Page 51 of Wrath Of Suns And Shadows (The Osparia #2)

The atmosphere inside was warm and inviting, the scent of aged wood and a hint of ale filling the air.

Kade tugged me along the rickety, wooden steps that were shadowed in the low lighting of the tavern.

I wouldn’t have noticed them if he hadn’t shifted our direction.

We made it to some sort of loft area with a large window that was unlatched and opened like a door.

It creaked open, and with a wave of his hand, he said, “After you.”

“This isn’t you dragging me off to kill me, is it?” I jested.

Sort of.

“That is the last thing I want to do, Bunny, but if I was, I certainly wouldn’t pick a place so public,” he said as he nodded toward the window again. I gripped the plush animal in one hand as I stepped out carefully.

“Move farther up the roof,” Kade commanded, and I obliged as he made his way out of the window to follow me.

Finally, we perched on the rooftop. It overlooked the sprawling expanse of the Ember Empire’s Imperial District. The sight that greeted us stole my breath away, and for a moment, I forgot I was a prisoner.

The festival was in full swing, bathing the city in a radiant glow.

I looked to Kade, who had pulled his hood down, so I did the same. “Kade, this is—”

“Look,” he interjected, and suddenly thousands of paper lanterns floated up into the night sky, casting a warm and enchanting light over the cobblestone streets and grand architecture.

My mouth fell open slightly as I took it in.

Glancing back over to Kade, I saw he held a lantern out for me to take, and with a snap of his fingers, flames appeared like a match from his fingertips. He lit mine before lighting his own.

“Make a wish,” he murmured to me as he closed his eyes to make one of his own. I did as he did, and we both released our lanterns together. They gently floated up to join the rest of them. As the last one drifted away, leaving only the stars above to witness our presence, I turned to Kade.

“Thank you for bringing me,” I whispered, leaning into him more than I should.

I wished this night wouldn’t end.

I gestured toward a corner table in the back of the tavern, and we sank into worn yet comfortable chairs. The clinking of glasses and the hum of chatter surrounded us.

After filling the glasses, we raised them in a silent toast before taking our first sips. I was sure a sour expression flashed across my features when Kade chuckled at my reaction to the stale beer.

“It gets better the more you drink,” he said, finishing his quickly. Noted. Drink until you can’t taste it anymore. So I chugged it and we both raised our hands for the server to bring us another. I tucked my hood a little tighter around my face anytime someone came over to the table.

“Nerves get better of you the more you drink too,” he mocked, taking another swig.

“ Ha, ha, ” I quipped, gulping down the mug, hoping I could drink it fast enough to not torment my tongue.

“Damn, took you guys long enough,” Evereht chimed in as he sauntered up to the table and sat next to his brother, already sipping on a drink.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I whisper-yelled. “I thought you were covering for us at the palace?”

“Yeah, I was, but I doubt anyone is going to come into your room in the middle of the night. Everyone thinks you're sleeping.”

I hadn’t even stopped to consider how late it must be already. The sun had been down since we’d been out here. It was definitely past midnight. But I could already feel the nerves and anxiety of getting back to my room slipping off my back like water as I finished my third mug.

“Have you danced yet?” Rhet asked as he finished his own drink.

“Uh, no, I can’t dance,” I admitted.

“Nonsense.” Rhet stood, offering me his arm.

“Care to have a go?” he asked with a wink, and I looked at Kade, who only nodded as if telling me to go.

I let out a light laugh and took his arm as he whisked me around the tavern’s modest dance floor.

I was certain I stepped on his toes more than once, but Rhet only twirled me around anyway.

In the next spin, I spun directly into Kade’s arms as he cut in.

“Hi, Bunny,” he murmured, and I couldn’t hide the smile that overtook my features.

“Hello, Prince,” I played along as he began moving me around the floor.

We danced effortlessly. So easily. As if nothing weighed us down. Me being the Peacebringer, him being the prince. Nothing else mattered but the time we were spending here.

The music swelled and our bodies found a rhythm—something changed. His gaze locked onto mine, and I could see a well of emotions swirling within his eyes. It was as if the world had faded into insignificance, leaving only this connection between us. One filled with so many unspoken words.

In the subtle pressure of his hand holding mine and the closeness of our bodies, I could sense my walls crumbling for a prince I should hate. But if I was honest with myself, they had crumbled long before tonight.

