The Thief and Prince

Chapter 23: Harper's Hollow

We spend the next six weeks traveling back to Paevia, riding from dawn till dusk. We only stop in small villages to purchase supplies that are absolutely needed, sometimes grabbing a hot meal but never staying for more than an hour.

The days are reserved for strictly business while the evenings are for practicing swordplay and relaxing by a crackling fire filling our bellies. The nights though, I save for Crispin. Exploring his body and committing every beautiful inch to mind. I run my fingers over the plains of his skin that I've never had reason to before—the curve of his cheekbones, the cupids bow of his lips, his heavy dark eyebrows, the straight line of his nose, the smooth skin over his collarbone....on and on I discover him until I know his body better than my own.

Usually—after he is spent and has drifted off, encasing me in his strong arms—I am wide awake, high from the mixture of hormones and adrenaline that course through my body. It's during these times that his warm breath heats my chilled skin with each exhale, and I lay in pure bliss as I study his face.

Ever since the first night we slept together I assumed things might be different between us, awkward even, but they're not. Instead, each look he gives me sends a warmth through my body that only he can supply and usually sends my mind in the gutter as I think about what the night will bring us.

Tomorrow we will arrive at Paevia, marking an end to our journey. In the beginning it was the only thing that mattered to me—a pocket full of coin with both my life and freedom still intact. Now it is more like a sentence which will break apart the bond between the four of us which I hold most dear. It also brings a looming thought to my mind that I try not to think about, but I glance at Crispin anyways who trots in front of me and feel my face fall.

Our return to Paevia means a return to our normal lives and routines. For him, that doesn't include me. Sure, he has told me time and time again that he wishes for me to be by his side, but were those empty promises he had no intention on keeping? Will he forget about me when he's back in his own bed? When he sits in court next to his father, having more important things to worry about than me? When the women he's slept with come knocking at his door in the middle of the night? When his father tells him that I am not a good match?

"Are you alright Cora?" Laria asks, saving me from my thoughts.

I look over to my left and give her a nod. "Just thinking about tomorrow is all," I tell her, stealing another glance at the raven haired boy. He chats lively with Amiri before tossing his head back in laughter at something what was said.

Laria follows my gaze and frowns, "He won't do that to you, you know. Crispin is a good man, a man of his word," she says, reading my thoughts. "If he's told you he wishes to stay with you then you should believe him."

Tearing my eyes away, I focus them on her and sigh. "Perhaps," I pause, "I fear that once he returns to his old life he will forget about me. Surely all of the delectable food, posh parties, and getting everything handed to you that you ask for might outweigh a life with a thief."

Laria gives a half-grin. "Aye, maybe. But you aren't a thief anymore, Cora. And besides, if there is one thing I've learned in my twenty-eight years, it' that when you find someone you love—truly love—you hold onto that with everything you have. That kind of love is priceless...immeasurable. As much as I hate to say it, given Crispin's track record with other women, I'm certain he realizes this too," she tells me. "That kind of love doesn't come around often and unfortunately, most people just have to settle."

Pursing my lips, I nod. Perhaps she's right...perhaps not. It's really hard to say.

"Do you and Amiri have any plans?" I ask, changing the subject.

She gives another half-smile and shakes her head to where her blond hair falls from her face. It too has grown, and where the side her hair was once shaved closely to her scalp, now dangles loosely a few inches from her ear while the other side now touches her shoulder.