Chapter 25 #2
“A reminder of what? That your father is a horrible man?”
He snorts in amusement. “That every morning I wake up—it’s a reminder that I can fight, but I don’t always have to choose to fight.
Some battles are worth fighting, and I’ve learned over the years that some aren’t.
You, Princess, are worth that fight.” He squeezes my hand as if letting me know I don’t have to respond.
Something about him feels familiar—like we’ve known each other for much longer than the trials.
As we delve deeper into the cave, our conversation falls silent.
The only sound surrounding us is the gentle trickling of water from the rocks above.
A drop of water breaks loose from the ceiling, hitting me on the nose and causing my whole body to jump at the sudden sensation.
Silas shifts his attention to me, noticing my flinch.
He chuckles softly before turning to face me.
His strong hand reaches up to my face, gently wiping away the water.
His thumb glides from my nose to my cheek before he gently cups my face.
The intensity of his gaze sends electricity coursing through my body.
His eyes meet mine, and even in the darkness, his piercing green eyes radiate light.
Eyes that usually display composure and intensity now reveal a hint of concern.
I scared him earlier.
“I thought you were going to die earlier, Briar.”
Before I have a chance to speak, he brushes my cheek once more. I lean into his touch, closing my eyes for a moment. Just before I can open them, his lips gently meet mine. He pulls away just as quickly and says, “I’m sorry.”
His lips quiver slightly, but his hands remain on my cheeks.
“Don’t be.”
He releases my face but doesn’t break eye contact as his hands slowly travel down to find mine again. My whole body tingles in his presence as he pulls me toward whatever he wants to show me.
As Silas stops, my attention whirls to what lies in front of us. Before me is a body of water. The trickling sound I heard earlier came from here. This is where Oak saw something. However, this is not a normal body of water.
Beneath the surface, the water sparkles like fallen stars from the night sky. The droplets cascading from the rocky ceiling strike the surface in a rhythm, as if the water is serenading us.
“How did you know this was here?”
He lets go of my hand, and my body once more craves his touch. “We have similar caves throughout Andorwood. I suspected there might be one here. This one, however, is quite spectacular,” he replies.
The sparkles underneath the pond dance like diamonds floating.
I try to move closer, dazzled by the lights, but Silas stops me.
“It’s deceiving. The beauty of the water pulls you in, but you mustn’t enter.
Creatures cast images in hopes of luring you to the water’s edge.
Their goal is to drown you. Beautiful but deadly if you don’t know their secrets. ”
“But Oak retrieved water from here earlier!”
He stares at the water, the light reflecting off his eyes. “And Oak is a damn fool. A lucky one but a fool.”
Narrowing my senses, I can see a small set of eyes peering above the water through the darkness. The creature’s eyes are an unforgiving black as it waits for us to move closer. “Are they Serpyndens?”
He keeps his focus on the pair of eyes staring back at us. “They are similar. They are descendants of the same common creature, but worse.”
The creature moves, showing more of its slender body. Its gray, wet head, attached to an abnormally long neck, is plastered with black hair.
Silas notices its movement and steps between me and the water.
He shifts my body backward, away from the immediate danger.
Understanding that we’re not getting closer and that we’re not its prey, the creature vanishes back into the water.
The lights of the fallen stars fade on the surface.
We can no longer see the shimmers, but instead, we see the bones of the unfortunate souls who stumbled into this cave for shelter and water.
I gasp, stumbling backward, relieved the creature is out of sight. Silas chuckles softly. “It’s fine. Seeing things like this can save your life one day. They can’t leave the water.”
I nod and continue to move to the far wall. My shoulders relax as I realize we are completely alone.
Silas follows my lead as we sit a healthy distance from the pond against the cave wall. No longer in fear of a creature grabbing my ankles and dragging me to my watery death, I take a deep breath. Butterflies dance in my stomach from being this close to him once more.
“Briar, I know you won’t believe me, and you don’t trust me yet. But for years… I have longed to meet you—find you—for I have only called to you in my dreams.” He shifts closer, turning in my direction.
“Dreams?” The similarity between us knocks the wind from my lungs. “You dreamed of me? You are the one yelling my name?”
He takes a moment, pondering thoughts in his own head. He places one hand on my cheek, the other moving into my hair. My breath hitches at the touch as he pulls my face closer, our lips nearly touching.
