Loose from when I’d undone them and touched myself thinking about Dayton and Farron. My body heats, and I feel my cheeks redden.
“What were you doing in the garden, Rosalina?”
“I…”
His hold tightens on my shoulders, and we’re moving. He’s practically lifting me. My back hits the solid castle wall, his chest presses against mine, and one of his hands clutches the stone above us. “Distract me.”
“Distract you?” I gasp. He’s so close I can feel his icy breath blowing back the hair from my face. “Distract you from what?”
His grip on my shoulder is as light as his grip on the wall is hard. His fist clenches and a few stones crumble to the ground. “Dammit, Rosalina.”
I could duck out of his grasp; I could push him away. But I don’t. Something about this encounter with the Prince of Thorns has left him untethered.
Or more untethered than usual.
“Kel.” I push some of the messy strands of hair away from his face. His expression crumbles in a strange sort of agony.
A deep growl radiates through his body. “Talk about something. Tell me about one of your boring books.”
“Hey!” I shove his chest, but that does absolutely nothing, figuring it’s about as hard as the stone behind us. “My books aren’t boring.”
He takes a shaky breath, then the ghost of a smile flashes on his face. “Farron’s research books are. There are more interesting books in the library.”
“I’ll have to…” My voice is nothing but a whisper, as my hand drifts back to his face. “I’ll have to explore—”
Keldarion lets out a pained groan and spins me around, so he’s braced against the wall. “The sun is setting, Rosalina, and I am not in control.”
“What?”
“You need to run to your room and lock the door.”
“Kel.”
“Night is upon us.” Keldarion’s eyes glow like blue fire. “And I cannot control my beast. Not after… Go.”
And this time, I listen to him. I push away and run to my room.
28
Rosalina
Ispendtherestof the night trying to calm my nerves from everything that transpired. First, discovering something that might actually help the princes find their mates. But I haven’t dug into that yet because when I went to find my research partner, he was in the midst of getting the best makeup sex of his life. At least, that’s how it appeared.
What kind of relationship do Farron and Dayton have? It’s obvious they aren’t exclusive, figuring Dayton brought that female back. Maybe I’m thinking of things in human terms. Fae might have different expectations for relationships all together.
And meeting the Prince of Thorns.Caspian.The fury in which Keldarion had addressed him, the possessive way he protected me. Or maybe I’m reading too much into it. All the princes seem to have their own reasons for hating Caspian, and even I can get on board with that. The thorns are really a bad look for the castle.
You’re running out of time.What did he mean by that? Is there more to the curse that the princes aren’t telling me?
A knock on the door draws me from my thoughts. “Come in,” I say.
Marigold pushes in her usual meal cart. Well, Marigold the plump brown racoon wearing an apron. She told me she needs to hold on to some of her humanity, even in this form. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to seeing the staff like this.
Despite being allowed to roam the castle at night—as long as I don’t unlock rabid Farron—I spend most of my nights curled up in bed, reading books I’ve borrowed from the library with a warm cup of tea.
“Hi,” I say.
“Hello, dearie.” She drops her paws from the cart, but still stands on two little legs. “I heard you had quite the encounter this evening. Put the master in a right mood.”