LOGINAlejandro’s lips found my neck, and I gasped at the feel of his mouth on my skin. His tongue was warm and soft, and his hands held my hips steady. He took his time, exploring every part of me, and memorizing every curve.I squirmed beneath him, as my body trembled with need."Please," I whispered.He looked up at me, and his golden eyes were dark with desire. "Please what?""I have never wanted anyone the way I want you," I whispered, with my fingers tangling in his hair. "And I have never let anyone see me the way I am letting you see me now, and it terrifies me because I do not know what happens after this, but I know I want to find out with you.”“Is that an invitation to go deeper, Serena?” he asked.I could not answer, because I did not have the words.He smiled, just a
The night after Camila's visit, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the fire, when I heard footsteps in the hallway.The guards did not announce him. They did not need to, because I already knew the sound of his boots by now, with the steady rhythm of his steps, and the weight of his stride. I knew the way he paused outside my door, hesitating, before he decided to knock.He knocked this time which was rare. He never knocked, because obviously he's king, and he doesn't need to."Come in," I said.The door opened, and Alejandro stepped inside.Then I noticed instantly that his behavior was different, and the way he moved had become slow, as if he was calculating his steps. This time I was very sure that he was not drunk, because I could smell the difference immediately. There was no trace of wine, and no hint of the haze that had been in his eyes that first night he kissed me. His hands were steady at his sides, his breathing was calm, and his golden eyes were clear.He was
Three days passed after the poisoning, and my body finally started to feel like my own again.The weakness in my limbs faded slowly, the fog in my head lifted, and the taste of the healer's bitter tonic became almost familiar. I still get tired easily, and I still slept more than I was awake, but each morning I woke up a little stronger than the day before.Alejandro was not in the room when I opened my eyes.I did not know why that surprised me. He had been there every other time I woke, sitting in that chair with his golden eyes fixed on my face, watching me like he was afraid I might disappear if he looked away. But now the chair was empty, and the fire was low, and I was alone.A tray of food sat on the table beside the bed, and the bread was still warm, and the tea was still steaming. Someone had been here recently, and I knew it was not Alejandro.The door opened, and Camila slipped inside.She looked different than the last time I had seen her. The shadows under her eyes were d
The second time I woke, the fire had burned low, and the room was darker, and the weight of the blankets was heavy on my chest. I did not know how much time had passed. Maybe hours or days, but I knew that Alejandro was still there.He had not moved from the chair.But he had changed. His head was bowed, and his eyes were closed, and for a moment I thought he was asleep. His breathing was slow and steady, his hands were limp in his lap, and the tension in his shoulders had eased, just a little. The firelight cast shadows across his face, and I could see the exhaustion written there, in the lines around his eyes and the set of his jaw.Then his eyes opened, and they found mine immediately. It was like he had been waiting for me to wake, like he had been listening to my breathing and counting my heartbeats and holding himself together by sheer will."You should not be awake," he said. His voice was low and rough, and there was no anger in it,
Alejandro's voice came from far away, muffled, like I was hearing it from underwater. I tried to answer, but my tongue was heavy, and my lips would not move."Someone help her!" Another voice yelled.That was Doña Beatriz's voice, sharp with fear. I heard chairs scraping against the floor and footsteps running toward me."Serena, stay with me."Alejandro's face appeared above mine, his golden eyes wide with panic, and his hands were on my face, warm and shaking.I tried to say something, but the darkness was already swallowing me, and then there was nothing at all.I woke to the sound of roaring.It was not an animal roar, and it was not thunder. It was Alejandro's voice, low and loud and full of rage. It echoed off the stone walls and shook the chandeliers and sent the nobles scrambling for the doors."Who did this?" he shouted, and his voice was ice. "Who poisoned her?"I tried to open my eye
Alejandro finally broke the silence."Let's go back now. We've done enough tours for today."I nodded. Because I was already exhausted both from walking and seeing this dungeon.Alejandro walked me back to my room, stood for just a bit at my door, as if he was thinking hard whether he should stay or not. I could feel his eyes looking down at my body with strong desires and needs. But his facial expression showed that he was fighting to push his desires down, and he had to move before they took control over him.He said goodnight, turned and left in quick steps.I walked into my room, sat on the bed, and pressed my hands to my chest that was pounding so hard. I thought of how he looked at me. Like he was tired of holding back his desires, and he was ready to feel every inch of my body, and claim me as his fully. I thought of how his lips had claimed mine, the first night he touched me, before he stopped himself. I touched my lips, and
I woke to the smell of bread and honey, and for a moment I forgot where I was.The mattress was soft beneath me, and the blankets were warm, and the fire had been relit sometime while I was sleeping, casting orange light across the ceiling in dancing shadows. I
I woke the morning after my meeting with Felipe, and the first thing I saw was the tray of food on the table, still untouched from the day before.The fire had burned low while I slept, and the room was cold enough that I could see my own breath hanging in the air. My back ached from pressing again
Serena's POV The nobles smiled at me whenever I walked through the halls of the ice Castle, and that was how I knew they wanted me dead, because I had learned to read smiles a long time ago, back when I was a child who needed to know whether the person approaching her was going to hurt her or just
Serena's POV Three days passed while I sat in that room with the fire burning and the snow falling outside the window, and Alejandro did not come near me, did not send word to me, and did not give any sign that he remembered I existed at all.I counted the hours as the sun rose and set behind the







