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As I laid awake listening to the sound of Emilie breathing, curled up next to me in nothing but a thin, oversized shirt, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Just the memory of her pussy clenching around my cock had me seeing stars. I tightened my hold around her waist and breathed in the scent of her hair.
In this cold and damp prison, Emilie was my one beacon of hope. The reason I hadn’t completely given up yet. She gave me purpose, fulfilled my sense of duty and obligation to protect.
But now, we were verging on something more. Friendship didn’t seem quite right. We had an unbreakable connection—our clashing personalities melted under the heat of hardship, blended together through shared suffering and solidified with trust, compassion, and affection.
I needed her like I needed air, which was incredibly frightening for someone who had never relied on anyone but myself. And even more dejecting to know that one day, if we ever escaped, I’d have to set her free.
She was my pillar to lean on, but I wouldn’t be hers. Couldn’t be hers.
It gutted me to know that I had betrayed my brother. Would I even be able to look him in the eye if we ever saw each other again? If he knew the things I’d done, would he want my head on a stake?
I nestled closer to Emilie, seeking comfort in the soft curves of her hips, letting my fingers trace the skin under her breast. She made a soft, drowsy noise of approval, but otherwise did not stir.
I wished more than anything that we’d been given a different life. One in which I was her betrothed and we could spend lazy mornings in bed like this, without the threat of Reyna darkening our days. That alternate life would’ve been nice.
By sunrise, I’d nodded off again. When I woke, Emilie was already out of bed, the shower running in the next room.
I yawned, stretching as I sat up. Our breakfast was already sitting on a platter near the door, steam rising from two identical bowls of porridge. My stomach grumbled at the mere sight of it.
When Emilie returned with wet hair and flushed skin, I’d finished the entire serving and half of the fruit we’d been given as well. I looked up with a mouth full of berries, searching for any hint of what she was thinking. Or feeling.
She shifted her weight from foot to foot, running her fingers through the tangled mess on top of her head.
She bit her bottom lip before speaking. “So, do we talk about it or pretend nothing happened?”
“Definitely not the latter,” I blurted out without hesitation. That was an impossible ask. At the moment, I could hardly go ten minutes without thinking about sex with Emilie.
“Okay,” she said, licking her lips and staring around the room. Like it might provide some sort of relief for the awkward tension between us right now. “What do we do now?”
“For starters, you should probably have some breakfast.”
“I’m serious, Ladon.”
“What makes you think I’m not?”
“I…I don’t know.”
“You’re adorable when you’re flustered.”
“I am not flustered.” The rosiness in her cheeks darkened, and I stifled a laugh. Then she quirked her head to the left. “Did you just call me adorable?”
It was my turn to flush. I hadn’t meant to let that slip.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“How did you mean it?” she said with a sly grin.
“In the condescending way.”
“Liar.” Her grin expanded until the top row of her teeth was visible. Her eyes twinkled, and I found myself getting lost in them.
I couldn’t dispute her claims, so I only shook my head and rolled my eyes dismissively. Feeling as though she’d won, she retrieved her breakfast and began to eat with a grin of satisfaction.
I smiled too. Even though it hadn’t been my intention, I’d managed to resume our familiar banter and ease the tension. If she still felt any lingering awkwardness, she wasn’t letting it show.
That evening, I was called to Reyna’s room alone. Without the presence of her guests, it was the first opportunity I had to draw blood. Though now that Reyna had found a book in our room, it was unclear if we’d be allowed to return to the Scholars’ Cavern.
