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“Look at me, Snow,” he commands quietly. I look up, green clashing with hazel. “Nothing about your feelings is silly. Don’t dismiss yourself like that. I want to know what’s going on inside that beautiful head of yours.”
I duck my head, hating the blush that stains my cheeks. “Sometimes I forget,” I start, keeping my eyes firmly fixed on my lap, “that you’ve had this whole other life without me. You’re Cassian, but not the one in my memories. You’ve had adventures and experiences that I’ll never know about, learned things I didn’t know you knew.” I gesture toward the food. “I know it’s foolish, doesn’t make sense. It’s been four years—of course, you have lived your life. It’s little things like this that remind me of it.” I lean back, keeping my head bowed. “You’ve even returned a prince. I find it difficult to reconcile the old Cassian with the new.”
His chair scrapes against the flagstone floor, and I can hear him moving around the room. He kneels before me, and gentle fingers lift my chin. “I am still me,” Cassian murmurs softly, locking his gaze on mine. “I am still the boy that danced amongst the flowers with you. I am still the one that watched over your cradle with a wooden sword clenched tightly in my hand. I’m still the Cassian you spilled all your darkest secrets to. As for being a prince—” He makes a dismissive noise in his throat. “That means nothing to me. It’s a lost title, something that might have been. It holds only one significance.”
I swallow down the lump forming in my throat. “What?”
He places both hands on my cheeks. “I have loved you always. But I was nothing more than a lowly huntsman. I knew I could never be anything more than that—a protector, someone to guard your back.”
I rear back, shaking my head. “That meant nothing to me! How could you think—” He cuts me off by placing a hand over my mouth.
“I know my status didn’t register with you. But think. Would your father have allowed such a match? Or the people? Do you honestly believe anyone would accept such a thing?”
My eyes narrow. Is he saying . . .? My chair screeches as I push back, coming to my feet. I back away, shaking my head. A multitude of pictures run through my mind. Cassian holding my hands during my father’s assault. Holding me while I cried into his chest. Dancing with me, chasing me. Arguing with his father outside the dungeon window.
My back crashes into the wall as more memories come. Early ones of me standing in my cradle, arms thrust out for him to pick me up. Cassian scooping me up when I fell. Cassian hiding me away when Morana would roam the halls, screaming my name. Sleeping outside my door to protect me. Haunting me around the cottage, always there, always ready to catch me.
Tears course down my cheeks.I have loved you always.Those were his words just moments ago. Intense waves of feeling slam into me, making my knees buckle and my breath hitch painfully. He rushes forward, catching me before I hit the floor.
I’ll always catch you.
“You love me,” I gasp out in wonder, my hands fisting in his navy doublet. I’ve been so blind. His hands slide into my hair, tilting my head back.
“Of course, I love you. It’s always been you, Snow.” His lips come down on mine, and my heart soars. I wrap my arms around Cassian’s neck, twining my fingers in his soft hair. His kiss deepens, urging me to open for him. I acquiesce, and his tongue slides into my mouth, dancing with mine. Frissons of heat spark under my skin, shooting straight to my core.
Cassian pulls away and rests his forehead against mine. Our breaths mingle, and I take the moment to revel in the feeling of rightness. When he steps away, I drop my arms, already missing the feel of his around me.
Afterchokingdownthecold oatmeal, Cassian leads me outside, our hands firmly entwined. Squinting against the sun, I ask, “So, what plans have you been hatching?”
Cassian chuckles and grins down at me. “We both missed out over the last few years. I thought we could show each other our new skills.” He tosses his free hand out, and I glance around curiously. We’re in the training yard, and he’s laid out an assortment of weapons. My bow and a quiver full of arrows. Two wooden swords, his axes, and a couple of knives.
My lips stretch into a wide smile. “You’re on.” Dashing over to the stack of weapons, I scoop up the swords, tossing the bigger one to Cass. He catches the hilt with one hand and spins it around, his face splitting into a grin.
With a laugh, I rush forward, and our swords clash with a loud crack. I jump back before bringing it down sharply. Cassian blocks me. He spins away, then rushes at me, tapping me on the waist. I growl and narrow my eyes at him. Cassian laughs heartily and gestures to me to come for him. Over and over our swords collide. My arm trembles as I block one more blow, and we lean into each other over the blades, panting heavily. “Yield,” Cassian demands loftily.
“Never,” I gasp. I back away from him, dragging the sword on the ground. He lowers his head and licks his lips, his eyes turning from sage to emerald. He stalks toward me, a deliciously evil grin spreading across his face. My heart skips a beat and the exhaustion flees.
“You will,” he says in a deceptively calm voice.
“I am your princess. You will be the one that bows before me,” I throw back haughtily, straightening my shoulders and leveling him with a cool look.
Cassian barks a laugh and tosses the sword to the side. My eyes grow wide and I gulp. “Run.”
“What?”
“Run, princess mine.”
Chapter 22
Snow White
Exhilarationrushesthroughmysoul as I spin on my heel and dash into the forest. My feet pound against the moss-covered ground, my heart drumming rapidly while my laughter soars amongst the trees. Deer, rabbits, and chipmunks scatter, racing to hide from the beast stalking me.
A roar shatters the silence of the forest, sending delicious thrills of excitement through me. My gaze catches on an ancient oak tree a few yards ahead with thick branches low enough for me to reach. My feet pick up their pace while my lungs gasp for air, and as I near the tree, I leap up, my hands scraping along the rough bark. I pull myself up, my feet scrambling against the air for purchase. I manage to swing myself onto the branch before darting farther up, allowing the thick canopy of leaves to hide me from view.
Aren can’t run as fast as I can through the woods, not with his height and girth. The trees are too close together to allow him easy passage. If he truly wanted to catch me, he wouldn’t have shifted. I settle down to wait, allowing my heart and breaths to calm.
The sound of snapping twigs below alerts me to his presence. Peeking through the thick foliage, I spy him stealthily padding toward my tree. I bite my lip, making sure to keep still and my breathing calm. The tree shakes, and I tighten my legs around the branch. Aren’s front legs rest on the trunk, his gaze triumphant as it locks with mine, his teeth glinting in the sun in a leonine smile. Or, that’s how I’m interpreting it.
