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She did as he asked, and he climbed under the covers beside her, nestling in close. His fingers brushed her skin as he tucked her hair back over her shoulder. Then she felt his lips barely touch right below her ear. They moved slowly down her neck, feather light. His hand slid over her silk nightgown,slowly exploring her hip, her stomach.

Her eyes closed as every thought zeroed in on his fingers, his mouth. His hand drifted lower over her hip and down her thigh. She felt his fingers grip the hem of her nightgown, and he paused. “Where, Love?”

“Everywhere,” she breathed.

Then his hand was moving back up, dragging her nightgown with it, exposing bare skin to him. She lifted her head and arms and let him slide the black silk garment off, and she felt his hardness pressing into her. She didn’t care what he did. Not as long as his touch erased any trace of Mikale.

His hand gently cupped her chin and turned her head. She opened her eyes to find Sorin’s golden eyes glazed with desire and a glimmer of worry. Holding his stare, she reached up and wrapped her fingers around his hand and guided it down to her breast. She felt him shudder against her as his thumb scraped over her nipple.

His lips were back on her neck, and his teeth nipping and scraping had her closing her eyes once more. He worked his other arm under shoulders and shifted her back pressed against his chest. That hand took over working her breasts as he slid the first hand down her torso, his fingers dancing over her skin as he went. And when those fingers brushed against her the first time, she moaned, pressing her ass into him more.

He swore at the movement, but his fingers kept moving. “I don’t know how you can even want this, how you can be this wet for me or anyone after what you have been through, Love,” he rasped. “You are simply stunning.”

His thumb began to circle that bundle of nerves, and she was lost. She was lost in the sensation of him, of him touching her. She was lost in want and need and desire. She bucked her hips in a silent demand, and he obliged her, finally pressing down on that bundle of nerves at the same time that he pinched her nipple between this thumb and forefinger.

Scarlett cried out, and Sorin’s mouth was on hers, as if he wanted to capture the sound. When his tongue slipped inside her mouth,his finger slipped inside her, and she forgot everything else. She forgot about Mikale and his touches. She forgot about Talwyn and her mother. She forgot about Callan and the Inner Court. At this very moment, it was just her and Sorin. She wasn’t a secret princess, and he wasn’t the Fire Prince.

She moved in time with his thrusts into her, and when he slid a second finger in, a moan escaped from her. She let herself feel the pleasure and the ache that was building and ratcheting up. Those fingers thrust in and out of her slow and hard and almost reverently. “That’s it,” he murmured into her ear as she rode his fingers. “Take what you need, Love. It’s all yours.”

Scarlett turned so that she faced him, his hand still between them, between her legs, and plunged her hands into his hair, hauling his lips back to hers. His thrusts became faster, and she broke the kiss to bury her face into his neck, pressing her lips to his skin. The taste of him, the smell of his ashes and cedar and lush smokiness had her whimpering as his hand came up to hold her head there. Then with his fingers still moving, he pressed on that bundle of nerves once more with his thumb and release barreled down her spine. She cried out, the sound muffled as she pressed herself into his neck. His fingers didn’t stop moving until she had stopped shuddering and clenching around him. The hand on her head began stroking her hair, and she went utterly lax against him, still trembling from her release. He gently slid his fingers from her as she worked to slow her breathing and fought the darkness that was already reaching for her once more.

“Stay,” she whispered against his neck. “Please stay with me, Sorin.”

“Sleep, Scarlett,” he soothed. His other hand making long strokes down her bare back. Even now, with each brush of his hand, he was erasing the touches of Mikale, and she breathed him in once more as he kept the dark at bay.

CHAPTER 10

CALLAN

Aknock came on their suite doors. Sloan went to answer it, and a maid handed him a message. Callan was sitting on the sofa before the fire. After they had left the library three days ago, they had returned here, and he had not left since. He had taken a few books with him, and they lay scattered across the cushions beside him. He had spent the better part of the last few days poring over one in particular. If he was going to be stuck here, he was indeed going to learn as much as he could about the lands that existed alongside his own, starting with this damn Fire Court.

He had learned that Sorin had been the prince of the lands for over two hundred years. Holy gods. How old was he? But more than that, he had learned the four Courts all answered to a single queen who resided in the White Halls in the northernmost part of the continent. The queen, it appeared though, was not just the Queen of the Fae, but had influence over all the continent. If this was true, he wondered if his father had ever had contact with her? Why hadn’t he been told of this if he was to rule one day?

“It is from Sorin,” Sloan said, reading the note from the maid. “He is requesting we join them for lunch.”

“Them?” Callan asked, looking up from the text he was reading.

“He did not specify who will be there, but he wants to update you on matters,” Sloan replied gruffly.

“That is a good sign, isn’t it?” Finn asked from the armchair opposite him. “They are including us.”

“I suppose,” Sloan grunted.

Callan didn’t say anything. Would it just be Sorin and his Court, or would Scarlett be there, too? Would the Water Prince be there as well? Could he face Scarlett after what had been said between them? He still wanted to talk to her. He still needed answers. But he could have handled things differently. He had just been so relieved to see her safe and up and actually smiling. Not her playful or cunning smile, but a true, genuine smile. A smile he had only seen on her face a handful of times.

“What time is lunch?” Callan asked, rising from the sofa. He was in casual pants and a tunic. The prince had provided them with plenty of clothing options, and he had to admit he found their fashion rather comfortable.

“Someone will be by to escort us in an hour,” Sloan answered.

Shortly before noon, there was another knock on the door, and they found Eliza standing on the other side. She smirked at them and said, “Are you lot ready then?”

“Good day to you, too,” Callan said, pushing past Finn and Sloan to follow the female who led them from the guest halls.

“Did you find interesting reading material in the library?” Eliza asked smugly as they descended a set of stairs.

“I did. Fascinating history, actually,” Callan answered. “Tell me, how does the prince get along with the queen?”

Eliza stiffened slightly. “The queen is not an easy person to get along with—for anybody.”