Page 232 of The Crown's Awakening
“I did not.”
“You clearly shifted,” I reply, narrowing my eyes. “You knew I would win otherwise.”
“You would not.”
I frown at him. “Close your eyes.”
“Now why would I do that?”
“Because I am annoyed with you,” I say, lifting my chin slightly. “And you do not get to look at me while I am undressing.”
He leans back slightly, laughter breaking free without restraint.
“Very well,” he says. “If that is the punishment.”
He closes his eyes.
I slip the robe from my shoulders and step into the water, the warmth immediately easing the lingering tension in my body.
“How did you know which one?” I ask after a moment, glancing at him.
His eyes open slowly. “This is the temperature you prefer.”
I pause.
Something in me softens at that, though I do not let it show.
“I am still annoyed with you,” I say.
He reaches for me anyway.
His hand finds my waist, drawing me closer, his mouth brushing lightly along my neck, slower this time, more familiar than urgent.
“I wonder,” I murmur, “how long you think you can keep pretending you are in control of this?”
He lifts his head slightly, studying me. “And if I am not?”
My legs wrap around him before I can think past it, the closeness immediate, instinctive, the connection between us returning without effort as he pushes inside me, the suddenfullness drawing a moan from my lips. The water laps around us, amplifying every movement. “You know I can’t think when you do this, Colsar,” I gasp, clinging to his shoulders.
“Hmm?” he hums, a smirk tugging at his mouth as he thrusts again, slow but deep, making my breath hitch.
Before I can repeat myself, a familiar voice cuts through the steam-filled air. “Nephew, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen you in these pools before. And with Asharin, no less.”
There is something in his tone that shifts the air immediately.
“Queen Asharin,” he says sharply.
I turn slightly.
Kentan stands at the edge of the water, entirely at ease, entirely unbothered. “Yes,” Kentan says lightly. “She is queen.” His gaze lingers just a moment longer than it should. “But we are family, are we not?”
The warmth of the water does nothing to cool the tension that moves through me.
I hold still, Colsar still inside me, feeling the air thicken with a subtle, charged energy as he uses his power to make the atmosphere tense. The water around us seems to hum with it, a silent warning rippling outward, though it’s unclear if Kentan even notices.
“Oh, stop it, nephew,” the voice says, a hint of amusement cutting through. “I’ll call her queen if you want.”
I hear a splash behind us as Kentan settles into his usual pool, the sound sharp against the quiet. Colsar’s face remains cold, his jaw tight, eyes narrowed with barely restrained irritation. Fromthe distance and angle, it’s hard to tell if Kentan can see much beyond our heads above the water, the steam and ripples likely obscuring the rest.
