I GRASPED ARWEN’S SLENDER HIPS, MY THUMBS NEARLY TOUCHING AT HER

spine, and rocked into her. I could do this—take my time with her. Nice and slow and agonizing. Just a hair shy of painful.

Arwen bucked and rolled her hips, her slick core contracting. I ground my teeth with the force of keeping my cock in check. Her tense whimpers were so sweet. Desperate little sounds that brought me closer and closer to the edge.

But this time felt different than before. Different from the frenetic, frenzied declaration of love—that hurried, near-haphazard rush to join, to become one. And different, too, from Briar’s—that first real night together cautious and tangled in misunderstood feelings. Now there was . . . time. Time and promises and hope all unfurling generously between us.

“Harder,” she breathed. Then, a whimpered afterthought. “Please.”

There was nothing in this world, no torture, no suffering, that could keep me from obliging her request. I unleashed whatever part of myself I had just barely been succeeding in holding back and drove into her, over and over, mumbling how tight she was, how perfect and wet and good.

The moonlight fell in pale beams over the rumpled bedsheets, painting Arwen’s long, silky brown hair, her back, and the faded scars striped across it. My heart squeezed as we moved together.

I wanted to be closer to her.

Leaning forward, I pulled her up by her shoulders until she was kneeling between my legs, her back flush against my chest. Her scars pressed to my

heart.

“I missed you,” I breathed against her ear, kissing her temple, her brow, wrapping my arms around her collarbone and stomach as I continued to thrust. We panted, messy, slick, and sweating. Arwen letting out one choked moan after another as my hands ran down her arms and thighs. Flushed and misted in sweat as we grasped and groped—her breasts bouncing with our rhythm. The sight was so erotic it was nearly excruciating. Some base, possessive, wholly male part of me wanted to come all over them.

She was mine.

But there would be another time for that.

The thought that this wouldn’t be the last time I was with Arwen in this way was almost as euphoric as the sex itself.

At the sound of Arwen’s groans and the weight of the back of her head against my chest, I picked up the pace, bringing my hand down to the apex of her thighs and stroking her until she squirmed.

She clenched and shuddered with her release, sobbing as she arched against me. It was my name on her lips that pulled me over the edge with her. A savage combustion of pleasure, white-hot and pulsing through my entire body.

Arwen collapsed onto the bed beneath us and I lay down next to her, careful not to crush her under my weight, both of us winded as if we had been running for miles.

“Is it always like that?” Arwen rolled onto her back, eyes fluttering open to stare at the sheer canopy above us.

“It never has been for me.”

She raised a brow in silent question. “But you . . .”

“Have had a lot of meaningless, disconnected sex with a lot of women.

None of whom I loved. None of whom were you.”

Arwen nodded, but she didn’t seem concerned either way. Perhaps she had taken our conversation in Mariner’s Pub to heart and was comparing herself less to others.

“I’m not ashamed of my lack of experience,” she said, her eyes bright on mine. “Or your surplus of it. I just want to be enough for you.”

A laugh rumbled out of me, and Arwen laughed, too, even as her brows knit together in confusion. “You really have no idea what you do to me.”

Arwen rolled her eyes.

“I’m serious. Here, I’ll show you. Make the pinched face you do when you’re mad.”

Her eyes filled with mock insult. “What pinched face?”

“When you’re mad at me, your brow furrows, and there’s a little crease between them, right here.” I traced the spot in the center of her forehead. “And down your nose. It means you’re about to give me an earful, which, for some reason, I find incredibly attractive. So much so, it turns me on.”

The look on her face suggested she didn’t quite believe me.

“Kind of like a bull,” I added, placing a hand behind my head nonchalantly. “Hey,” she snapped, brow furrowing and nose scrunching.

I felt a twitch and took her hand, sliding it under the sheets so she could feel the proof for herself. “See?”

Arwen let out a surprised laugh. “You’re twisted.”

“Absolutely,” I admitted. “Completely smitten with you. Have been for months.”

