Page 23

Chapter 23

Caspian

We took a long time finishing in the shower, just languidly kissing until the spray started to go lukewarm. I hoped the water heater wasn’t supposed to serve for Ember or Kit, or barring that, that they’d be understanding.

Then we took our time drying each other off, exploring each other’s bodies in a surprisingly nonsexual way, just touching each other as we toweled down. Just being close.

When we got back into the bedroom, there was a pile of condoms and a bottle of lube sitting in the middle of the duvet. Frost ducked his head and scrubbed his hands down his face, sighing. “I am . . . exceedingly sorry for the existence of my siblings.”

I couldn’t help chuckling at that. “It’s well-intentioned, at least. Especially on Ember’s part. Kit maybe still wants to kick my ass a little.”

Frost rolled his eyes. “He’s always been too protective, ever since we were kids. Used to beat up my bullies when we were in grade school. Not that I had any complaints about that.” Suddenly, he seemed to realize what he’d said and clapped a hand over his mouth before yanking it away and spilling over with excuses for the comment. “Not that I agree with violence of any kind. I just—That is?—”

Fuck me, could he be any cuter?

I put my arms around his waist and leaned into him, smiling up at him. “I’m here for it. He’s a good brother, even if it did make him act like a terrifying bastard to me for a bit. I understand the urge to protect people you care about. I took care of my Mom for years while she was dying. But maybe now I get to beat up your bullies. Or just use my words to make them regret ever being born. I’m pretty good with words.”

He bit his lip, staring into my eyes, his own twinkling with some mirth and . . . something else. Something more.

Something that was starting to look like the future Kit had been going on about for the last few days. Like maybe this time I wasn’t the only person in the relationship with the urge to protect.

It wasn’t even hard to picture spending tomorrow with Frost. Or the next day. Or a long off imagined lazy day at the palace, eating breakfast on the terrace overlooking the ocean. Sitting next to each other quietly and just feeling the breeze off the water as we watched the waves lap and the clouds go by. Frost would probably read a book, but that was fine. We didn’t have to be interested in the exact same things to enjoy quiet time together. Heck, maybe he could read his science books to me, even if it meant he’d end up having to stop and explain basic concepts sometimes.

The whole image sounded a little like perfection.

“After this is all over, with Aunt Rachel, you should . . . you should stay. For a while. If you want to.” I could feel that I was blushing, and instead of the attractive way it looked on him, I knew full well that my pale skin flushed a bright blotchy red. Ugh.

Besides, why was I assuming I was going to survive Aunt Rachel?

Technically, if?—

“I’d like that a lot,” he agreed. “I’m supposed to be in Dawnchaser lands learning about them, but . . . well, that whole idea was to prove myself worthy to be head of the family, and at this point, we all know that isn’t happening.”

“Hey, you’re worthy of?—”

He cut me off, not with words or a finger on my lips, but by kissing me. Soft and slow and perfect, just holding me against his naked chest as he leisurely explored my mouth. “You don’t need to worry about what I feel worthy of,” he promised as he pulled away. “For example, you’re making me feel pretty worthy of getting exactly what I want. I never wanted to be head of Moonstriker. I don’t like telling anyone what to do, and I have the only stone I want. I think . . . I think I communicated with Iri once. It was horrible and staticky and left me with a headache for close to a week. I wasn’t meant to bond her.”

I winced at that. “Rain said he talked to Iri too. Is that normal? Talking to the family stone? Nausa has never . . . that is, she doesn’t talk to me.”

Nausa’s an idiot , Mella interjected. She doesn’t talk pretty much at all. Just growls and whines and complains when she doesn’t get what she wants. Just like a dog. She’s a wolf, and wolves aren’t all that clever .

That had never even occurred to me. Nausa was one of the family stones. Didn’t she have to be fully sentient? She’d helped my family rule a quarter of the Summerlands for thousands of years.

Mella laughed, and considering the subject, it was an odd reaction. At least she was amused, I supposed. I’ve got a secret for you, sweet pea, and it’s this: no. Nausa’s not even one of the four most powerful stones people in this city are currently bonded to. Frost’s friend Vex outstrips the puppy by a lot. You’ve seen that at play for yourself .

She was right, I had. And freezing a whole car and four people in time, midair, was indeed a lot more impressive than turning into a wolf, even a very big one. It would dominate in a duel between them, if such a thing ever happened. It didn’t matter how impressively sharp your teeth were if you were frozen in time for someone to stick a sword in you.

