Total pages in book: 208
Estimated words: 209645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1048(@200wpm)___ 839(@250wpm)___ 699(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 209645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1048(@200wpm)___ 839(@250wpm)___ 699(@300wpm)
“This is probably wise,” he murmured.
“Are you offended?”
He was not.
But at her question, he was perplexed.
“Offended?”
She put her chin to her arms again to catch his gaze.
“There was no fanfare. No great parade. No grand celebration the Prince of Airen had arrived. Just tea and cakes and we were sent off home so I could make you a humble dinner of hearty vegetable pie and treacle tarts.”
He smiled at her. “It was good tea and cakes.”
“Cass.”
“And you’re an excellent cook, which is surprising.”
At that, Elena appeared perplexed.
“Why is that surprising?”
“A woman handy with a staff and a wooden spoon? You’re every man’s dream. While I sit back and get fat, you can feed me and defend my citadel.”
She lifted up in order to slap his bare chest but did this grinning.
“Not to mention, that pie was delicious and there was not a measure of meat in it,” he went on.
“I shall make you swear off meat,” she declared.
“You shall not,” he returned.
She gave him a stubborn look.
Cass had one arm about her, he wrapped the other one around, dragged her up his chest then rolled her to her back with him now pressed chest to chest to her.
When he had her as he wished, he whispered, “I am not a fanfare type of prince.”
“Well, that is good, for the Nadirii lack fanfare.”
“You are at ease here,” he noted.
“I’m home,” she replied.
“When all is said and done, lamb, if it is allowed for me to accompany you, we will find times to make certain you can be in your land where you feel home.”
He could tell what this meant to her when she breathed, “Cassius.”
“And even if I cannot accompany you. You will need to come home regardless, with Theodora, and if she wishes it, Aelia.”
Her expression softened, her hands came to his face, and he knew what that meant to her when she asked in a very low whisper, “Do you think we can have sex silently?”
“No.”
She frowned.
“Papa!” Aelia shouted from her fluffy pallet that was the level below, one Dora—apparently happily—shared that was Dora’s own. This shouting demonstrating why they could not have sex at all. “When you marry Elena, will Dora be a princess?”
“Yes!” Cass shouted in return.
“Yippee!” Aelia cried and went on loudly. “See, Dora! I told you!”
“She will?” Elena queried.
“Yes,” he repeated.
“Is that standard royal procedure?”
He raised his brows. “Do I care? I’ll be king. The only good thing I learned from my father, I can do what the fuck I want when I am king.”
She smiled up at him and through it said, “Are you absolutely certain we can’t have sex silently?”
He very much wished he could answer differently.
Alas, he could not.
“Yes.”
“Papa!” Aelia yelled.
“My darling girl!” Cass yelled back. “In fifteen minutes, if I go down there and I don’t find two sleeping beauties, I shall be most cross.”
A moment of silence before…
“We’re going to sleep right now!” Aelia assured.
“Is she going to go to sleep?” Elena whispered.
“Hell no,” Cassius muttered. “But she will stop shouting.”
Elena stifled a giggle.
Cass smiled at her as she did.
His smile faded, and his hand lifted so he could again stroke her cheek.
As he did this, his mind also wandered.
“Sweetheart,” Elena called gently, and when he focused on her again, he knew where his mind wandered could be read easily.
“I don’t wish to—” he started.
“I thought we learned about sharing.”
“We never had this,” he admitted. “She died giving birth. We never had—”
Ellie wrapped her hands around either side of his neck and stated firmly, “Her name was Liviana. She lived. She loved you. You loved her. She gave you a daughter. She is a part of our lives, a part of you, a part of your girl. Her name is Liviana, Cass. And it will not harm me at all if you speak it to me.”
They could not have sex.
But he could press a hard kiss on her lips.
And after she gave him her gift, this he did.
When he lifted away, he shared, “I never held Liviana in my arms and shouted at our daughter to go to sleep.”
She stroked the skin at the back of his ears with both thumbs, murmuring, “You’ve lost so very much. It would break a weaker man.”
“Make no mistake, I am broken, Ellie.”
“You appear quite whole to me.”
“It’s an illusion.”
“Then you are a master illusionist.”
“Ellie—”
“Cass, a broken man does not let the world melt away when confronted with the beloved daughter he has not seen in some time. There was no one for miles when you first held her in your arms. A broken man would be lost to her. He would be lost to everybody.”
She paused, as if reflecting, before she continued to speak.
“I would say you were lost after your mother was gone, though more, it was about never really having a home or a family. And Liviana found you. In her, you had both. And you thought you were lost after Liviana was gone. But you haven’t been. Aelia’s had a hold on you while you’ve been drifting. You just need to find your feet again, and you’ll be fine.”