Page 65 of Heart of the Raven Prince

“If you have a better way of training your powers, by all means, show me.” He crosses his arms, leaning back on his legs as he levels a look at me. “I’m waiting, Oisín.”

“I'm done with this,” I snap, inhaling deeply. “I’m exhausted, and I'm done with this fucking lesson for the evening. I just want to sleep.”

Strained silence stretches between us. Caden huffs but doesn’t disagree. He leads us off the path and I reluctantly follow. After a few minutes we stumble upon a shallow cave, barely big enough to fit both of us. He’s getting a small fire going as I rifle through the bag he packed for me. Pausing, I shove the items aside, digging and searching, until I'm certain I’ve looked over every single item no less than three times. Shoving the bag away from me with enough force that a few spare items of clothing go rolling out, I whip my head to Caden. “You brought food, right?”

“Yes, of course I brought food,” he says harshly. Then a beat passes. His brows crinkle and he mutters, “I’m almost positive I brought—”

“Oh, gods and fucking demons,” I all but shout as I stand and march out of the edge of the cave.

“Where are you going?” he growls. “Come back here right now. It’s not safe!”

“Nothing is safe, remember?” I call over my shoulder.

“Fine, but I’m coming with you.” He stands, marching after me.

Whipping around, I plant my hands on my hips and say, “There is absolutely no way I am letting you follow me. Human requirements. Basic needs. Do you understand what I’m saying or do I have to spell it out for you?”

He blanches, but begrudgingly sits back down.

“I’ll only be gone five minutes. A real five minutes.” Turning from him, I enter the woods. I had spied a berry bush not too far off the path to the cave, and I quickly locate it. The berries were small, deep-blue pearls. I grew up eating heaps of them by the fistful. I’m surprised to find a familiar fruit in this foreign land.

Shoving the tart but sweet berries into my mouth, I eat several mouthfuls before I fill my pockets. I’ll need to hunt something tomorrow, but this will do for tonight. I’m frustrated, having been primed for an evening of fighting just to be left aimless like the ghost of my past self, wandering a path that leads nowhere.

Turning from the berries I find a thicket of shrubs and see to my needs. Then I just spend a quiet moment standing alone. Hugging myself tight, I close my eyes and simply breathe. The events of my life are unfolding so fast it is impossible for me to keep up with them. I know I should be heading back; I don’t want to give Caden a reason to come find me. It’s strange, but I think the few moments alone, limited as they are, have helped. My ragged anxiety is beginning to morph into a tingling, pleasant euphoria.

A blooming giddiness is filling me. I’m lightheaded as I turn and begin walking back to the cave. I stumble, walking a bit sideways. Odd. I hadn’t tripped over anything. I stifle a laugh at my own stupidity, before making my way back to Caden. I never noticed how vibrant the colors were before. I thought this forest was a wash of grayscale, but now it is coated in shimmering purples, oranges, and bright blues. Just moments ago, the air felt chilly, like the entirety of the fae realm, but now there is a softly burning heat building in my cheeks.

Caden is stalking out of the edge of the cave as I come sauntering up to him, swaying slightly on my feet. Even though he’s glaring at me with those pitch-black eyes, and even though his power is wafting off him in waves, I’m ignoring all of that. I’m so focused on the way I feel, because—

Fuck me, I feel amazing.

“I know it appears to be your entire goal in life to infuriate me, but do you think for one evening you could—what are you doing?”

I walk right up to him, reaching out before I can stop myself. I’m running my hands down his wings and he’s gone rigidly still at the contact. His feathers are velvety soft, and I am entranced as I gently caress them, letting the ends flit over my fingers. That strange, unconcerned feeling is growing in me. I wonder if it has anything to do with the gently rising heat, or the fact that all the colors in the world just swapped. Light and dark traded places, and Caden’s now bright white eyes hold mine as he snaps, “Fawn, your pupils are the size of dinner plates, what the fuck did you eat?”

I’m not proud to admit it, but I giggle in response.

I want to cling to the noise, to hold it deep inside of me. But it bubbled up so suddenly that there was no containing it. It’s bizarre, but all that worry, all that anxiety that clung to me like wet, sticky mud, flows off me with ease. The more relaxed I grow, the more panicked Caden looks. I throw my head back and begin laughing louder, and I almost tip entirely backward, stopped only when he catches me. My legs buckle under me and he grunts as he hoists me up.

“Fuck the old gods, Fawn,” he grumbles in my ear.

“No, thank you,” I giggle. “They seem like a boring lay.”

“Oisín,” he chides, hooking his arm under my shoulder and attempting to walk-drag me back to the cave.

“Is that a lake?” I shout, yanking away from him and taking off sprinting after the glittering water. The air is tinged with frost, but fuck, I’m burning up. The only thing I can think is how good it will feel to have that icy water caressing me. I’m running toward the lake, throwing off my coat and leaving it in a trail behind me. I tug the loose cotton shirt out of my leggings and yank it over my head, tossing it aside when I make to dive into the waves.

Moments before I do, strong arms encircle my waist and pull me back. “You don’t want to do that, Oisín.”

His voice is like silk, and honey, and dark, private moments in the night. I purr at the sound of it, my toes curling as I grip the forearms holding me and begin to writhe my back against him. He goes instantly taut, before whispering, “Cruel fucking punishment.”

Before I can move, he scoops me up and begins to march us back to the cave. He’s holding me awkwardly out in front of him, like he doesn’t want any part of my skin touching his. But that’s ridiculous, who wouldn’t want to be touched? It feels incredible. I’m moaning, twisting in his arms, my hands trailing over my breasts and down between my legs. Like I’ve suddenly become a red-hot iron, he drops me flat on the ground. Soft, cold material that smells like cloves and musk hits my face, and I make a purely animalistic noise as I get lost inhaling it.

“For the love of the old gods, put on the damn shirt, Oisín,” Caden growls, and the tenor of his voice is enough to make me cry out, arching my back off the ground as my nerve endings burst.

“Caden, I want you to—”

“Don’t,” he cuts me off sharply, and something in his voice breaks through the hazy fog of ecstasy. His gaze is locked on mine, his body tensed like he is barely holding himself back. He’s standing rigid against the cave wall as far as he can get from me. He’s got his arms crossed over his shirtless chest, and I think I see a wispy black tendril creeping along his chest. I desperately want him closer, want to run my hands over the corded bands of his muscles. I twist and squirm along the ground, gripping the shirt he threw on me. His shirt. It smells like his skin, and I cling to it.