Page 76 of Shattered Crown

Clothes were shed without ceremony, littering the stone floor. The fireplace crackled in the background, casting gold over pale skin and scars and shifting tattoos that glowed faintly across Thorne’s arms. His magic stirred, responding to the emotional storm inside him. Not just lust, but fear. Longing. Love.

Silas opened for him, legs parted and eyes half-lidded, flushed and beautiful. He looked at Thorne like he was something holy.

“You have me,” Silas said, voice rough. “Take me.”

Thorne did.

He slicked his cock with spit and need, pressing it slowly into Silas’s waiting hole, inch by inch. The stretch made Silas gasp, fingers clutching at Thorne’s shoulders as his back arched. Thorne groaned low in his throat, burying himself to the hilt with a shudder that threatened to undo him far too soon.

They moved together, hips rocking in a rhythm carved from years of yearning. Every thrust was slow, deep, meant to be remembered. Silas trembled beneath him, moaning into Thorne’s mouth, nails scraping deliciously down his back.

Magic crackled around them—uncontrolled, untamed. Glyphs appeared along the walls, glowing with green and gold light, shaped by instinct rather than spellwork. Protective sigils burned themselves into the stone floor beneath the bed, a tapestry of warding and connection spun from their joined power.

Thorne pressed his forehead to Silas’s, breath ragged.

“You feel like the forest,” Silas whispered. “Wild. Endless.”

Thorne kissed him. Deep. Possessive.

Afterward, they lay tangled together, neither willing to waste precious moments on sleep.

“Promise me,” Silas murmured against Thorne's chest. “Promise you'll come back.”

“Always,” Thorne vowed. “Nothing could keep me from you.”

* * *

As Thorne dressed,a knock interrupted their last moments together. Diana entered, her expression grim.

“The King requests a private audience with Silas immediately,” she announced. “Before any formal court proceedings.”

Silas tensed. “Now?”

“His Majesty was... insistent.” Diana's careful tone spoke volumes.

Thorne's protective instincts flared. “I'm coming with you.”

“No,” Silas said firmly. “This is exactly what we discussed. My father wants to test me, see if I'll defy him by bringing the forest guardian to our first meeting.”

“It's a power play,” Thorne realized.

“Everything with him is.” Silas squared his shoulders. “Go. Save Elder Willow. I'll handle my father.”

“Be careful,” he whispered. “He may be your father, but he's also the man who abandoned you.”

“And you be safe,” Silas returned. “Come back to me.”

“I love you,” Silas whispered.

“And I you,” Thorne returned. “That will not change with distance.”

Diana stepped forward. “I'll protect him,” she promised. “You have my word.”

Thorne studied her face, reading sincerity beneath her professional mask. “I know you will. Thank you.”

Kai approached next, Briar perched on his shoulder. “We're coming with you,” he announced.

“No,” Thorne shook his head. “Silas needs you here.”

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