That’s why we’ve spent our time learning , she added. Because knowledge beats sheer animal physicality, every time. Become a big brainless animal, you’ll win a few fights. Become the cleverest man in the room? You’ll stop most of the fights before they happen, and that always wins .

Frost lifted a brow at me. “I recognize that look. Stone telling you surprising things?”

I considered, then shrugged. “Did you ever wonder why the four family stones are The Four Family Stones ?”

“They’re supposed to be the most powerful stones in the world,” he said, but his tone was hesitant.

“You don’t agree?”

“I think . . . I watched Huxley Dawnchaser lose a fight before it ever started, despite being the luckiest man in the world. He made poor choices, lost his patience, and acted without thinking things through. With all that, Soz couldn’t help him. Didn’t want to, to be honest. He’d abused them as much as anyone else in his life. Did you know he’d refused to let them see the sun for decades?”

I blinked in shock. “No, I—why?”

“Because he’s a monster. He enjoyed causing other beings pain.” He winced. “But Vex says to stop worrying so much. Worrying is for tomorrow, and right now—” He cut off and his cheeks darkened.

“Oh yeah? Do tell. Sounds like Vex is my kind of guy.”

“He . . . he likes you too. Says you’re clever for a human.”

“Well Mella says he’s more powerful than Nausa, so clearly the mutual admiration society is hard at work in this room.” I leaned up and kissed his chin. “But he’s right. Let’s forget about who’s powerful or smart or whatever. I want to feel you inside me.”

He sucked in a shaky breath at that, nodding. “I . . . I’d like that.”

“Good. Then let’s get that fine ass of yours over to the bed and show you how to do this.”

“Please,” he agreed, and when I took him by the hand and headed for the bed, he followed easily. When I pushed him down on the bed on his back, he just let himself fall. He seemed to pause ever so slightly right before hitting the bed, and his landing was oddly soft, but I supposed that was what a guy did when he could freeze time.

It was fucking hot.

Mella hadn’t been kidding. Frost was maybe the most powerful person I’d ever met. He was certainly one of them, even if he didn’t top the list.

Without question, that made it even hotter when he let me climb atop him without a moment’s hesitation. I snatched up the lube, then his hand, coating the fingers of his left hand, then pressing it between us, guiding him to where I needed him, since I was less dexterous than usual, with only one properly functional arm. “Right there,” I whispered. “I mean, it’s all basically an erogenous zone, but you’ve got to get the lube up inside and work the muscle a little. Get it ready for you. You’re not a little guy, so it’s going to take a bit of work.”

And just like that, determination fell over his features and he nodded. I could almost hear him say “challenge accepted.” He bit his lip, though, hesitating a moment. “Could we . . . that is, I want to see. I work better when I can?—”

I leaned in and dropped a kiss on the bridge of his nose, then flopped onto my front on the bed, catching myself with my good arm so I didn’t further injure myself. After a moment’s consideration, I pushed back up and grabbed a pillow, setting it under my hips, so it would push my ass into the air a bit and give him better access. This position kept my casted arm farther from the action anyway, so maybe that was for the best.

Frost took advantage of the access I’d given him like no one else ever had. Like none of them had ever tried.

He slid between my legs, pulling them open and running his unlubed hand up my thigh, petting my skin like I needed comforting. It was kinda nice, come to think of it.

Unerringly, a moment later, his lubed fingers found my hole, one just teasing the entrance for a moment before slipping inside. Just the tip. Just for a moment. Then out again.

It turned out those long, thick fingers were also incredibly dexterous.

Piano, my brain decided, as he proceeded to play my body like an instrument. Soft touches alternating with firm ones. A single finger dipping into me again and again, then two, then one again, until I was ready to cry out in frustrated abandon to fucking get inside me already.

Already, I was arching off the bed, giving frustrated little grunts and trying to press into him. “Frost,” I finally gave up and grumbled. “Fuck me.”

That was when he slid the third finger inside me, and I almost fucking came on the spot. How had he known? His fingers unerringly drilled right into my prostate, confident and firm and just shy of too hard.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.” It took me a minute to realize that was me, chanting the same word over and over, even though I could barely breathe enough to do it.

When I heard the crinkle of foil behind me, I braced myself.

He did not disappoint. Frost felt enormous as he slid inside me, but he’d lubed his cock as well as my ass, so the glide was smooth, seamless, with no tugging or pain. Just feeling so full I could have burst, barely able to draw breath at all until he bottomed out and held there, poised above me. “Is that?—”

“Perfect,” I groaned. “It’s perfect. You’re perfect. Fuck me. Fuck, Frost, give it to me.”