Her eyes fell to my lips as she leaned in for a kiss, long and soft.

“My beautiful bird.”

“My king,” she purred back.

I groaned, leaning into the pillows. “Talk about things that really get to me.”

“You like when I call you my king?” She scoffed. “So caught up in power.” “I like when you call me yours, period.”

The night was still dark, but as my eyes adjusted, I could just make out a silver outline on the trees surrounding the keep. The sun would be up soon.

I gently traced my hand across Arwen’s shoulder, listening to her soft breathing. She clasped my hand in both of hers. “This ring is my favorite,” she said, touching the onyx signet on my pinky.

“It belonged to my mother.”

“She had great taste,” Arwen whispered. “She did. She would have adored you.”

“You think so?”

“Absolutely. You two would have been like old friends. She wasn’t necessarily funny, but she had a great sense of humor. She laughed often and hard, like you.”

“I wish I could have known her.”

“I would’ve been the odd one out.”

She laughed softly. “Like you and my mother at that dinner in Siren’s Cove. She adored you.” Arwen tucked her chin against my chest. “I wish she could have seen us come together. Known that I was happy.”

“She knew you. Maybe better than anyone. She knew you’d be happy, Arwen.”

We sat in comfortable silence, and I started to doze off until Arwen stirred beside me.

“I can’t sleep now.”

I smiled. “Breakfast?”

She sat up to look out the balcony windows. “It’s not even morning.” “Exactly.” I got out of bed and slipped on my breeches. “I’ll order some food, and we can watch the sunrise as we eat.”

“That sounds perfect,” she said, sinking back into the plush pillows. My bed was so large, it nearly swallowed her up. “One thing,” I added, heading toward the door to my study, feeling guilty for taking so long to remember. “Can I let Acorn in? He hates being alone, and I haven’t seen him since I’ve been back…”

“You’re serious?” Arwen asked, eyes wide. “The strix is really your pet?” “Of course.” I frowned. “What else would I keep him for? His witty banter?”

Arwen’s mouth lifted in a smile, but there was still a flicker of fear in her eyes.

“You said you trust me, always. I’d never let anything happen to you, especially not at the claws of my own strix.” I didn’t blame her; Acorn’s glowing yellow eyes and owl wings paired with his goblin-like features often frightened people. It was one of the many things I loved about him.

As soon as I opened the door, Acorn bounded inside like a whirlwind, his long wings nearly smacking me in the face, his claws skidding on the hardwood floor.

“Hello to you, too,” I cooed. But he flew past me and prowled onto the bed, causing Arwen to wriggle away. Acorn just curled up beside her, screeching happily and rubbing his front claws together.

“See, he loves you.” “He tried to eat me!”

“How can I blame him for that?”

“Kane,” she said, still wrapped in blankets she must have believed would protect her. “He really did almost kill us.”

“If I recall, you almost killed him. When you broke into my study. To steal from me.”

“Well, that was after you kept me in a dungeon.”

She said it with a hint of humor, but I felt my smile fade. I pulled the door open and asked the guards down the hall to bring us breakfast before striding back into the room and opening the balcony windows.

A cool breeze caressed my face as I looked down at my keep. The barely visible sunrise beyond the treetops had already brought out the stablehands and landscapers, a young man washing the masonry, and various soldiers waking up or heading to the barracks.

All people we needed to protect.

As much as I wanted it, we couldn’t stay hidden in this room forever.

When I turned back to face Arwen, the first rays of dawn were just touching her face, highlighting her delicate nose and full lips.

She was tentatively petting Acorn—very tentatively—but he seemed content, eyes half-closed and burrowing deeper into the duvet.

Her beauty made my heart ache.

No wonder she was the daughter of a God. That kind of regal, breathtaking beauty couldn’t be found in a mere Fae. Even a full-blooded one. I climbed into bed beside her, pulling her warm body close. Acorn moved to nestle at our feet.

