Page 3 of Shattered Crown

“Jealous?” Silas shot back, sliding into his usual chair. He was acutely aware of Thorne's hand settling on his lower back, a constant warm presence.

“Of your disgustingly perfect happiness? Maybe a little.” Kai pushed the bread basket toward them. “You're literally glowing, by the way. Both of you.”

Silas touched his cheek self-consciously. He hadn't noticed, but now that Kai mentioned it, he could feel the subtle warmth beneath his skin. Residual magic from their night together, probably.

“We have things to discuss,” Thorne said, though he didn't remove his hand from Silas's back as he reached for the tea. “Beyond your commentary on our relationship.”

“Right, right. Business first, teasing later.” Kai's expression sobered. “I heard something in the village yesterday. Strangers asking questions about the Eldergrove. Well-dressed strangers, if you catch my meaning.”

Thorne's fingers tightened slightly against Silas's spine. “What kind of questions?”

“The careful kind. Nothing direct, but lots of interest in local legends, old families, that sort of thing.” Kai spread honey on his bread with deliberate casualness. “The kind of questions people ask when they're looking for something specific but don't want anyone to know what.”

They spread maps and lists across the table, planning their routes around bites of breakfast. Silas needed specific herbs for Agnes, ones that only grew in the borderlands between village and forest. Thorne would investigate the northern boundary, where ancient wards had been behaving erratically.

Throughout the discussion, Silas remained hyperaware of Thorne's presence. Their knees touched beneath the table. Fingers brushed when passing documents. Each contact sent little sparks through him, reminders of how thoroughly they'd claimed each other.

“You're not even trying to be subtle anymore,” Kai observed as Thorne's thumb traced idle patterns on Silas's wrist. “It's adorable and nauseating in equal measure.”

“Get used to it,” Thorne replied, unrepentant.

In the manor's armory, preparing for their separate journeys took on an intimate quality. Thorne insisted on personally placing protective charms on Silas, each one requiring skin contact to activate properly. What should have been a simple process became something more as Thorne's hands lingered, tracing the contours of Silas's body with reverent attention.

“This one goes here,” Thorne murmured, pressing a charm to the hollow of Silas's throat. His lips followed, blessing the spot with a kiss that made Silas's pulse jump. “And this...” Another charm, another kiss, this time at his wrist. “Here.”

By the time Thorne finished, Silas felt thoroughly marked, inside and out. He pulled Thorne against him, backing them both against the wall as he claimed a kiss that left them both breathing hard.

“If you two are quite finished,” Kai called from the doorway, “some of us would like to reach the village before nightfall.”

They separated reluctantly. Thorne pressed something into Silas's palm, a small crystal that pulsed with familiar warmth.

“Communication stone,” he explained, folding Silas's fingers around it. “If you need me, just hold it and think of me. I'll feel it.”

His instructions were thorough, delivered between smaller kisses as if he couldn't bear to stop touching Silas completely. How to activate it in emergencies, what sensations meant what, when to call for help versus when to handle things himself.

Silas could feel the concern radiating from Thorne, the reluctance to let him go even for a day. It mirrored his own unease at separation. They'd spent nearly every moment together since becoming lovers, and even this brief parting felt significant.

At Thornhaven's gate, their goodbye kiss deepened into something that made nearby flowers bloom instantly. Thorne's hands framed Silas's face, thumbs stroking his cheekbones as if memorizing every feature.

“Be careful,” Thorne murmured against his lips. “Come back to me.”

“Always,” Silas promised. He forced himself to step back, to mount his horse while Thorne watched with eyes that glowed faintly in the morning light. Their fingers remained linked until the last possible moment, stretching the contact until distance forced them apart.

As they rode toward the village, Kai studied him with a mixture of amusement and concern. “You've got it bad.”

“Is it that obvious?”

“You're practically radiating 'freshly fucked forest consort' energy.” Kai laughed at Silas's expression. “Relax, it's a good look on you. You're... different now. Stronger. More sure of yourself.”

Silas touched the mark on his neck, feeling the slight tenderness where Thorne's teeth had left their claim. He was different. The world looked different too, colors more vivid, sounds clearer. As if falling in love with an ancient forest guardian had awakened senses he hadn't known he possessed.

The path to the village bore evidence of their changing relationship with the Eldergrove. Flowers turned their faces toward Silas as he passed. Small creatures emerged from hiding to watch, no longer fearful of human presence. Even the trees seemed to lean protectively over their path.

“You're like something out of a fairy tale now,” Kai observed as a butterfly landed on Silas's shoulder. “If fairy tale maidens had rough sex with immortal tree gods.”

“Jealous?” Silas repeated his earlier tease, but his mind drifted to memories of the previous night. Thorne's hands mapping every inch of his skin. The way their magic had merged, creating something new and powerful. The sounds Thorne made when Silas...

The crystal pulsed warmly against his chest, responding to his thoughts. He wondered if Thorne could feel echoes of his memories through their connection.

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