“You’re afraid,” Riven observed softly. His thumb brushed her jaw, and she hated the way her skin warmed at the touch. “Good. Fear keeps the blood hot.”
Riven stared at her for a long, breathless moment. Then he laughed—a real laugh, warm and broken—and pulled her into a kiss that tasted of iron and forgiveness. court of blood and bindings vk
“Because I bound you for the wrong reason,” Riven said. “I told myself it was politics. Survival. But I kept you close because you were the first thing in five hundred years that made me feel less like a ruin.” He turned to her, his face unreadable. “You should go. The mortal lands are three days north. Take my horse.” “You’re afraid,” Riven observed softly
She stopped at the foot of the throne.