My boots thud heavy on the ice that forms with each step as I close the distance between us. She holds my gaze. I stop right before her, her tray the only thing between us.
I’m reminded of what she looked like when I pinned her against the castle walls. Small and frightened, a deer mouse to my wolf. Had she known? Known she was safer with me, her captor, than that monster of thorns? The thought of his hands caressing her pale skin—
“Keldarion,” she whispers, “why are you looking at me like you want to eat me?”
Slowly, I reach down to her tray, grab a cookie, and bite it. “Thank you, Rosalina.”
She releases what seems like a long-held breath. “So…”
“So?”
“Are you going to explain where that creepy blue-lipped man went?”
A smile catches at the corner of my mouth. “That blue-lipped man was my royal vizier, and he was going home to the Winter Realm.”
“You have to show me how that works,” she says.
I suppose it couldn’t hurt to explain, figuring I don’t want her to accidentally end up somewhere she shouldn’t be. “Why don’t you tell me what you think?”
She raises a dark brow and sets her tray down on the side table beside a dusty old clock and a candelabra. She hunches over, her fingers running along the door frame. Her chestnut hair cascades down her body like a waterfall, framing the curves of her bosom. Marigold has her in high-waisted pants today, and they cling tightly to her long, full legs. I take in a steadying breath as another image fills my mind.
The nerve of Caspian to send that fae, to compare her even slightly to Rosalina.He’s taunting me.And there’s nothing I can do about it, not without him getting more suspicious.
I turn away. Thoughts of him only cause my heart to rage. This moment is for Rosalina. I’ll give her another minute to figure out the door before I show her its secrets.
The nostalgic scent of nutmeg, cinnamon, and ripe apples fills the entrance hall. Golden leaves float around Rosalina. I’m at her within the moment, yanking her hard against my body. I catch the glimpse of a dirt path and overgrown autumn trees before I slam the door.
“How did you open that?” I snarl, whirling her around to face me.
“The door handle,” she says, then pushes against my chest to free herself. I let her go.
Rosalina gestures to the door. “I pushed in the handle and this little dial appeared. It had a snowflake on it. Then I moved it. I saw a rose, a tulip, a shell, and I stopped on this leaf. And it opened to…” She spins to me, eyes wide with excitement. “Was that the Autumn Realm? How is that possible?”
“The Fae Queen built this castle to be accessible from every realm. The castle physically dwells within the Briar, but it magically appears in all four realms,” I explain, looking down at the intricate rose-plated dial above the door handle. It’s usually hidden. She shouldn’t have been able to realize the magic just like that. “The door opens outside of the castle in each realm, but the castle exteriors are mere shells. There is only one interior to Castletree.”
“They all lead here, to the Briar,” she muses.
“Indeed. Although, each realm has its own royal keep, where the family of the High Ruler typically resides.”
“Family,” Rosalina echoes, and I hear the pain in her voice. Now she’s thinking of her father, the trespasser. “Is your family—”
“My father was a better High Prince than I could ever dream to be, and my mother a gracious and charitable ruler.”
“Kel,” she whispers. “Where are your parents now?”
“Victims of the Below,” I growl.
“I’m so sorry—”
I cut her off and place my palm on the door. A magic current still runs through it. “Before the curse, staff and visitors could freely pass into Castletree. But we’ve disallowed the use of these entrances. The only one permitted in this manner is Perth Quellos, my vizier.”
She studies me for a long moment, then crosses to the mirror that hangs beside the door. “And this?”
“Do you ever stop with the questions?”
She flashes a smile that stutters my heart. “You live in an enchanted castle. There’s lots to be curious about.”
“The mirror is another relic of the Fae Queen. It can only be used by the princes.”