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The guard scrambled out of the stable, Rook watching him leave. The door of the stable slammed shut, and Rook looked down at me. I stepped forward to put my hands on his face.

“What was that?” I asked.

He closed his eyes, putting his hand over mine, turning his face to press his mouth into my palm. “Elara, you’ve ruined me” He murmured into my hand. He took my arm and pulled me close to him, putting his arms around me. “I felt it the other night.” He looked down at me, with his glowing blue eyes. “Did you feel it too?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“It was like a rope, pulling me back to you,” he said, pressing his forehead against mine. “I had to fight it to leave, to climb down that tower. I wanted to stay, I wanted to climb back into that bed with you, just to feel you. I don’t understand this, any of it.”

“Me neither.” I turned my face into the crook of his neck.

“I went and asked the priestess about it,” he said with a short laugh. “I went into a fucking temple, can you imagine? Me? She didn’t know what to think.” He nudged my face with his nose, so I was looking up at him. “Do you know what she told me? That you’re mine.”

“I am. I am yours.” My hands flexed on his chest. “I want you, so much. I need you.”

“It’s going to drive me insane.” Rook’s eyes searched my face. “A Night Demon with a Fae for a mate, Lada has a sense of humor.”

“Or a sense of danger,” I replied, “this could get you killed.”

“I’m a dead man anyway.” Rook brought his mouth closer to mine, our lips almost touching. “I promised you a kiss once, and I didn’t give it to you. And if I kiss you now, you’ll be in my blood, and I’ll never be rid of you.”

“Do you want to be rid of me, Rook?”

“Never. Never again.” A shuddering breath passed his lips, and he shook his head. “I haven’t kissed anyone in years. I never wanted to. But these…” His thumb brushed along my lower lip. “These lips, they command my heart now.”

“I want you to tell me what is going on here, right now.” Regan’s voice accompanied the flinging open of the stable door, guards flanking him as he glared at us. “What is the meaning of this?”

“One of your guards tried to attack the Princess,” Rook said, pushing me behind him as Regan and the guards entered the stables. “I did what I had to do.”

“He claims he caught you in here violating her,” Regan said, and all eyes turned to me as I burst out laughing.

I stepped out from behind Rook. “He’s lying. No such thing happened. Rook was merely comforting me.”

“He seems to do a lot of that,” Regan said, eyeing Rook critically.

“Well, perhaps if you’d ever been a prisoner you’d understand why that was necessary,” I replied. “Now, I expect us to be left alone to prepare for the trial tomorrow, is that understood?”

“Absolutely not,” Regan said, gesturing to me to step away. “You come with me now, Highness. You’ve trained enough for today, you need to rest.”

I wanted to argue, but instead I moved past Rook with a sigh. His hand shot out and gripped my arm. “Rook,” I said quietly, “let me go.”

“No.” His voice was low, so only I could hear it.

“Please,” I said, looking up at him. “I don’t want them to hurt you.” I put my hand over his. “I need you.”

My words seemed to shake him from his trance, and his hand dropped from my arm. His blue eyes fixed on me, and he put a hand to his chest.

“Yours.” He whispered.

The silver thread between us swung around itself, becoming thicker with every passing second, unseen by anyone else in the room, but so strong that it almost blinded me. I walked out of the stable, and I felt Rook’s eyes on me the entire way, the Bond palpable, trying to draw me back to him.

“I wish to go to the Temple,” I said to Regan, who turned on his heel and gave me an impatient stare. “You object to my faith, sir?” I raised an eyebrow. “That is most disappointing.”

Regan said nothing, simply threw his hands up and stormed ahead. I followed him around the perimeter of the arena, through a gated archway, and out onto the grass. The golden roof of the temple gleamed in the brilliant sunlight, and the guards fell away, hanging back as I approached the steps. Regan paused at the temple entrance, and his face was earnest as he turned to me.

“Your Highness, I would like you to know that I have a tremendous amount of respect for you,” he said, keeping his voice low, his eyes darting to the guards that remained at the edge of the lawn. “Your father was a good King, and he and I were friends at one time.”

“Is that so?” I didn’t care what Regan thought. “How interesting.”