I bite Quinn’s hand, and she reaches the other one around to cover my mouth again. I reach out with my shadows, but I’m too far from Ronan or the torch.
“Tell me this isn’t enough for you.”
“It isn’t,” says Taran weakly.
“Are you sure? Or is this exactly what you need? Do you want me to stop?”
I stop fighting Quinn and listen. If Taran refuses him and Seth doesn’t listen, I’m stepping in. I don’t care that he’s my brother. I won’t stand by and let something like that happen.
I hear nothing at first. No refusal from Taran.
Then there are soft sounds: the rubbing of fabric, the scraping of bark. Quiet moans and gasps.
“Don’t stop,” says Taran through a sigh. He curses in Orsan.
“Oh, Taran,” says Seth, his voice muffled. “You beautiful idiot. How many times must I tell you? You don’t have to fall in love with me. You can just fall in love with my mouth.”
I elbow Quinn in the side hard and run out of the woods. I don’t care if they hear me. I already know far more than I wanted to.
Quinn laughs uproariously when she makes it back to the reception a little while later. “Seth is going to be so pissed that you ruined that for him. But I’m pretty certain they’ll resume later—”
“No more. I don’t want to know anything else.”
“What’s wrong, my love?” says Ronan, rushing over to me.
“Seth and Taran were—”
“I said no more!”
Quinn makes a lewd hand gesture at Ronan, who chuckles until he looks down at my scowling face. Then he tries very hard to look like he’s sympathizing with my misery, but he can’t stop himself from smiling.
“It’sSeth.How can either of you be happy when it’sSeth?”
“I’m just happy Taran’s getting some action at last,” says Quinn.
“Same. You have no idea how long it’s been for him. Even if it ends in flames, at least it’ssomething.” Ronan wraps his arms around me. “Come on, darling. It’s spring. Love is in the air. And there’s a big fight ahead of us. It’s normal to want to find someone to keep your bed warm on the eve of battle. Don’t begrudge them that.”
“Speaking of which,” says Quinn, downing an entire glass of wine in a single gulp and setting her sights on Octavia. “Congrats, guys,” she yells back over her shoulder as she walks away.
“Is that why you agreed to marry me? So I could keep your bed warm on the eve of battle?” I’m trying really hard to lookannoyed, but there’s absolutely no hope of keeping this up when Ronan is looking at me with so much affection.
“That’s not even in my top three reasons.”
“Oh? And what are those reasons?”
Ronan places his hand on the small of my back, pulling me to him. “Well, first off,” he says, whispering in my ear. “I love you.”
He kisses me on my forehead, his hands clutching my face.
“And second?” I ask.
“Second,” he says, tilting my chin up to look at me. “I love you.”
He kisses me on each cheek and then right on my nose.
On my freckles.
“And third?” I whisper, my hands clutching his chest in anticipation.
