“What look?” Cas asked with a laugh.
Aren waved his hand in a circle. “This love look or whatever. I don’t need to see that.”
Cas had never said the word love to Em, but it didn’t feel wrong in this moment. He grinned at Aren. “What? I can’t be fond of my wife?”
“Come on. She is not your wife. You married the princess of Vallos, not Em.”
He’d never married the princess of Vallos. Em might have fooled them all, but she never made much of an effort to become Mary. She was always just herself.
“You weren’t seriously considering claiming your marriage is valid, were you?” Aren asked.
“Why? Would any of you listen?”
“Don’t even think about it.” Aren’s voice went hard. “You can’t hold her to—”
“Aren, relax,” Cas said. “I’m not holding her to anything. We never even consummated the marriage.”
Aren blinked, the anger fading from his face. “You what?”
“Oh. I assumed Em told you.”
“No. Sh-she never said …” Aren seemed genuinely confused. “Why not?”
He hesitated and cracked a knuckle, unsure if he’d told Aren something Em didn’t want him to know.
“It didn’t seem like she wanted to,” he said quietly.
“That was really decent of you,” Aren said.
“You don’t have to sound so surprised.”
Aren frowned at him like he didn’t like being surprised.
“Aren?” Em walked up behind Aren, her face scrunched in confusion. “What are you …” She spotted Cas. “Cas! You’re out of bed.”
“I am.” He pushed his hands against the porch floor, slowly getting to his feet. He held his arms out. “Look! I can even stand by myself.” A wave of dizziness crashed over him and he braced his hand against the wall. “Mostly.”
She hopped up the porch steps and put an arm around his waist. He leaned into her. She was so tall. He loved how tall she was. Sturdy enough to hold him up when he needed it.
“What are you doing here?” Em asked Aren, a hint of suspicion in her voice.
“We were just talking,” Cas said.
Her hair was damp, the smell of soap lingering in it, and he pressed a kiss to the side of her head.
“Ugh,” Aren said. “I’m leaving.”
“Bye, Aren!” Cas called as he walked away. “Thanks for the chat!”
Aren sort of waved his hand behind his back without turning around.
“What did you talk about?” Em asked.
“You.” He found her hand and tugged on her fingers until she turned her body into his. He brushed his thumb over her lips and her eyelids fluttered like she approved.
He leaned forward slightly, letting his hand drift down to her neck. She closed the rest of the distance, her soft mouth covering his.
His body remembered her. Every fiber of his being lit up when she kissed him. She kept one hand on his waist but let the other tangle in his hair, and suddenly every thought he’d been considering today seemed absolutely right. He needed to stay with Em. She was his home now.
The world tilted and he broke the kiss, blinking. Em tightened the arm around his waist.
“Sorry. Being upright is still a bit of a problem.” He jerked his head at the house. “Come be not upright with me?”
She glanced at the door, hesitation in her expression.
“Just sleeping. I’m not asking for anything else. I’m too weak anyway.” He silently cursed that weakness. He would give anything to be able to pull Em closer and free her of some of those clothes.
“I have some things I need to tell you,” she said.
“Tell me tomorrow,” he said, leaning down to kiss her. He pressed his lips to hers gently, twice. “Tonight, I just want to do this.”
Her lips curved up against his. “Me too,” she whispered.
He took her hand, using it to keep himself steady as they walked inside and upstairs. He slid back into the bed he’d grown to hate, but it didn’t seem so bad as Em kicked off her shoes and stretched out next to him.
He pulled her close to him and she buried her head in his chest. This was where he belonged. Olivia was right. He didn’t deserve his kingdom. He didn’t want it.
All he wanted was Em.
EIGHTEEN
EM WOKE UP to Cas’s arm wrapped around her, her back against his chest. He was softly pressing his lips to the base of her neck, his breath tickling her skin.
A giggle escaped her mouth. She ducked her head, a grin spreading across her face.
“Good morning,” he said, his lips grazing her neck. His fingers skimmed the bare skin of her waist, where her shirt had ridden up.
She closed her eyes as his touch sent sparks up her body. She was never leaving this bed again.
“I want to wake up with you every morning,” Cas said.
“That would be nice,” she breathed, imagining it for a moment. They would both be wearing less clothing and there wouldn’t be the constant threat of danger hanging over their heads.
His lips disappeared from her neck and she rolled over to look at him. The color had returned to his cheeks.
“You look better,” she said.
“I feel better.” He rolled onto his back, blinking. “Much better, actually.”
She scooted forward and lay her head on his chest. She shouldn’t stay. Light was filtering in through the curtains, and she was supposed to meet with August and a few others this morning. And she had things she needed to tell Cas. Like that she was plotting to kill his only remaining family member. That she was considering a proposal from August.
Instead, she shut her eyes and listened to the beat of his heart. His fingers ran through her hair and they stayed like that for a long time, neither of them speaking. She’d spent too much of her time with Cas talking. Talking about their families or their politics or yelling about the Ruined. Maybe she needed to spend some time not talking to Cas.
The sun peeking through the curtains shone brighter, and she reluctantly extracted herself from his arms.
“I have to go,” she said, reaching for his hand. “I’ll see you later?”
He brushed his lips across her fingers. “I will be here. Given that I’m not allowed to leave, and all.”
She looked at him apologetically as she climbed off the bed. “I’m sorry. You know it’s for your own safety.”
“I know. I wasn’t complaining.”
She laced up her boots and pulled her fingers through her hair. Cas sat up easily, without any of the unsteadiness she’d seen yesterday.
“How much better do you feel?” she asked, her voice soft.
“Um, a lot?”
“Like good enough that I should come back to your room tonight and …” She wasn’t sure how she’d intended to finish that sentence.
He drew in a slow breath. He knew what she meant. “Yes.”