“After you,” Kaelren said, gesturing to Kevin’s back.
I climbed on, and the bee’s fur was just as soft as I remembered—like velvet made of sunshine. A moment later, Kaelren settled behind me, his arms coming around my waist to hold on.
“This feels familiar,” I said, remembering our first flight together.
“Last time you squeaked when we took off,” he murmured against my ear.
“I did not squeak.”
“You absolutely did.”
Kevin’s wings began their thrumming beat, and we lifted into the air. The Thornwood Throne fell away beneath us as we flew over sections I hadn’t seen—meditation groves where monks tended to plants that hummed with their own songs, armories carved into living trees, libraries with books growing directly from branches.
“How far out are we going?” Kaelren called to Peeble, who was flying alongside us, looking far too pleased with themself.
“Just to the outer gardens! The really old section that nobody maintains anymore! For absolutely no suspicious reasons!”
“That’s not reassuring,” I said.
“Good! Reassurance is overrated!”
We flew for what felt like an hour, the Thornwood Throne’s main structures becoming distant behind us. The forest here was wilder, older, with trees that looked like they predated the Bloom itself.
Kevin began their descent, landing in a small clearing I never would have found on foot. The moment my feet touched the ground, I felt it—that same heavy sweetness in the air, but stronger now.
“Welcome,” Peeble announced with a dramatic flourish of his antennae, “to the Pleasure Grove!”
Of course that’s what it had to be called, because nothing else would fit. The garden spread before us like something out of a very specific kind of fantasy. Flowers in shades of pink and gold released visible pollen that drifted through the air like glitter made of want. Vines thick as my thigh wound through the space, their leaves shimmering with some internal light. Mushrooms grew in clusters, their caps glowing soft blue-green, and—
“Are those blueberry bushes?” I asked, distracted despite everything else.
“Oh wow, they are!” Peeble said. “Weird, right? Must have been cultivated by someone who crossed to Earth. You know, like your grandma. Who definitely came through here. Frequently. With companions. For reasons I’m sure were very innocent and botanical in nature.”
My face burned. “Peeble.”
“What? I’m just saying, Grandma Jo had excellent taste in gardens. Very… stimulating variety of plants. Educational. Medicinal, even.”
“I’m going to let Kevin eat you.”
“Kevin would never. We’re in love.”
Kaelren had gone very still beside me, and I could feel his awareness through the bond—the same recognition that was dawning on me. The sweet heaviness in the air wasn’t just pleasant; it was doing things. Specific things. Very specific things to very specific parts of my body.
“This is an aphrodisiac garden,” Kaelren said flatly.
“Is it?” Peeble’s voice was the picture of innocence. “Gosh, how’d we end up here? What an unfortunate accident. Anyway, I’m going to go now. Very quickly. To somewhere extremely far away. You two have fun! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! Which, considering I’m a beetle, leaves you a LOT of options! Bye!”
They launched into the air before I could grab them, leaving us standing at the garden’s edge.
Alone.
In a garden full of plants specifically designed to make people want to fuck.
“We should go,” Kaelren said, but he didn’t move.
Neither did I.
Because here’s the thing—I could feel it affecting me, the pollen or the flowers or whatever magical bullshit was in the air. Heat was pooling low in my belly, my skin hypersensitive, every nerve ending suddenly aware of Kaelren’s proximity. But I’d wanted him before we walked into this garden. I’d wanted him since that damn waterfall, since before that if I was honest. The plants weren’t creating desire. They were just removing my ability to pretend I didn’t feel it.
