Page 188 of The Crown’s Temptation

"Not for anyone else?"

"No one," I breathed.

His thrusts became harder, more certain, deeper, until I broke underneath him and he called my name.

When it was over I took off my clothes, which had somehow managed to stay on the entire time. He stared at me.

"You look lovestruck," I said with a small laugh.

"I am," he said, pulling me down next to him.

I leaned into him. "I want to tell you everything about the memory stones. About what happened to my mother."

Colsar said nothing.

"But I am scared of the pain that will come with revisiting the memory."

He kissed the top of my head.

I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them he was in his siakar form in the corner of the room, in front of the tunnel entrance. He stared at me with those mismatched eyes and I understood.

The last time I had bared my soul to him, the last time I could not handle my emotions, I had been in a cave in the forest of the Baron's manor, full of the sort of pain that made it hard to breathe.

I looked at him. Then stood, wrapping the blanket around me. Then I lay down next to him on the floor, nuzzling my head into his fur.

And I told him the story of my mother.

CHAPTER 42

Umbrelai to Urasal

Idid not need to go to Umbrelai to find Aviaryn.

She was sitting outside the ward entrance to our room with her knees drawn to her chest, a sweet tucked into one cheek as she watched the twins through the shimmering barrier.

I still did not know how often she came or how long she stayed when she did and admittedly felt a small wave of relief come over me that our bed was not visible from the tunnel entrance.

I looked down. “You are wearing shoes.”

She nodded. “It is something new I am trying.”

She did not look at me.

"Fiorakis won."

I frowned.

"Won what?"

"The spoon."

I followed her gaze.

Fiorakis had somehow claimed a wooden spoon twice her size and was dragging it determinedly across the floor while Ari watched from several feet away. The look on his face suggested he had not yet decided whether crawling was worth the effort.

A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.

"I think Ari believes if he waits long enough she will bring it to him."