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)
Prince Cassius
Ten Miles from The Northwest Border of The Enchantments
WODELL
Night had fallen, and Cassius sat on a log by the fire, his eyes to Elena, his ears trying not to hear the whispered murmurings and soft noises being made by Mac and Jasmine where they were sitting on their own log not far away.
He realized that Elena, seated across the fire from him, was doing the same —trying to ignore the lovers, and failing —when she stood and announced, “I’m going to go sit by the brook for a while.”
She then went to their tent, came out of it with a blanket, and he watched her head in the direction of the brook.
“Do you want me to follow her?” Ian asked.
“No,” he answered and stood, turning his attention to the nuzzling lovers. “Take it to a tent,” he ordered.
Mac broke it off to look up at him and say, “Grand idea.”
He then stood, dragging Jazz up with him and heading toward his tent.
Cass watched them disappear inside, then he glanced about the others.
“I’m joining Elena,” he stated.
“Grand idea,” Hera muttered.
He speared her with his gaze and then turned to Ian. “It’s not far. We’ll be all right but keep an ear out.”
Ian nodded.
Cassius moved but headed to his and Elena’s tent first, nabbing the other blanket, for the night was cold, colder not near the fire, before he traced her steps.
In the days (and nights) since they’d met the Zees, he’d spent time with her and slept at her side, holding her as he did so.
But he knew she’d grown frustrated.
She had, first, because during their days riding beside each other, she’d attempted to get to know him better. But although her questions about him and his life in Sky Bay were thoughtful and delicately stated, any answers he could give were dark and bleak, and he did not wish to burden her with them.
So he didn’t.
Which he knew, the longer this lasted, the more it seemed he was being closed from her. Distant.
She was also frustrated because he knew she wished his attentions in another way, these physically, in the night, and she communicated this through tentative touch and a tortuous amount of her long-limbed body restlessly shifting against his.
But he didn’t give these attentions to her.
This was mostly because he wished to give them to her, very much so.
Indeed, too much so.
In fact, it was all he could bloody think about when he wasn’t thinking about how to share about himself, without burdening her with what he was sharing.
However, what he didn’t wish was for her first time to be in a small tent without a lot of room to move, thus room for him to be certain to see to her, as well as no light, so he could not see with his eyes if he was seeing to her, and last, with too many people close by.
This event should be special.
His first time had not been.
At fifteen, he’d fucked a whore his brother had forced him to go see, doing so while his brother and his brother’s mates shouted raunchy encouragement through the door.
He wanted different for Ellie.
Better.
Much better.
And that was what she would have.
Further, Cass had no idea if he would cause her pain, even make her bleed, and he didn’t want them to be where they’d been if those eventualities occurred.
He also knew his response to her enough to know that he couldn’t give her even a little, for if he did, it would spin out of control.
Because he wanted it all.
And as the days slid by, he wanted her more and more.
However, watching what stunningly seemed to be blooming between Mac and Jazz, who bickered a great deal, and fucked even more, was putting right in front of Elena’s face what she did not have with Cassius.
They’d make The Enchantments mid-morning the next day. She said the ride to the center, where her mother was, Dora was, Aelia was (they’d heard word she had arrived), and Elena’s treehome was located was about half a day’s ride farther.
Once there, they’d have a good deal to occupy their attention and very little time alone.
He’d wasted what they’d had, for a reason, but their time was nearly gone.
He had to give her that reason.
And to do that, he had to burden her with it.
He saw her golden hair in the moonlight where she sat beside the brook, watching the lazy but colorful flight of the pixies, these streams of bright Cassius had noted were getting fewer in the evenings as the leaves fell and the temperatures cooled.
She but glanced over her shoulder at him when she heard his approach, then turned back to the brook.
He sighed, carried on toward her, and when he arrived, he dropped his blanket to the still-green, lush, thick grass by the water and joined her on the blanket she’d set out.