Chapter 98:

Caspian hasn't stopped watching me all evening. It's not the intense, possessive gaze I'm used to—no, this is different.

Softer. Careful. As if he's afraid I'll slip through his fingers if he so much as breathes wrong.

I just moved back into his room after everything that happened, after all the space I forced between us. He's afraid to push too hard, afraid I'll pull away again.

But I won't.

Not anymore.

He brushes his thumb over the back of my hand, the warmth of his skin sending a shiver up my arm. "You're really here."

I smile faintly. "I am."

He exhales slowly, as if my answer alone eases something heavy in his chest.

His fingers tighten around mine. "I thought I'd lost you."

I shake my head. "You didn't."

A humorless chuckle escapes him. "You say that like I didn't deserve to."

I squeeze his hand, my voice softer now. "Caspian…"