My breath hitched when my back was pressed against the cold wall, spreading cold shivers across my naked shoulders.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Caiden's heat stung my skin in response to the icy chill spiking the nerves of my delicate armor.
"Caiden," I whispered, looking up to glimpse his mesmerizing eyes. They were shifting like the tide, silently debating which of my features to settle on.
He'd gotten rid of the blue blazer, undone the first two buttons of his dress shirt, and rolled up his sleeves, exposing more of his body than I'd seen in a while. The sight made my heart drum louder, but I stopped myself before I could submit to its desire.
"What are you doing here?" I whispered, shifting my eyes from his enticing lips to his bulging chest. It didn't help settle my heart, but I was trapped between his arms with nowhere to run. He'd see my cheeks turn golden if I looked up.
"Waiting for you," he whispered, goosebumps trailing down my neck as he leaned closer to my ear.
I held my breath when I thoughtlessly touched his chest to maintain some kind of distance between us.
His body felt warm underneath my hand—like a seductive invitation to a realm of passion and freedom.
Caiden looked down at my daring hand, then up at my flustered face again. His muscles flexed, and I felt his entire body tense.
The hand I held against his body was the one wearing Tarkan's heavy engagement ring. The crimson stones glistened in the warm, artificial light that surrounded us, catching the eye of anyone looking in my direction.
I'd wanted to take it off and throw it into an endless abyss more times than I could count, but I hadn't dared. I'd barely dared walk outside the boundaries of my room without it, fearing the ruthless eyes judging me.
Right now, however, the eyes judging me belonged to Caiden.
"You're still planning to marry him."
The words stung worse than the icy winter's frostbite. I wanted to say no, but the words refused to cross my frozen lips.
I couldn't even utter a sound.
Caiden moved his hand from the wall, and I had to bite my lip not to whimper as his fingers grazed my shoulder, tenderly following the invisible lines of my arm without whispering a word.
The silence made my senses particularly aware of his touch. His rough skin caressed my biceps, then my elbow past my wrist until he stopped before my fingers began.
I shivered when he intertwined his fingers with mine and brought my palm to his lips.
"Or did I simply misunderstand how you two acted in that dressing room?"
The spell of Caiden's touch broke the instant his voice turned hostile. He had no right to be angry with me.
"I told you two weeks ago," I snapped, ripping my hand out of his grip. "I have no intention of marrying your brother. Not then, not now. But why would you even care? You seem to have become somewhat affectionate with Piper as well. Maybe that's why I haven't seen a glimpse of you since—"
I regretted those words the moment I'd said them.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Caiden whispered as a veil of wounded sadness crossed his face.
I gritted my teeth, considering my following words carefully as I moved my eyes away from him again, pressing myself closer to the wall.
"I saw how you kissed Piper's hand," I whispered, my cheeks burning as I admitted to my foolish jealousy. "I—"
"Is that it?" Caiden asked, leaning closer again with a crooked smile. "Are you upset because I kissed Miss Piper's hand?"
I clenched my fists harder and bit the inside of my cheek.
It wasn't a lie. I had been slightly jealous when Caiden's lips had touched Piper's hand, but it wasn't why I was mad.
"Willow," Caiden said, reaching for my hand again. "I'll gladly promise you never to kiss another woman's hand again if it makes you happy, but I don't believe my relationship with Miss Piper is what truly bothers you."
"I—"
I looked up to tell him off, but when my eyes finally noticed our surroundings, the words became lodged in my throat.
Caiden had dragged me in here, which meant this world should've been a manifestation of Caiden's heart. Only, it wasn't the Storm Academy's view room like the last time we'd been here.
The golden paintings and curtains draping the bed to my right were unmistakable. We were in Caiden's bedroom.
"Why are we here?" I whispered, my eyes widening as they took in more of the room.
It looked exactly as it had done the day Caiden had kissed me, only a few steps away from where we were standing. Even the H2O bike was here.
Caiden sighed, no doubt understanding my question. Only he didn't answer.
"Why are we here, Caiden?" I asked again, my voice intense and unshaken.
"Do you remember what I told you about this room?" Caiden asked, rubbing the nape of his naked neck.
I nodded hesitantly.
"This room can only be accessed by the royals and becomes an external manifestation of what the user's heart desires."
Caiden nodded and gently brushed a rogue hair behind my ear.
"My room was where we were last alone. It was where we first kissed and where I promised to love you forever. You are what my heart desires."
His words should've touched me. It should've made me happy or, at least, made me smile. They didn't. Instead, they only fed my burning anger.
"Maybe you should try transferring some of those feelings to the one chosen for you," I muttered.
Caiden stepped back, looking at me with confused eyes.
"When I break my engagement to Tarkan, I'm going home. You'll likely be happier with Piper than me, and Heliac will have a more suitable queen."
I turned around to reach for the door so that I could escape. Things would only get worse if I stayed here.
"What are you saying, Will?"
Caiden grabbed my wrist to hold me back. I tried to fight him, but he only pulled me closer.
"Will," Caiden said, keeping me locked against his chest. "I love you. No one else, only you."
Tears sprung from my eyes. It only hurt more when he said those words. It was too much.
"You left me, Caiden!" I exclaimed, pushing myself away from him with such power that he was forced to let go of me.
I'd barely touched him, and no wind was in sight. How I'd gotten him off me didn't make sense, but I didn't overthink it.