“I was only joking about the dungeon,” she said after a moment. “You can’t hold that against us for the rest of our relationship.”

“I know.” She was right. It wasn’t the way to start a life together. “When you do me the honor of becoming my—”

She pressed a finger to my lips. “Don’t.” “All right,” I said, muffled.

“I mean—” She shook her head. “Do, eventually. Do ask me. I want to be wed. I want to be with you, but first . . .”

First, let’s make sure she has a life to spend with me at all.

Arwen’s hand rested on my chest as we listened to Acorn’s snores mixed with the rustling of the balcony drapes. Arwen traced a finger across my forearm, noting the small raised lines and pale white marks. “Why do you have so many scars? Are these from your dragon form?”

“Some.” I looked over my biceps and torso. “I wish I had more heroic stories to tell. Most of them are from a pretty standard Fae childhood.”

Her brows furrowed in confusion.

“Fae heal quickly. As kids, we tend to find ourselves in dangerous situations because we know we can survive almost anything.”

I could see the understanding in her eyes. “So, when I heal quickly, that’s not because of my healing abilities, it’s just part of being Fae?”

I nodded in confirmation.

“Would I also age slowly? Would I have lived for thousands of years?” “Yes, bird.”

“Longer than Mari, and Ryder, and Leigh . . . longer than you?”

I lifted her chin to meet her gaze. “Yes. You will outlive us all. Even me. I’m not full-blooded. But I’ve got at least another thousand years in me, so don’t get too excited.”

Arwen continued her gentle strokes, this time across my abdomen, and I closed my eyes against all the challenges we’d face outside this room. Hemlock wouldn’t be easy, but hopefully, we could get in and out, as long as—

“Why are you so… fit?”

I laughed. “What do you mean?”

She sat up and looked at my abdomen. “You’re practically carved out of stone. Do you exercise a lot?”

I shrugged. “I suppose I do. In my free time. I don’t have a lot of… hobbies.”

“I was going to say friends.” The truth felt a bit lonely. “Other than Griffin and Acorn. So I train whenever I can. Sometimes out of boredom.”

“I know you didn’t appreciate my offer of friendship in the caverns, but you are probably my closest friend. Don’t tell Mari.”

I chuckled. “I’d say don’t tell Griffin, but I’m sure he wouldn’t care.”

“Oh, yes, he would. He loves you.” “I don’t know why.”

She pulled away slightly to look me in the eyes. “Don’t doubt yourself. You’re a good man, Kane.”

If I had any hope of that being true, I owed her one last truth. “I need to tell you something.”

“I swear, Kane, if you have one more secret, I will castrate you.”

“I doubt castration is necessary, but I don’t want anything else between us. Last night, when you came to my room, I was preparing to leave for the Pearl Mountains.”

Arwen paled. “Why?”

“Remember what Beth said about the way of the Crow? Long before we found you, I heard rumors of a sorcerer living there in isolation. Someone who might be able to make me a full-blooded. I hoped to take the place of the Fae from the prophecy. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but this White Crow is our best chance. I need to see him, Arwen. I want to find a way for us to survive. But if that’s not possible, if there’s a way I can take your place—”

“Absolutely not,”

she hissed. “Kane, you are not dying for me.”

“If it’s the only way, I’d do it. I won’t lose you.”

She shook her head fiercely, and I thought I’d never seen her eyes so blue. They gleamed even in the low light of dawn.

“I can’t imagine a life without you in it.”

I cradled her face in my hands, my own eyes smarting. “Me neither. That’s why I’m going to do this.”

“Let me come with you.” Arwen’s voice was a whisper.

“Your family will need you here. You’re our leader now. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Before she could argue further, we heard the breakfast tray outside the door, and Acorn jumped to the floor to see what was happening. He didn’t trust the guards with food. Neither did I.

I pressed my lips to Arwen’s forehead, down her nose, to her lips.

“Whatever happens, I love you, bird. I’ve never loved anyone else.”