He pressed his whole body against my back, kissing the shell of my ear, then nipping at it. “All of me,” he promised. “I’ll give you everything. Anything you need.”

And fuck, but that was the sexiest thing I’d ever been offered in my life.

We moved in concert, plastered together from shoulders to knees, our bodies swaying in sync as he pushed into me, and barely pulled out—I wouldn’t let him pull away, following him back with my own hips to stay as close as possible—before shoving back inside.

It should have been awkward, but instead, it was perfect, like every move was choreographed. Every touch set my body aflame, every time his cock shoved in, it lit me up from the inside. He ran his hands along my arms, clutching at my shoulders, skimming over my biceps, and every inch of skin he touched felt electrified.

“Please Frost,” I panted out. “Need that. Need it all.”

And when he pushed forward, shoving all the way inside me, his cock pressing into just the right spot, his weight crushing my body into the pillow and creating friction on my own erection, it was just enough to tip me over the edge into bliss, my whole body tensing as the pleasure coalesced inside me, jerking against the pillow as I came.

I drifted for a moment as he continued to thrust into me, until he too stiffened in release, shoving all the way inside and moaning out my name as he came as well.

When he came back down, instead of collapsing atop me, he rolled to his side, pulling me in by the waist and holding me tight against him, not even letting his cock slip free of my body.

It was . . . nice didn’t do it justice.

I didn’t think I’d been so content before, possibly ever. It was going to be far too easy to get used to having this man around.

I hoped he’d meant it, when he said he’d like to stay in Sunrunner lands, at least for a while. But of course he had. He was Frost. He only ever told me the truth.

What a lovely, novel thought.

When I woke, lying on my back under the covers, looking at an unfamiliar ceiling, something seemed to slide into place in my brain, like there had been a half-finished puzzle forming in there, and suddenly, it was complete.

I could see the whole picture.

My father was dead.

Part of that was that Kit was a smart guy and I trusted his instincts even if I didn’t entirely understand how he knew, but more than that, it simply made sense. If my father were alive, he’d have been seen somewhere in the last week. He’d have answered any of the three dozen times I’d called his cell phone—not that I’d called him in the last few days.

Because the truth was that I’d known all along.

Oh, I hadn’t been entirely certain like I was now, but there had never truly been any urgency in my actions. Never that acute fear for his safety.

Because I’d known from the start that if something wasn’t truly, terribly wrong, then my father was a creature of habit, and every single morning he would be at the breakfast table across from me in Sunrunner Palace.

It had been the same for over twenty years, so there was no reason for it to change.

All this added up to one thing: I’d spent the last week not looking for him, but coming to terms with the fact that my father was already dead.

I didn’t even miss him, not really.

What was there to miss? He’d never been there for me. He’d been more pleasant company when my mother had been alive, but even then, he’d rarely remembered that he had a mistress and son to care about. Then she’d died, and he’d checked out—not just checked out of my life, but out of life in general. It was all well and good that he’d felt guilty about abandoning Mom, about not helping her fight back her demons.

But I’d been a kid. A literal child.

I had fucking deserved better.

About time you meandered your way around to that conclusion , Mella murmured in my head. I’ve been telling you exactly that for years.

Thanks for being patient with me when I was being slow .

I stretched, but didn’t push the blankets and sheets aside, deciding to remain in my lovely warm cocoon for a moment longer. Next to a warm, sleeping Frost.

It was maybe the best way I’d ever woken up.

The worst thing about this whole disaster, I decided, wasn’t my father’s death. That had been coming for a long time. Hells, it had essentially happened the day my mother had died, and since then, he’d just been going through the motions, pretending to still live.

No, the worst thing was that he’d disappeared with Nausa. Even if Nausa wasn’t as powerful as everyone seemed to think, she was necessary to stop Mount Slate from erupting. It had been the four family stones, twice a century, for millennia, that had kept the lands safe.

That being the case, my father’s behavior over the last decade hadn’t just been poorly planned or less than admirable. It had been downright reckless with the lives of millions of people. Hundreds of millions. Given the size and power of the mountain, I suspected that if it did go off, it wouldn’t even just be the Summerlands at stake. That was the kind of disaster that resulted in a global nuclear winter and killed most of life on the whole fucking planet.

My father, the man who might have killed a planet through sheer fucking carelessness.

Gods damn it.

“Time to get up?” Frost muttered the question into my ear, but it wasn’t a surprise he was waking up too, so I didn’t jump. Just sighed heavily and nodded.

“We need to figure out what our next move is. Assuming Kit’s right, and I suspect he is, we’ve got to do . . . something. I just have no idea what.”