“Of course we share her, and no. None of us do anything with each other. It’s all about her. It’s only been about her since we’ve laid eyes on her. None of us could consider anyone else, not even each other.” Thorn’s words were sharp, but they melted my heart.
“Daisies,” Birch muttered, staring at me with scrutinizing eyes.
“Don’t stare at her,” Thorn growled.
Birch’s gaze bounced off me to Frayla. “Where were we?”
She pressed her lips together. “Busy. It’s so good to meet you, Wren. I’m sorry if Birch made you uncomfortable. I hope we can talk longer about some things, but we have to get going.”
“Yeah, sorry,” Birch muttered.
“It’s fine.” I put my hand up in a wave.
Birch and Frayla spread their wings and launched themselves into the air with a wave back our way.
My shoulders slumped as I turned in Thorn’s arms to pout at him. “Why didn’t you ever tell me about your brother?”
He frowned, scratching the top of his head. “I’m sorry. It’s just that Birch and I aren’t that close.”
“It seemed like he loves you,” I pressed.
“It’s not that. It’s more of a family issue.”
“Oh.” I turned back around and stepped out of his hold. “I get it. I’m not part of the royal family, so of course there are things you’re not supposed to tell me.”
“Youarefamily, Kit. That’s not what I mean.” He grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him. “I’m so sorry. Can I tell you about it a little later? It’s not something I should be talking about in the open of this realm.”
I nodded, noticing the panic pulsating through our bond.
“I am sorry.”
“It’s fine, but please tell me when you can. Let’s get this back to Alister.” I held up the crystal, and he nodded.
“Rowan should be done with letting his frustrations out.”
Worry swelled in my chest for my firedrake.
“Remember the contract?” Thorn pulled me to his chest.
I wrapped my arms around him tightly. “I’ll come back to your kingdom.”
“My kingdom…” he repeated before he launched us into the air.
I gazed down at the beauty of the Ice Kingdom as he flew us toward the fae portal.
Myfoothittheground, sinking into the snow of Kalista, verifying that we were back in my home world. It was bittersweet, leaving the fae realm, but with Thorn by my side, it didn’t matter which world we were in.
“Rowan.”My breath caught as I noticed Rowan standing in front of the portal with his arms at his sides and his hands curled into fists. His body shook with tremors, but the only thing I could feel from the bond was guilt and pain.
He lifted his gaze to meet mine for a brief moment, and the flames were so dim as they flickered in his irises. He dropped to both of his knees and hung his head. His tears dripped into the snow, making small holes within it as they steamed up. “I’m sorry from the deepest pits of my being. I put your life in danger… and so… the only way I know how to make things right is to offer you my life.”
Damien snorted, stepping out of the shadows with his arms crossed. His short sleeves showed off more of his shadows that whispered around his skin. “He offered each of your mates his life in turn for endangering yours when he got back. The bastard has no idea what that would do to you.”
I sucked in a sharp gasp and closed the distance, dropping down beside Rowan. ”Is that true?”
He nodded his head, not lifting it.
“Look at me.”
