“I checked the door before I retired for the night,” Ezryn states. “I’m not sure how she left.”
As it all comes together, I give a deep sigh. “She wanted to rescue Farron. Damn, in the baths, she kept asking about him. Said you were handsome.” I ruffle his hair as red darkens his cheeks. “I didn’t tell her anything because… Because, shit, Kel. You never tell us anything.”
Keldarion glares at me, and I know he’s fixated on my words. Yeah, I’d seen her in the baths, and I can’t dwell on it because my cock will harden just thinking of that moment.
The servants had all been whispering about the woman Keldarion had imprisoned. Which was fucking weird. Kel didn’t take prisoners. He’d never even taken a second glance at all those gorgeous—usually half-dressed or naked—fae that Caspian insisted on baiting him with at the castle gates. So why would he have imprisoned her? It couldn’t be purely because of her loveliness, which is what all the staff had been gossiping about.
But I’d had to see her for myself. I mean, how pretty could a human really be?
Turns out… fucking beautiful.
Maybe I was biased, but she looked incredible in the Summer Wing’s hot springs, those light brown eyes and dark hair against her pale skin. Dripping and naked, the way her cheeks had flushed the most delicious shade of pink, the little peep of surprise she’d uttered…
Fuck, I’d wanted to throw her on the sand and take her, just to see what other sounds she could make. I hadn’t been able to see much of her body. She’d stayed deep in the water, but through the ripples, I’d made out her heavy breasts, the swaying curve of her hips. My cock had turned iron at the first sight of her, and I knew her lips would taste like salt, that her whole body would make me want to lick every inch of her.
Though knowing she was Kel’s prisoner, I’d suspected her to be off-limits. I’d be lying if it didn’t make me want her more.
“Day,” Farron whispers. His golden eyes look me up and down, lightly freckled cheeks flushed. Kel’s giving me a death glare. Damn, thinking about that girl got me aroused, and they can smell it.
Let the bastard smell. He’s nursing the iciest fucking balls of the century after his last disastrous foray with love, and I have zero sympathy for him. When you trusted who he did, you deserved everything you got. Ez had warned him. So had Farron and I. His whole fucking realm had.
Ezryn gives a dissatisfied sigh and steps between us. “As much as I loath to admit it, Dayton is right. Kel, you need to tell us why she’s here.”
“I told you,” he growls, and those ice chip eyes burrow into me. “Her father is a thief, and she traded her freedom for his.”
We must all have the same suspicion. That can’t be the reason. There’s something more he’s not telling us.
The curse of the Enchantress rings as it always does in my mind:This spell may only be broken by winning the true love of your destined mate; and having them accept the mated bond that has long been fated among the stars.
Absolute bullshit. I’ve known two, maybe three, people in my entire life who have found their mate. I wouldn’t doubt she’d cursed us knowing it can never be broken.
“If you insist on keeping her here,” Ezryn says, “then we have to figure out what to do with her. She must have established rules, and we will tell her—”
“We will tell her nothing!” Keldarion snarls. “You want to house her in the Spring Wing? Fine. But she stays in her room permanently. The staff can bring her food and—”
Ezryn doesn’t back down. He says in a menacing, low rasp, “You’re being as unreasonable with Rosalina as you were with Caspian.”
Farron grasps my hand. We’ve entered the end game. This whole castle is going down.
There’s a beat of silence, like a stall in a song. Keldarion rises to his full height and winter explodes around him. Icy shards shatter into the air. I push Farron and myself to the ground and throw my arms over his head.
The beast inside me fights to come out, but I suppress it. The golden wolf would piss Kel off more. Farron trembles beneath my touch, and I bring my lips to his ear. “You’re okay. You don’t need your wolf. I’ll protect you.”
He nods, body trembling beneath mine.
Rocks fall from the ceiling as I look up to see Kel slam Ezryn against the wall. He’s frozen all the thorns in the room. They’re slowly dying, though I know they’ll grow back quickly.
“I could rip your tongue out for those words,” Kel growls, pushing the Prince of Spring hard against the stones.
Ez tilts his head, ice glinting off the metallic helmet. “No offense, Your Highness, but you’d have to get to my tongue first.”
Fuck this guy. One day, he’s going to push Kel too far and we’re all going to watch his metal guts get strewn across the castle. And the worst part is that his body will be so mutilated, we won’t ever know what he looks like, even after his death.
But Kel lets out a long breath and drops Ezryn to the ground. “Do what you think is right, Ezryn. I want nothing to do with the girl.”
“Then let her go.”
He whips around, white hair falling across his face. “Never.”