“Would you rather go back to the dungeon?” Keldarion asks simply.
So, that’s going to be his kill card for everything? I take a bite of my blueberry pastry. Fuck, it’s so light and crispy. The blueberries taste like the breath of life itself. I devour it in two bites and give a little sigh of satisfaction when it’s done.
My enjoyment is short-lived, however, when I glance up and see Kel looking at me from across the table. There’s a little satisfied smirk on his face.
Smug fae bastard.
“Another rule.” Dayton leans forward, a dimple forming as he grins. “You may bathe in the hot springs with me every day if you wish.” He plops a cherry between his lips. “Naked, of course.”
My cheeks turn the color of the cherries he’s eating as I remember my hot springs encounter with him, the way the soap slid down his muscular chest…
“That is not a requirement,” Ezryn interrupts. “Astrid will ensure your complete privacy in those facilities. None of us, nor the staff, will bother you again while you bathe.”
I nod, and that should definitely be relief, not disappointment, swirling in my stomach. I’m not turning into Marigold here.
“Unless you beg for it, of course.” Dayton winks at me as if he can see right through to my molten core.
I shove my thighs shut and turn back to the table. “What else is there?”
“Astrid and the other staff will show you around the castle,” Ezryn says. “You may explore the Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter Wings and their facilities with an escort as you see fit. Of course, our personal chambers will be strictly off-limits.”
“Unless—” Dayton begins.
“Off-limits,” Ezryn finishes.
“And the High Tower.” Kel finally moves his icy gaze from Dayton to me. “You are not to go there under any circumstances. It is strictly forbidden.”
Something trembles in his words, something powerful, and it’s all I can do to nod.
“Okay,” I say. “I’ll follow your rules if—”
Kel growls at my words. “This is not a negotiation.”
“Ifyou explain to me what’s going on,” I finish. My mind flashes back to what Farron said:The others are better at controlling their curse.“Tell me about this curse you’re under. I can assume no one in this castle wants to turn into demonic wolves and animals at night?”
All of them are silent for a moment, and I don’t miss the shift as they look at Keldarion.
“If you insist on her living here,” Ezryn says, “then she deserves to know the truth.”
Kel gives a dismissive wave of his hand and nods.
“Farron, tell her,” Ezryn commands.
Dayton grabs the brown-haired fae’s shoulders. “Farron’s been researching the curse. He knows the most about it.”
“Uh, okay,” Farron says. “It’s as simple as it is complex. Please do not repeat the curse to anyone. Only the residents of Castletree know the details.”
“I literally cannot leave,” I say.
“Right.” Farron drags a hand through his wavy hair. “This castle is the customary home of the High Princes of each realm and their staff.”
It seems strange to me for them all to live in a castle so far away from their realms, but I let him continue.
“Dayton was the last of us crowned. He lived here for about a month before we heard a knock on the door,” Farron continues. “Upon answering, we found a beautiful human woman. She asked to look upon each of the princes and we honored her request. But when she requested entry to Castletree, we denied her.”
I guess I wouldn’t want to let some strange woman into my home either. I take stock of all the princes as Farron tells his story. Dayton’s head is cast down, Kel’s got the grimace of a century, and Ezryn’s still as a mountain.
“That’s when everything changed,” Farron continues. “I mean, the woman changed. She transformed into an ethereal enchantress. I’ve never felt magic like that before. Her words tore into us, a spell woven in moonlight as she cursed us.”