“I’ve dreamed of you almost every night for five years.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw you. Standing in blood, surrounded by ruin.
I would scream your name until my own voice grew hoarse—trying to save and protect you—but I failed every time.
It was like you couldn’t hear me. I would wake exhausted and desperate to find this woman I called to nightly.
When I heard the news of a competition of deadly trials to win the heart of Daramveer’s Princess, Briar Blackbyrne, my world stopped moving.
I knew it was you, and I’d travel across any ocean, put myself through hell, and die trying to save you.
However, I’ve never been able to figure out how I knew your name in my dreams. Something connects us.
It’s as if the Gods whispered it to me, pushing me to find you, to help you. ”
That’s how I know him. Why he’s so familiar. I’ve heard him cry my name for years. I lean closer and breathe him in. Silas. The one I’ve also been desperate to find for so long—the man who wakes me from my darkest nightmares.
Our mouths collide as I grab the back of his neck.
His kiss is deep, almost feral, as if he’s longed for this moment for ages.
A shock moves between my legs as the need for him grows.
I deepen the kiss—my desperation taking over—our teeth clashing as I move closer to him, inviting our bodies to touch.
He groans into my mouth, his hand becoming tangled in my hair.
He slowly lays me back, making sure not to break our deep connection.
Returning the desperate feeling of needing to be touched, he moves his large body over mine.
I can feel him hard over me as my hands reach down, curious about what lies beneath his clothes. Impressive.
Desperate for more friction, I grind my hips against his body, a moan leaving my mouth. “Silas.” His hands begin to explore my body. Trailing down closer to my middle and back up, grasping my full breasts under my thin shirt.
“You are beautiful.”
He moves to my neck, his tongue licking every inch of my sensitive skin. He continues to move his mouth lower as his hands release my breasts and move to the waist of my pants, pulling them down. The cool cave air hits my skin, and a fire burns between my trembling legs.
“Oh Gods. Silas!” I moan.
He moves between my thighs and pauses, looking up at me. “You will be my only God, Briar. I will happily praise and bow to you. Say the word and I’m yours.”
My vision blurs at his touch so close to my center, my body burning for more of him.
His tongue sweeps around my most sensitive area before he looks up at me again as if savoring this moment, his piercing eyes looking at me.
His fingers plunge into my wetness as my back arches off the cold floor, the only thing keeping me from bursting into flames.
He pumps his soaked fingers in and out as his head lowers once more, his tongue joining in.
I run my fingers through his dark hair, my moan echoing through the cave.
Pleasure clouds my vision as he places one hand over my stomach, keeping me still so he can better devour me.
I hear a muffled laugh come from him as I know he’s enjoying my spasms.
“Silas!” I rasp.
I open my eyes to enjoy the sight of him before me. I could live in this moment for a lifetime. I watch him work, my prince drinking in my wetness like his thirst for me can never be quenched.
Tipping my head back, an explosion of electricity moves through my body as the release I was desperate for claims me.
A cry escapes my throat as I arch my back, moving my center closer to his face, praying he doesn’t stop.
His fingers continue to pump in and out of me, his rhythm quickening, as my core continues to clench around him.
“Fuck! You are magnificent.”
“Don’t stop,” I beg, clawing against the stone floor.
“Such a greedy girl.” He smiles against my center.
Getting up, he flips me onto my stomach, his pants falling to the ground with a thud.
The cold stone against my thin shirt makes me gasp, my breasts aching for more of his touch.
His hands dig into my hips, likely causing bruises, but the sensation of pain mixed with pleasure almost sends me over the edge again.
My breathing hitches as I anticipate what’s to come. Him.
A loud bang startles us from the opening of the cave. “Shit!” Silas yells. “What the hell was that?”
Before we can exchange a look, Oak’s scream in the distance tells us all we need to know. The wards must have failed.
“Run!” I say, quickly dressing. Silas does the same.
He bounds toward me, grabbing my face. “I have many things planned for you, Princess. Next time, there will be no distractions.” He smashes his lips into mine, and for a moment, the others don’t matter.
A smile forms at the corners of my mouth as Silas slaps my ass, sprinting to the mouth of the cave toward the noise.