His other hand slid off the small of my back as we returned to our table, breathless and exhilarated.

The music had subsided, leaving only the echoes of our shared moment.

His gaze held a vulnerability I hadn’t seen before, a raw emotion that mirrored my own.

I looked down into the full mug sitting in front of me, grabbing it and taking it down in one swift motion.

Maybe I could lie to myself and blame the alcohol.

As the night’s end was drawing near, Kade and Evereht walked me back to the palace. Evereht and I playfully danced and twirled around the cobblestones beneath our feet. He swung me toward Kade.

“Come on, dance with me.” My words came out jumbled in my drunken stupor.

“You’ve had too much to drink, Bunny,” Kade said, twisting me into his side so he could wrap his arm around my waist to help me stumble along.

“Nonsense, you’ve had too little,” I said, and he and Rhet chuckled.

As we approached the palace, Kade veered off into a wooded area.

“What are you doing?” I asked, but then I realized that all of Ember thought I was sound asleep in my bed.

Kade grabbed my wrists and unlocked the iron cuffs. My power and strength returned instantly, almost knocking me to my knees with the alcohol burning through my system. Kade tossed the cuffs into Rhet’s bag that he was holding open for him.

“We have to go through a secret passage, Bunny.”

“It seems this place has a lot of secret passages.”

“It does,” he added.

“Why?” I asked. “Does the emperor know of them?” I pushed further.

“Some, but not all of them. You’ll find out why soon enough, but right now I have to cover you, just like when we went to the catacombs,” he said as he pulled a blindfold from his pocket. “Alright?”

“Alright,” I said, and he placed it gently over my face so I couldn’t see anything.

He walked me forward, keeping my cloak up and over my head.

Every rustle of leaves and snap of a twig felt amplified by being blindfolded.

We walked for what seemed like an eternity, but that could have been how it felt to my mind from the alcohol.

Suddenly, it got quiet. The crickets and bugs went silent.

Amid the stillness, I found myself leaning closer to Kade.

The ground seemed firmer, and our steps seemed louder in whatever entrance we had taken, like we were in a barren cave or hallway.

Soon, I heard the creak of a door opening, and then again.

A few tense moments passed before he undid my blindfold and we were both standing in my room.

“I’m afraid I’m tiring of your secrets, Prince,” I whispered, realizing how close I was to him.

I ran my hand up his chest without thinking.

I looked up at him, and he watched me intently.

His honey eyes practically burned into me.

Our faces drew closer, as if pulled by an invisible thread that had been woven between us from the moment we’d met.

The air seemed charged, almost tangible, as if a storm of emotions were gathering in the little space between our bodies.

Before I lost my courage, I leaned in without thinking and my lips grazed his in a whisper of a kiss.

He brought one hand up to cup my cheek while the other rested on the small of my back.

He paused for a beat of my heart, then two .

. . before his hand tangled in my hair and he kissed me without restraint.

The world faded into insignificance again, and there was only the taste, the texture, the overwhelming sensation of his lips against mine.

His scent engulfed me. The kiss began tentatively, a gentle exploration, like dipping a toe into calm waters.

But as our connection deepened, the kiss became urgent—desperate.

A dance of all-consuming passion that swept us away.

He swallowed my hum of pleasure as I gripped my fingers into his dark hair before I brought my hands to the front of his shirt and ripped it down the center, the small buttons clattering to the floor.

He grabbed my wrists, pulled away from our kiss, and set his forehead against mine gently. His eyes were closed as he took a few deep breaths.

“What’s wrong?” I pleaded as he released my wrists. I gently ran my hand over his scarred chest, hoping that whoever had hurt him so immensely had gotten what they deserved.

“We can’t.” His voice came out a graveled, uneven whisper.

“What, why?” I questioned.

“You’ve been drinking. I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret,” he said breathlessly.

“I won’t regret you,” I murmured, leaning back in to kiss him again, but he turned his head away, and I ended up kissing his jawline. He took a step back.

“You will.” He shifted quickly to move toward the door.

“Kade—” But the click of the door cut my words off as he left the room.

I made my way to the bed, holding back the tears burning behind my eyes. I lay there in the silence, left with the shadows creeping in from the dark corners for company.