"You left me to carry this burden of secrets alone! How can you claim to love me when you did that? You—"
"Don't you think I've tried sneaking away to see you?"
I turned mute, my heart jumping in my chest like a galloping horse. Tears still drenched my cheeks, but they no longer flowed like drops of a waterfall.
"Of course, I've been dying to hold you in my arms again, Will—to be there for you through everything—but Tarkan and Dad have been watching me like seekers. If I as much as moved outside the Golden Turret, they'd be right by my side with new assignments and new wedding decisions for me to make. I haven't had a waking moment to myself since I left you in Art's studio, and it has been slowly killing me."
For the first time today, I looked at him—I truly saw him.
Dark circles surrounded his tired eyes. His collarbone appeared sharper than I remembered, and his skin had a few small pimples tainting his otherwise perfect skin.
He looked burned out.
"I can only imagine how hard it must've been for you to keep quiet about your blood and our kiss," Caiden muttered, hiding his head behind his large hands. "I hate lying to my dad, but you're lying to your best friend. You have no idea how sorry I am, but seeing you with my brother today... It— It almost broke me."
I swallowed hard.
The guilt struck my stomach like a fierce fist, forcing every speck of air from my lungs.
Caiden must've felt like a prisoner in his own home. He'd never been free to do as he pleased. He'd always had someone watching him and dictating his life.
He'd chosen me. It wasn't something that could've been easy for him to admit.
"Caiden, I—"
"Please, don't hate me, Will, but I don't know how much more of this I can take," Caiden whispered, still not looking at me.
My heart melted its icy walls. Before I'd considered my options, my arms wrapped around Caiden's large frame.
"I don't hate you," I whispered against his chest. "I've just been scared and alone. I didn't even allow myself to consider how you've been. I'm sorry."
It took Caiden a few moments before I felt his arms surround me.
"I shouldn't have dragged you in here so suddenly," he whispered against my hair. "It was just my only option to escape my brother and get you alone. I didn't mean to scare you."
I squeezed him harder. "I thought Tarkan was going to talk to your father and convince him to annul our engagement," I finally admitted.
Tarkan's game had gone far beyond reason. It was time I revealed what kind of person he really was to Caiden.
"What?" Caiden muttered, not loosening his grip around me.
"My engagement to Tarkan was a clever plan concocted by your sister. She didn't want me to leave the castle and thought my rivalry with your brother was one of love."
Caiden snorted. "That sounds like Eos."
I hit Caiden lightly. He didn't react.
"She somehow convinced your father it was a great idea, and I was afraid to say no directly to the king in front of Heliac. So I said yes, but none of us wanted it."
"Willow," Caiden said, my body relaxing as he said my name with such ease. "I don't blame you for disliking my brother, but I'm still not sure I understand why."
I sighed, clenching Caiden's shirt until it was wrinkled. "Tarkan has been the one trying to sabotage my training."
Caiden pulled away from me with a puzzled expression. I didn't give him time to come up with his own conclusions and interpret the meaning of my words before I continued. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to linger in each others' presence for much longer.
"Tarkan was the one who switched the Raeewh during the first trial to one that could attack me. He switched my staff for a faulty one, and he—"
"Wait," Caiden said, rubbing his temples. "Tarkan did all that. Why?"
I shrugged. "He revealed his true colors during your birthday when I refused to kiss him. He wholeheartedly believes that I somehow tricked my way into this competition and that I belong in the dungeons with my family for breaking the rules. He thinks I came here to steal the crown or make you fall in love with me, and although he may not have said it directly, I don't think he likes the idea of me—a First-blood raised nobody—becoming part of the golden family."
It still made no sense to me after so long, so I didn't expect Caiden to understand either.
I braced myself for a flood of questions I would have no way of giving the answers to, but Caiden cupped my cheeks instead and moved my gaze to meet his.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Caiden whispered, keeping my eyes locked with his.
I pressed my lips together before I answered. "I wanted to, but Tarkan had a picture of us where it looked like we were kissing. Of course, we weren't, but it would've been my word against his."
Caiden's lips had turned into a thin line, and I was fairly sure he was gritting his teeth behind them.
"I'm going to kill that bastard," he hissed, letting go of me with a new target in mind.
"Wait, Caiden, you can't!" I exclaimed, grabbing his arm to hold him back. "Tarkan knows about us. He knows about our feelings and enjoys watching you squirm when you see us together. It is why he is now willing to actually marry me."
"All the more reason to go to my father," Caiden said, grabbing my hand to pull me closer. "We'll make sure these weddings won't happen. Not any of them. We'll tell my father—"
"You know we can't do that, Caiden," I whispered, feeling as if my dress became tighter around my waist. "Your father wouldn't understand. You're already bound by your duties to the crown, and he'll refuse to break either of our engagements."
"Then I'll make him understand. I won't bow down before him like I did before — not this time."
It was sweet that he was willing to fight for us, but it wasn't his father I feared.
"Caiden," I whispered, placing my palm against his cheek so I could look into his eyes. "I can't hurt Piper like that. She needs to hear this from me, not another wicked soul."
Caiden sighed, pulling me in for another hug. "You're too kind for your own good, did you know that?"
I chuckled against his chest. "We just need to figure something out before the weddings."
"I know," he whispered. "But, Will?"
I looked up into his smiling eyes.
"Let me take you away tomorrow. To a place where none of them will find us until we return."