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

A Sea of Stars

However, after rubbing my eyes, I noticed that Caiden's spot was empty.

A sense of panic sent electricity skipping across my neck. Of course, there was no reason to panic entirely as he could've had the same idea as me, but the thought of an animal sneaking in here to take him still teased my irrational mind.

Careful not to awaken the others, I pushed myself up to slip outside.

My heart eventually calmed when I saw Caiden's brown waves flowing in the wind from between the trees.

I searched the dark surroundings for predatory eyes before I ventured to the edge of the cliff Caiden was sitting on.

"What are you doing out here, Caiden?" I whispered before touching his shoulder to alert him of my presence.

Caiden calmly turned his head to greet me with a smile. "I couldn't sleep," he said, patting the empty spot beside him. "You?"

"Same," I said, accepting his offer. "I hadn't expected your sister to snore so loud."

Caiden chuckled gently. "She's not a large girl, but she has always had lungs like an Air Iridis."

I smiled and directed my eyes toward the horizon.

Crickets were singing their melody and the gentle wind whispered in the trees, but those were the only sounds disturbing this peaceful night. We'd left the city and its noise behind, which was suddenly very apparent while sitting here.

"Are you cold?" Caiden asked when I trapped my hands between my thighs.

"A little," I said, my eyes studying my tense lap.

I'd left my cloak behind in the cave because Piper had been lying partly on it, and I hadn't wanted to wake her up. The wind was biting my cheeks, but it wasn't unbearable yet.

"Come here," Caiden said before wrapping his arm around my trembling body.

My heart fluttered nervously in my chest when he pulled me closer to have his cloak cover both of us. "I-It's okay, Caiden. You don't have to—"

"Just let me help you, Will," Caiden said, interrupting me before I could push him away. "I know you're used to doing a lot of things on your own, but it's not a weakness to let others help you. You're cold, so let me warm you."

My cheeks burned hot when he squeezed me tighter.

I was about to open my mouth and tell him about all the times I'd asked for help in recent years when I heard a thump quickly followed by another.

Was that his heart? Was his heart racing?

I looked up, noticing his face glowing faintly blue in the dim light and his lips stretched into a thin line.

Was he nervous?

"Stop looking at me like that," Caiden muttered when I kept staring bewildered at him.

I fluttered my eyes a few times before directing my curious gaze the other way. "Sorry," I mumbled, still attentively listening to his quickened heartbeat as if I thought it would stop if I didn't.

Caiden sighed. "I didn't mean it like that, Will," he said, resting his chin on my head. "I— You have no idea what you're doing to me, do you?"

I trapped my lips between my teeth, unsure of what to say.

"I have never hit anyone outside a battle arena before. Did you know that?"

What? But that—

"I have never yelled at my uncle before, let alone even considered rebelling against any of my father's wishes for my future. I always knew where my fate was supposed to take me, and then you appeared."