CAGED (#3, of Crows and Thorns)

Chapter 31

Graysen had been considerate of Sage. He'd brought my friend to me when he knew I needed one most. He'd brought toys for Sage and made sure my wraith-wolf had water and mangy chicken carcasses every morning and evening. Though it was a closet for fucks sake, I did have my own bedroom and private space, when he could have so easily gone with his family's plan and trapped me in darkness below the Keep. Down there, with my fear of the dark, I would have shattered and broken.

There were other things he did too, like when he'd moved the armchair for me onto the balcony without being asked. Or there was always a glass of water within reach or something to snack on that he knew I liked, and he made sure there was honey for my tea rather than sugar.

But we hadn't ever talked like other people. Over the course of my sister's engagement to Corné Pelan, we hadn't chatted as we'd grown together. We hadn't exchanged dialogue with everyday normal conversation in how a boy meets a girl in the usual sense, with both getting to know one another through trivial information.

But, I reminded myself, Graysen and I weren't normal. There was and never had been, anything normal about our relationship. Ever.

Sage flopped down by my feet, stretching his big body out and I turned back to sifting through Tabitha Crowther's romance collection.

I didn't have many books that I liked to read in Graysen's room. He liked off-beat classics and a few trashy bestsellers full of mystery and intrigue. Interesting enough, but not romance. I missed my Kindle. I missed my steamy romances.

There was a small grouping of books. The series captured my attention. They all had titles referring to a Princess. Scouring through them, I pulled out a few and flicked through the first couple of pages, until I had a handful that was of a certain heat level I was curious to read, stacking them on top of one another on the coffee table. The last book had a startled laugh bubbling from my throat, which was genuine and true, and gifted me a moment of light-heartedness. The cover had a man, his white shirt gaping wide to reveal a buff chest as he leaned into a swooning woman with a tiara sitting on the crown of her dark-haired head. I purposely cleared my throat, raising my eyebrows when I'd ensnared Graysen's attention. I wiggled the front cover of the book in front of him and gave a faux gasp, a hand clasped to my chest. "They wrote a book about us."

This time his lips twitched as he pressed back a smile, reading the title: The Princess and the Jerk.

For a moment, just for a moment, I forgot myself. And I grinned.

He did too, his striking features lightening at that moment.

And then I remembered where I was and what he planned for me.

I'm not your prince, little bird. I'm going to steal you from everyone you love.

Ice filled my veins.