“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything, love.”
“When I first came here, I saw a young man in the dungeon. I was wondering if you knew why he was there.”
Dayton ducks under the water, washing the shampoo from his hair. When he rises, dark blond tendrils fall across his face. “A man in the dungeon? Hmm.” The water cuts between us as he moves closer. This time I have nowhere to go.
“Yes. He didn’t seem dangerous. What was he there for?”
“Well, I have a question for you,” Dayton murmurs, and now he’s so close I can see all the shades of blue in his eyes, the rippling turquoise and deep sapphire of an ocean. “Was he handsome?”
It’s such a ridiculous question. A question that has nothing to do with anything. I should shove him away for asking it. But the face of the man in the dungeon appears before me as if in a waking dream. The depths of his golden eyes, the tremble of his full lips. I can’t help but tell the truth. “Yes.”
Dayton’s brows shoot up, and he laughs again. This time, the sound trembles all the way to my core, and I clamp my legs shut.
The fae moves closer to me and the slick rocks press against my spine. He reaches out to grab a wet strand of my hair. “What do you want with him?”
“To free him,” I say, then amend, “At least to a room, like me. It doesn’t seem fair he’s in the dungeon.”
“Why?” Dayton is so close, his warm breath caresses my ear. “Do you want his gratitude? Hope he’ll reward you?”
No, of course not. My answer is simple. We’re both prisoners, and somehow, I can feel he’s as undeserving of that chain as I am. But Dayton’s words are a fire within me, and I can’t help but be consumed by them. I feel my nipples pebble beneath my fingers, and I drop my hands to fists at my side to quell this ache inside my body.
Dayton’s blue eyes burn down at me. His large, callused hand snatches my jaw and forces me to look up at him. “You know, the master isn’t the only one to rule this castle. It’s also governed by three other princes.”
“Three other princes.” My voice is nothing but a breath. The connection of his hand on my skin is a current of energy, and I need more of it. My body trembles, and I fight the urge to reach out and touch him.
“Indeed. I’m sure you can figure out who.”
I blink, finding words like sifting through sand. Four wings, four realms. “A prince for each of the four seasons.”
“Good girl.” His thumb skims over my bottom lip. “You might have better luck begging one of them for mercy than our cold master. Do you know how to beg, Rosalina?”
All the breath in me comes out in a single gasp and I am nothing but molten rock, simmering in this water.
“My Prince!” A high, shocked voice echoes across the room. Astrid stands on the shoreline, a bundle of clothes in her arms.
Dayton drops his hand from my jaw.
With the loss of the connection, my sanity comes back. How in the blazons had I lost it? And with the return of my mind, the words finally register.
My Prince.
My fucking Prince.
This hot spring fae is a freaking prince. I want to die. Here I’ve been trying to cajole information out of him like he was one of the servants. I suppose I should be thankful he didn’t lock me back in the dungeon.
“Apologies, m’lord,” Astrid stammers. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”
“It’s alright, Astrid,” Dayton says, making his way to the shore. “I wanted to meet our new guest.”
And that’s when, with growing horror, I realize Dayton is getting out of the water. I should look away.
But I don’t.
And holy fucking shit. His ass looks sculpted by the gods, and I barely get the glimpse of something very long and very erect between his legs before he wraps a white towel low on his hips.
“Rosie,” he smirks, totally catching my creepy gaze, “why not try charming the Summer Prince for what you want? I’ve heard he’s the most handsome. And best in bed.”