket, arching my back a bit while I grab the chilled pink wine. His gaze moves from my hips to my lips when I wrap my mouth around the bottle and take a generous sip. "And if I want to be spoiled right now, Commander?" I set the bottle aside and drag my gown up my legs, spreading my thighs wide. "What then?"

He falls to his knees, eyes completely black like a depraved demon that wants to consume my soul. I must say, I quite like having the most dangerous man in Ravaryn wrapped around my finger. I press my foot into his chest when he tries to come closer, but he yanks my ankle up and rests my leg against him.

"Touch yourself." Our gazes remain locked while he undoes his sword belt slowly, and only part when I do as he commands. "Soaked for me already, angel?"

I nod, pumping my fingers, but it offers me little relief. He positions himself between my legs and sucks my fingers clean as he enters me. My back arches off the blanket but he remains still, pinning my hips in place when I try to move on him.

"You think you can part your legs and torture me without consequences, love? I was teetering on the edge of obsession before we kissed, but I'm a damned man now."

I pull on his hair, urging him to move, but he half laughs, half growls before skimming his lips down the sensitive skin on my neck and plunging neckline, driving me to madness. "We don't have a lot of time," I pant.

"Do you think I give a fuck about a dinner while you're under me?" He reaches down to rub my clit, and I whimper. "Have you finally let go of the notion that we're not good together?"

"I have!"

"Part of you wants us to get caught, don't you?" He begins moving slowly, and I try to bury my head in his neck so he can't see the truth written on my face, but he pins me by my wrists. "You want them to find me deep inside you, the commander fucking the princess he can't have while you have those damn flowers in your hair."

"More like the demon," I gasp as his thrusts increase. His feverish hands roam my body over the fabric, and I do the same to him before sliding mine beneath and digging my nails into his back.

He lifts my hips off the ground and drills into me, biting and sucking the sweet spots on my neck. I tilt my head to grant him more access. There's no teasing, no slow starts or gentle caresses, only pure need. "Demon, commander, criminal . . . they make no difference when you're saying them while I'm inside you."

They don't make a difference to me either. He's been told to stay away, and the irony of his king finding us is so sweet it nearly makes me shatter around his cock. I don't want a prince of Galakin or a lord of Vareveth, I want the commander riddled with darkness. I'm too far gone to worry about the consequences. We must look desperate and starved. Two forbidden lovers who didn't bother discarding their clothes because they would waste precious moments together.

My core clenches around him, and he cuts our kiss off with a deep groan as he looks to where our bodies are joined. "After this dinner, I want you on my bed with your legs spread so I can taste you for hours," he growls into my ear before nibbling on the lobe. "I want to make your legs shake. I want you to scream my name like a prayer." The memory of what his tongue can do almost sends me over the edge. "I plan on memorizing exactly how you look when you moan my name."

"You're awfully demanding," I say, tightening my legs around him to flip him onto his back. "Have you forgotten who I am?" I sink down onto his length until my body is flush with his and cry out.

"Gods, El," he pants, hands tightening on my hips as he lifts my gown. His chest moves unevenly beneath my hands, and I begin rocking my hips, staring down at him through hooded lashes and hazy eyes. "I can have you every day for the rest of my life and I will still die a starving man."

I move faster, bouncing my hips until spots dance in my vision and my body is begging for release. Bolts of pleasure travel through me like lightning as Cayden tilts me forward and thrusts beneath me, fast and hard, reaching a part that unleashes something in me. I bite down on his neck and suck, marking him before walking into the banquet. His moan vibrates my lips as I pull away and gaze down at him, meeting his hips in the middle.

"You're so pretty when you ride me, princess, but you look perfect when you come." Gods, his mouth. He reaches between us to play with my clit, and my mouth parts as I shatter around him and intense shards of pleasure pierce me. He flips us over again and loses all control, cresting my pleasure once more as his fierce thrusts decimate me. Our kisses become a clashing of tongue and teeth, and we're too lost to form words. The only sounds to be heard are moans and skin slapping until he finds his release and silences his shout with my lips.

He peppers kisses along my collarbone as he pulls out and tucks himself into his pants before fixing my gown for me. It's made of thousands of silver crystals that shimmer like a star-filled sky. The sleeves cling to my arms but pool around the underside of my wrists and stretch toward the floor. Cayden kisses up the high slit, winking at me as he places a kiss to my dragon dagger before wiping lipstick off his mouth.

I pick a pastry out of the basket and sink my teeth into the sweet raspberry and savory buttery flavors. "I don't want to go to the banquet. I want to eat these the whole night."

"Don't say that," he groans, and takes a bite of my pastry before I can move it away. "You know I'll give you whatever you want, and one of us has to be responsible here."

I tip the wine back and take another gulp, shrugging my shoulders. A few pink petals float to the ground around me while I rake my fingers through my hair and take out my knife to fix my makeup in the reflection.

"Are you all right?" he gently asks.

"I'm fine."

"El . . ."

I bite my tongue. Saying I'm anything other than fine has always been a struggle for me because I despise feeling like I'm burdening someone with my emotions. Plastering on a smile nobody will look too deeply behind because the fa?ade is more palatable is simple. "I'm just . . . nervous about how Ailliard will react to the dragons. He blames them for my mother's death."

"I'll stay with you while you talk to him," he says.

"I should do it alone, but I'll find you once it's done." I sheathe my knife and get to my feet after slipping my heels on. It's for the best if I do this without Cayden, considering Ailliard will probably attack him once I reveal our change in status.

"Do I look all right?"

He doesn't look fully convinced but doesn't argue. "You look gorgeous."

He drinks in the color that rises on my cheeks. "And I don't look like we just . . ."

"Well, you are glowing." His lip curls in a half smile. "Try looking grumpier."

"I'll make sure to do my best impersonation of you." I peck his cheek before slipping out of his hold and dashing away from the gazebo with him hot on my heels.