The Raven Flame [The Crown Saga III] (First Draft)

Spirits Tell no Tales

I expected the warmth of his heated body to embrace mine and all my fears to disappear like steam. Instead, his hands gently seized my face, lifting it upward.

Butterflies erupted in my stirring stomach as the warmth of his generous lips covered mine in a blissful kiss.

The world around me disappeared, leaving only warmth and a version of my own paradise to surround us. This was the first kiss we'd shared since that day, offering me a glimmer of faith in these hopeless circumstances.

"Bless the spirits," Caiden whispered against my lips as he pulled back to rest his forehead against mine. "But how. I thought we agreed that you wouldn't teleport again until we figured out what was going on with you."

I wrapped my fingers around his wrists and closed my eyes to relish the feeling of having his body close to mine.

"The secret tunnels," I whispered, fighting the urge to rise to my toes to steal another kiss. We weren't alone.

I had teleported, just not to get out of there. Of course, Caiden didn't need to know that yet.

Caiden chuckled, the rumble sparking a flare of joy in my chest. "Of course."

A muffled curse sounded from Tarkan's leashed body, drawing me toward my initial question. "Why is Tarkan here?" I asked, pulling back from Caiden without letting him go. "And how did you know that my truth had been revealed to his eyes?"

Caiden opened his mouth to answer me but was interrupted by Art. "My nephew may be intelligent, but I urge you to keep an eye on him, Willow. He has a bad habit of letting his emotions get the best of him in certain situations."

I raised one eyebrow when Caiden sighed with a defeated expression. "Thank you, Uncle."

Tarkan's eyes were narrow when I looked back to analyze his reaction. So, that bruised eye was probably Caiden's doing. Of course, that still didn't answer how Caiden and Art knew that Tarkan had intended to reveal my secret to the king.

"Tell her what she needs to know," Art said, buttoning his shirt again. It was always strange to see him dressed like a royal instead of his usual attire. "I'll retrieve Miss Weldon and Miss Harrington. Unfortunately, we need to leave sooner than anticipated."

A strong gust of wind stirred papers and dust into the air as Art summoned his powers to teleport. Then he disappeared.

Caiden sighed and turned around to face me again. "I noticed Calix darting very determinedly through the hall when I stepped out from the hall to catch a breath of fresh air. I caught up to him and asked where he was going in such a rush. When he refused to answer me and smiled the way he usually does when something is wrong, I asked the question a little less politely."

Tarkan narrowed his functioning eye when Caiden glanced at him, scoffing in discontent.

"I brought him here when he mentioned a secret combined with your name. I may have gotten a little carried away when he tried to claim that you threw yourself at him. Fortunately, he had apparently depleted himself of energy during his fight with you, so it was fairly easy to—"

The sound of rope snapping shook me before Tarkan suddenly jumped to his feet, his violent hands reaching for Caiden's throat.

"Caiden!" I gasped, but Caiden was already five steps ahead.

Inches before Tarkan's fingers wrapped around Caiden's neck, Caiden stepped sideways and jumped. His body twisted sideways in the air until his arm touched Tarkan's back, allowing gravity to do the rest.

Tarkan grunted loudly when his chest was forced into the ground as Caiden landed on him. "Get off me, you traitor," Tarkan hissed, seemingly struggling to catch a good breath.