Casteel’s words, his voice—all of him—had eased my nerves by the time he parted another heavy curtain of limbs. Beyond him, I saw that we’d reached the bank of the River of Rhain. And then I saw Kieran.
Sitting by the edge of the river, he rose and faced us as we walked out into the narrow clearing. He wore only breeches like Casteel had on under his cloak. I’d seen him shirtless hundreds of times, sometimes without even a stitch of clothing, but it seemed different now. “I was beginning to wonder if you were going to sleep the night away.”
“I have a feeling she’d stab me if I allowed that,” Casteel commented as the wisteria limbs fell back into place behind us.
I shot him an arch look. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”
“It’s okay.” Kieran grinned and looked up at the star-drenched sky as we stopped in front of him. “I didn’t mind waiting. It’s beautiful here. Peaceful.”
It was, with the water of the river so clear it looked like rushing pools of silver, the chirping birds in the trees, and the heavy, sweet scent of the wisteria. When Kieran’s gaze returned to me, I felt my heart skip. There was no room to think about anything but what was happening here. I cracked open my senses. What I felt from Kieran was the salty nuttiness of resolve. There was also something sweet and soft, a little bubbly and smoky. I didn’t sense any uncertainty. I felt the same from Casteel—well, almost the same. There was sugary amusement, and he felt hot with a different, heavier softness—spicy and sweet. I looked around. “Are we alone out here?”
Kieran nodded. “No one will get close to us.”
He said that with such certainty, I had a feeling I knew why. I turned to Casteel. “We’re being guarded?”
“By the wolven,” he confirmed. “They’re not close. They won’t hear or see anything, but they will make sure no one gets too near us.”
I nodded. “Do they…do they know what we’re doing?”
“Would it bother you if they did?” Kieran asked.
I thought about that and realized that it didn’t. Well, if Vonetta wasn’t with Emil and was among them, I truly felt sorry for her. Because that would be so awkward for her. “It doesn’t.”
Kieran’s approval was a ripple of buttery cake. “They see it as a great honor to protect such a tradition.”
“Oh,” I whispered, blushing. “I’m glad they approve.”
Casteel’s lips curved into a smile as he pressed them to my forehead. I drew in a shallow breath, the decadent scent of pine and lush spice surrounding me. His breath danced over my lips and then the curve of my cheek as he dipped his head to speak softly in my ear. “I thought you’d like it here, with the river and the wisterias.”
“I do.”
“Good.” He kissed the space below my ear. “Going to ask you again. Going to ask you a lot. You want to do this?”
Throat dry, I nodded.
His lips grazed the shell of my ear, sending a shiver through me. “We need to hear you speak the words, my Queen.”
“Yes,” I said, clearing my throat. “I’m sure.”
He pressed a kiss to the sensitive spot below my ear as his fingers brushed the skin at my throat. He unclasped the hooks, and the weight of the cloak fell away. “We can stop this at any time.”
“I know.” The touch of his fingers against my bare shoulders and sliding under the thin straps of the slip sent a jolt through my body.
He curled his fingers around the straps. “Nothing will happen—absolutely nothing—that you don’t want to take part in,” he said, kissing the underside of my jaw. “No matter what you think we may want or what you feel from us.”
“We expect nothing,” Kieran said, his voice close.
“I know.” My heart beat so fast, it was like the fluttering wings of a wild bird taking flight. “I’m safe with both of you.”
“Always,” Kieran confirmed.
Casteel’s lip brushed my chin. “And forever.”
A ridiculous surge of emotion swelled in my throat, and with my senses locked down, I knew the sweet rush was all mine. Tears crowded my eyes. I loved them. Both of them. In different ways and for different reasons that I didn’t understand, but I really did. And that knowledge left me a little unsteady.
Casteel’s hands lowered, and cool air followed the slip, sluicing over my chest and stomach and farther still until only moonlight dressed my skin. I shivered, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with the cool air. Casteel’s mouth touched mine, and it was another sweet and soft kiss.